What motivates Gen Z employees at work? Insights into how leaders can create a workplace environment where the motivational needs of Gen Z are met

Abstract

According to recent studies, Generation Z employees will make up 27% of OECD countries’ workforce by 2025. In order to successfully lead and motivate Gen Z in an ever-changing workplace environment, leaders face a challenge of gaining greater understanding of them and what motivates them. The purpose of the research was to gather knowledge of how leaders can create a workplace environment to suit the motivational needs of Gen Z, specifically answering the research questions: “What makes Gen Z employees feel motivated at work?” and “How can leaders create a workplace environment where the motivational needs of Gen Z are met?”. The research was conducted as a qualitative inductive study, in the form of semi-structured interviews. The target group for the interviews were limited to eight Gen Z employees within a Norwegian scale-up company established in Finland. Earlier research on Gen Z motivation at the workplace is presented in the theory part, which includes theories on general motivation as well. The self-determination theory was used in the research as a main component of motivation theory, as it provides a thorough, well-supported and multidimensional definition of motivation. The study’s conclusions were partly in line with past research, while some new motivators for Gen Z were identified. The empirical results of the study indicate that the factors that motivate Gen Z employees at work are both extrinsic and intrinsic, and include flexibility, compensation, success, relationships with coworkers and leaders, equal treatment, acceptance of diversity, shared objectives and goals, purpose, feedback, awareness, trust, clarity, personal growth through variation, as well as advancement and influence.