Generation Z entered a workforce unlike that of past generations. Not only did many of them complete their final years of university during the pandemic, separated from their peers and completing coursework in solitude, they also entered a workforce indelibly changed by remote work, rapid globalization of business, and proliferating tech.

As the share of Gen Z in the workforce grows, employers are eager to recruit and retain these young workers, yet they may find themselves stumped for ways to attract, engage, and motivate them.

“They’re looking for companies that aren’t going to use them and abuse them, but are rather going to give them what they feel that their worth is,” said Rachel Schonwald, senior marketing campaign manager at HR tech platform HiBob. That means respecting their boundaries and the hours they’re working, and giving them professional development opportunities.”

I spent time with Schonwald recently for a From Day One webinar, titled “Unlocking Gen Z’s Potential by Nurturing Engagement and Aligning Values.” She shared the best ways to engage Gen Z and HiBob’s latest data on the workforce’s youngest demographic.

Loyalty Is Tenuous for Today’s Youngest Workers

People of all generations are less likely these days to spend a decade with a single company or even in a single industry. But for Gen Z, tenure is remarkably short. According to HiBob’s own data, one-third of Gen Z respondents said they’re planning to leave their job within two years, Schonwald said. And unlike their older peers, they’re ready to jump ship without a new job lined up.

If they don’t get what they want at work, they’re willing to look for it elsewhere. “They don’t have this long-term career path in mind. They’re still at the beginning, and they’re still experimenting,” Schonwald said.

Finding More Purpose and Meaning

So, what will make them stay?

More than the generations before then, Gen Z wants meaningful work. In fact, HiBob found that 42% of Gen Zers satisfied with their jobs joined their company because of its impact and mission. HiBob’s own research found that shared values is a top reason that Gen Z is likely to work for a company. But companies aren’t able to satisfy the values of every worker they employ.

“The reality is, not every corporation is a nonprofit,” Schonwald said. “However, I do think that there are a lot of different opportunities for organizations to align with those values or show their shared values, be it the work they do or the product or the output your company brings.”

Some companies will be able to satisfy that need for meaning with their internal programs. “We saw a much higher proportion of Gen Z was satisfied with their workplace when they had diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging programming. Specifically, LGBTQ+ programming.”

Publish information and data on your programs both internally and externally, Schonwald said. “You want to make sure that everybody within the organization knows that you have those, and you also want to attract and recruit young talent by showcasing it.”

Gen Z Wants Opportunities for Advancement

In addition to meaningful work and a place to belong, Gen Z is looking for an employer that will invest in their careers. Twenty-seven percent of Gen Z respondents told HiBob that a lack of a clear career path is what they most dislike about their current job.

Young workers today are also eager to advance. “If you ask somebody early in their career, they’re going to want a promotion every six months,” Schonwald said. “I mean, who doesn’t want a promotion and a raise every six months?” But that’s not realistic, so set expectations early, showing them ways they might grow within your organization and the benchmarks they need to achieve.

“Having that transparency will go a long way,” Schonwald said. “When you have something you’re working toward, usually you’ll see a lot more productivity, and you’re going to see better results because there’s a path.”

But don’t limit those paths to upward ones. This generation is far more open to the “career lattice” in which moves might be upward, lateral, or even across departments. “We’ve had no stability,” she said of the ways the workplace has changed in the last five years. “The thing that we know now is that change is constant. That’s very different from what people entering the workforce 20 years ago experienced.”

Zoomers Crave Workplace Relationships

Many opportunities for advancement are won through who you know, and employers can facilitate career-building networks Gen Z wants with mentorship and sponsorship programs.

“We see higher satisfaction levels within Gen Z when there are formal mentorship programs at their company,” Schonwald said. Thirty-seven percent of Gen Zers who are dissatisfied with their current employer say they get only informal mentorship opportunities, and more than 50% of satisfied Zoomers say they get formal mentorship opportunities, according to the company’s data.

Gen Z, perhaps overfamiliar with remote work and digital-only relationships, is looking for a face-to-face experience: 41% of Gen Z told HiBob that they feel more engaged while working in the office than when they work remotely. In fact, more than one-third of respondents said what they most dislike about the job is that there aren’t enough opportunities to build relationships with colleagues.

If you have the time and money to fly everyone into company HQ periodically, by all means do so, “but there are always great opportunities for finding digital ways to bring people together, whether that’s through ERGs, mentorship groups, or interest groups.  HiBob, which is headquartered in New York, created “villages,” where workers in close proximity around the country will take a half-day and get together. “They’re across all different functions and all different levels, and that contributes to creating a village, meeting new people, and having those connections that you wouldn’t normally have. But it absolutely needs executive sponsorship, be it from HR or whoever is the most senior person in that area.”

The Changing Demographics of the Workforce

McKinsey estimates that Gen Z will constitute more than 25% of the workforce by next year. And as the Baby Boomers age out of the workforce and into retirement, the power they wield will grow.

This will require employers to make significant adjustments to recruitment and working styles, Schonwald said. “Now’s the time where we can start to recognize, influence, and inform other people to make the changes that we need in order to accommodate Gen Z entering the workforce. And what they’re looking for is a little bit different.”

Editor’s note: From Day One thanks our partner HiBob for sponsoring this webinar.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.