‍Assemble You hosted a compelling webinar with Xavier Coy and Patrick Quinton Smith, founders of Gen Z Coach, to explore how organisations can better understand, support, and empower Gen Z employees. The discussion was timely, practical, and deeply relevant to HR and L&D professionals navigating multi-generational teams.

Why Gen Z Deserves Distinct Attention

Born between 1996 and 2012, Gen Z are digital natives, shaped by a very different set of formative experiences than previous generations — from smartphone-saturated childhoods to the pandemic and economic instability. They're entering the workforce in large numbers (25–30% and rising), bringing different values, expectations, and communication norms.

Unlike any generation before, many Gen Zers started their working lives remotely, in isolation, and often without the organic social and professional development that came from in-person “play-based” childhoods or early career experiences.

What Makes Gen Z Different?

Coy and Smith identified several key generational differences:

• Tech-shaped cognition: Gen Z grew up in an asynchronous, disembodied communication world. Texts replaced face-to-face resolution of conflict, meaning many lack confidence in synchronous, high-context interactions.
• Pandemic legacy: Lockdowns disrupted education, career starts, and social development at a pivotal time, amplifying anxiety and weakening in-person communication skills.
• Values shift: This cohort places a premium on purpose, flexibility, and mental health. They seek meaning in work, boundaries around time, and value feeling heard.
• Rapid generational divergence: Technological and societal changes now move so fast that intergenerational gaps are wider and more consequential than ever before.

The Business Case for Generational Intelligence

Gen Z’s different needs often manifest in feedback like:

• “They can’t take criticism.”
• “They leave after 18 months.”
• “They’re not proactive.”

But Coy and Smith urged organisations to reframe these issues. Rather than symptoms of weakness, these are signs of a shifting norm. Generational Intelligence (GQ) — the ability to understand, empathise with, and communicate across age groups — is becoming as crucial as EQ or IQ.

Without it, managers risk projecting their own assumptions onto behaviours they don’t understand, creating damaging feedback loops that affect retention, performance, and trust.

What Gen Z Need to Thrive

The speakers distilled three core needs:

1. Purposeful Work
   Micro-level context matters. Even simple actions like explaining why a task matters to the team can increase motivation and belonging. Don’t over-index on ESG narratives—focus on connection to day-to-day impact.
2. Appreciation and Feedback
   Gen Z thrives on consistent feedback loops. That doesn’t mean constant praise — it means timely micro-feedback and genuine appreciation. Recognition doesn’t cost much, but neglecting it can cost you your talent.
3. Psychological Safety and Voice
   Creating an environment where Gen Zers feel encouraged to speak up and contribute ideas is vital. They want to be seen, not sidelined.

The Role of Coach-like Leadership

Managers must evolve. The “command-and-control” style doesn’t work here. The most effective leaders will:

• Ask more open-ended questions
• Be direct and caring
• Provide micro-feedback regularly
• Create space for autonomy and reflection

The coaching mindset assumes the individual is capable of growth — not broken. It sends a message of trust, which builds engagement and initiative.

Helping Gen Z Help Themselves

This isn’t a one-way street. Gen Z also need to build mental fitness — skills like communication, resilience, and self-leadership. Gen Z Coach offers programmes directly supporting early careers talent to develop:

• Ownership of their mindset and choices
• Communication confidence
• Skills in receiving and applying feedback

This dual-track approach — developing both managers and young employees — is critical to long-term cultural alignment.

Closing Thoughts: Prepare for the Future, Not the Past

One of the final insights: organisations must prepare leaders not for the generation that raised them, but for the one that’s coming. Gen Z (and soon Gen Alpha) will make up the majority of your workforce. If your leadership styles and L&D initiatives are rooted in 1990s norms, you’re solving yesterday’s problems.

Try the Content Free

Assemble You has launched two new audio series based on this conversation — one for managers leading Gen Z, and one for Gen Z themselves.

Previews of the Gen Z Personal Development Series and the Managing Gen Z Series are free to visit, and accessible until 5th August.

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