Gen Z experience anxiety at work, what is the solution

Employers should prioritize creating a safe workplace, assisting in the development of their interpersonal skills, and fostering more self-directed and peer-driven learning opportunities in order to fully utilize the capabilities of their Gen Z workforce.

Gen Z experience anxiety at work, what employer can do to fix the issue – Kahoot Study

Workplace anxiety is a fact of life for everyone. In such working conditions, the human body becomes lethargic due to the repetition of the same gesture and posture. It occurs at all ages of the workforce. However, the new generations are becoming bored at work as a result of routine work.

However, according to one survey, 90% of Gen Z suffer anxiety at work, and what companies can do to help Gen Z overcome anxiety at work.

90% of Gen Z workers experience workplace social anxiety. Within this, 35% of Gen Zers experience social anxiety practically daily, with only 10% indicating that they never do.

Kahoot!, a worldwide learning and engagement platform, revealed the same in its most recent study, the Kahoot! Zeta Pulse Gen Z Workforce Study.

In response, the company’s vice president, James Micklethwait, stated, “All employers are looking for the key to unlock the full potential of their workforce.” This study confirms that in order to help their Gen Z employees bring their A-game to work, employers must prioritize soft skill development while also experimenting with innovative, quick, and real approaches to communication and training that are mindful of their social discomfort.”

Gen Z Work anxiety a curse for the industry?

According to the study results, 23% of Gen Z people suffer social anxiety during customer encounters. Furthermore, the data shows that 44% of them are uncomfortable or worried about giving presentations at work, while 38% are hesitant to share their thoughts at meetings.

Respondents emphasized the importance of a nonjudgmental and safe workplace in fostering active engagement, with 53% finding it an important element in encouraging active participation. In contrast to males (34%), women (44%) prioritize receiving advance notice if they are expected to contribute their point of view in meetings or presentations.

The study also revealed the industries with the highest rates of socially concerned knowledge workers, with Education, Finance, and Construction ranking first and second, respectively. The Professional Services and Manufacturing industries, on the other hand, had the lowest levels of social anxiety.

How Employers can help Gen Z to overcome anxiety at work :

1. Soft skills training

The value of soft skills training in fostering a safe and inclusive workplace cannot be emphasized. As a result, Gen Z’s urgent need for such training stands out as a critical demand in today’s professional world.The survey emphasizes this requirement even more by naming soft skill development, including as communication, leadership, and negotiation skills, as the top priority for Gen Z employees (42%).

This priority is more prominent among women (48%) than among men (36%). The allocation of dedicated work time for self-directed learning (34%), closely followed by peer-based learning, emerges as the second most significant area for skill enhancement (36%).

“Every organization has hidden abilities and knowledge. Employers should capitalize on this valuable resource by facilitating peer-to-peer learning and encouraging their Gen Z employees to create engaging, interactive learning sessions, presentations, or even courses to challenge their team members and share their knowledge and skills,” said James Micklethwait.

2. Mind the academic shortcomings

While education has provided a foundation for skill development for Generation Z, businesses are now focused on the widening disparities in critical workplace competencies. To help fill these gaps, Gen Z identified the top five areas where their educational experiences fell short, putting insight on the precise areas that require employer intervention:

Networking (32%)
Emotional intelligence (35%)
Conflict resolution (35%)
Stress management (39%)
Creativity (39%)

On a more positive note, critical thinking (51%) and time management (50%) were identified as the most effectively cultivated skills during their educational experiences, highlighting the areas where education has favorably influenced companies.

3. Provide corporate training

While 36% of Gen Z express significant confidence in their companies’ efforts to provide them with the crucial, forward-thinking skills required for success, the message from the remaining respondents is clear: employers’ efforts must be increased.

When it came to reviewing their employment, Gen Z did not hold back, with 32% admitting that their company’s culture does not correspond with their generation’s ideals, necessitating self-reflection. In terms of training and development, Gen Z provided companies with insights to help them create a more interesting future:

Showcase authentic experiences through employee-generated content to foster a sense of community (31%).
Incorporate humor and comedy into learning programs (31%).
Provide bite-sized micro-learning opportunities (29%).
Utilize popular memes to create shareable, humorous content (28%).
Offer immersive offline experiences to bridge the gap between online and offline learning (27%).
Leverage platforms like TikTok and real influencers to deliver relatable, authentic messaging (27% – particularly crucial among Black respondents).

AI Leading Gen Z to Skill Success:

As Generation Z integrates AI into their employment, questions about its equitable adoption arise. The poll reveals how Gen Z uses AI in their career development and support:
AI is used by 27% of Gen Z workers for writing assistance, making it the most popular use, indicating their reliance on tools like ChatGPT.
25% use AI to learn new skills, demonstrating a proactive attitude to skill development.
20% employ AI to improve verbal communication abilities, recognizing its importance in honing this important soft skill. However, the study reveals that a significant 24% do not use AI at all, with significant gender disparities—31% of women abstain compared to 17% of males.
32% of Professional Services workers do not utilize ChatGPT at all, which is much higher than the national average.
Furthermore, only 19% of Gen Z in Finance and 16% in Education do not use AI technologies at all.

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