Work Valuesof Gen Z

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WORK VALUES OF GEN Z:Bridging the Gap to the Next Generation
Conference Paper · December 2018
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INC-2018 - National Conference on Innovative Business Management Practices in 21st Century,
Faculty of Management Studies, Parul University, Gujarat, India. 21-22 December, 2018.
WORK VALUES OF GEN Z:Bridging the Gap to the Next Generation
Dr. Hemlata Agarwal, Professor, S. R. Luthra Institute of Management, Surat,

Email: [email protected] and
Pratiksinh S. Vaghela, Assistant Professor, S. R. Luthra Institute of Management, Surat,
Email: [email protected]
Abstract
________________________________________________________________________
Businesses have been so hyper-focused on figuring out how to attract and develop the
millennial workforce that many failed to notice an important new development. The next
generation of workers has officially entered the workplace. Generation Z, also known as the
iGeneration, was born after 1995, which means the eldest among them will start graduating
from college in the next year and may already be part of the workforce or internship
programs. In India, they represent roughly 20.1% million people, and while many of them are
still in grade school, they will be entering the workforce in droves over the next decade. It’s
easy to assume Gen Z workers will be just an extension of the Millennial, but studies show
that’s not really the case. The Z Generation is predicted to bring about a drastic change in the
upcoming workforce. By the end of this decade, the workplaces are slated to imbibe various
differences to harness the distinct advantages this generation will bring to the productivity
levels and faces of organizations worldwide.
The research purpose is to explain how the work values differ within different groups of
Generation Z (work values based on Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Altruistic, Status-Associated, and
Social Values Concerning the Relationship). The study also seeks to examine what kinds of
workplace expectations do we hear from Gen Z that employers didn’t hear from millennial?
This research therefore has an explanatory as well as descriptive research design. A total of
215 MBA Students of Semester 3 of SRLIM, both shifts, batch 2017-19, completed an
online questionnaire through Google docs.
1
The study will deliver valuable insights into the evolving needs and expectations of a large
portion of the current workforce. It will help understand how then should entrepreneurs,
executives or even middle managers look at hiring, managing and retaining Gen Z. The
answer lies in understanding the mindset of Gen Z and how their career attitude will differ
from those of their predecessors.
___________________________________________________________________
Keywords: Gen Z, Millennial, Work Values, SRLIM, MBA
______________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
With Baby Boomers on the brink of retirement and Gen X and Millennials squarely in the
driver’s seat when it comes to the workforce, Gen Z is poised to come in and shake things up.
According to a recent CNBC article, the oldest Gen Zer's are graduating college, and are
about to enter the workforce with an entirely new set of expectations. In India, they represent
roughly 20.1% million people, and while many of them are still in grade school, they will be
entering the workforce in droves over the next decade.
Businesses have been so hyper-focused on figuring out how to attract and develop the
millennial workforce that many failed to notice an important new development. The next
generation of workers has officially entered the workplace. As Generation Z and its members
are still developing and maturing, therefore, it is increasingly important for MBA Institutes to
understand and become familiar with the characteristics and work values of Generation Z, to
better assist them with career development needs and to bring out the best in this emerging
young workforce.
The Z Generation is predicted to bring about a drastic change in the upcoming workforce. By
the end of this decade, the workplaces are slated to imbibe various differences to harness the
distinct advantages this generation will bring to the productivity levels and faces of
organizations worldwide. So, it’s time,organizations should start focusing on how the
workplace needs to adapt (once again) for this new generation – the first to be raised in the
era of Smartphone’s and most likely to not remember a time without social media. With such
diversity in their lifestyle and choices, it is very crucial to examine their preferences and get a
peek into what they expect from an organization with regard to employment.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of Generation:
The definition of the word ‘Generation’ according to Kupperschmidt (2000, p. 66) is “a group
of people or cohorts who share birth year and experiences as they move through time
together, influencing and being influenced by a variety of critical factors”. She continues by
explaining how a generation is divided by a five to seven years into the first wave, core group
and last wave (Kupperschmidt, 2000).
Characteristics and Work Values of Generations:

Characteristics and Work Values of Generations are also shapedby events occurring during
their lifetime (Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel, 2008).
 Baby boomers are those who were born between 1946-1964 (Dries, Pepermans & De
Kerpel, 2008; DeVaney, 2015) Baby boomer’s work values indicate challenge,
workaholics, criticism and innovativeness (Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel, 2008).
 Generation Xwas born between 1961-1981 (Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel, 2008;
DeVange, 2015; Hays, 2015). Dries, Pepermans and De Kerpel (2008) and DeVange
(2015) classify Generation X’s work values to be learning, curious, entrepreneurship,
materialism and balance.
 The third generation, Generation Y or Millennials are born within early 1980’s to
late 1990’s, and is often referred to as “digital natives” and they strive for values such
as: balance, passion, learning, security and willingness to work are at their workplace
(Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel, 2008; Gayeski, 2015; Steinmetz, 2015).
 Generation Z is currently young adults in the age 21 or younger (Gale, 2015;
Steinmetz, 2015; Myrby, 2015). Both Steinmetz (2015) and Gale (2015) describe how
they have been labelled iGeneration, App Generation, Homelanders, Founders,
Plurals, but the most common used name for the new cohort is Generation Z.
Characteristics and Preferences of Generation Z

Characteristics:
As the definition goes by, Generation Z are born after 1995 and spread across till 2010
(Bascha, 2011; Brue Tulgan & Rain maker Inc., 2013). According to the Institute for
Emerging Issues (2012), the Generation Z is the most ethnically diverse and technologically
sophisticated generation. Generation Z has an informal, individual and straight way of
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communicating, and social networking is a vital part of their lives. They are a Do-It-Yourself
generation.
In the study conducted by Dan Schawbel (2014), Generation Z tend to be more

entrepreneurial, trustworthy, tolerant and less motivated by money than Gen Y. They are
more realistic about their work expectation and optimistic about the future.
Based on the findings of Generational White Paper (2011), Generation Z tends to be

impatient, instant minded, lacking the ambitions of previous generations, have acquired
attention deficit disorder with a high dependency on the technology and a low attention span,
individualistic, self-directed, most demanding, acquisitive, materialistic and entitled
generation so far. Max Mihelich. (2013) describes that the Generation Z are very concerned
with environmental issues, very conscious of looming shortages and water shortages which
indicates that they have a high sense of responsibility towards the natural resources.
Amanda Slavin (2015) finds the Generation Z wants to be heard irrespective of their young
age. Technology is a part of their identity and they are tech savvy but lack problem-solving
skills and have not demonstrated the ability to look at a situation, put in context, analyze it
and make a decision (Joseph Coombs, 2013). They also appear to be less inclined toward
voting and to participating in their communities than earlier generations (Institute for
emerging issues, 2015).
Preferences:
As preferences of work and workplace are different for different generations, it is crucial to
understand the preferences of the Generation Z so that proper channel of communication is
established and good environment is created in the organization. It is also important to
understand what motivates them for the organizational productivity. The preferences of
generation Z based on the available literatures are as follows:
(a) Based on the study of Bascha (2011), they prefer transparency, self-reliance, flexibility
and personal freedom are non-negotiable aspects of Generation Z work ethics and ignoring
them could result to frustration among peers, reduced productivity, low morale and a lack of
employee engagement. They expect to be informed, to be allowed to be responded, and to
have their responses heard and acknowledged.
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(b) Max Mihelich (2013) stated that they must have enough independence to prove
themselves and earn immediate recognition. Also as this generation has never lived in a
world without a smart phone or an iPad, they expect not to lose all these gadgets when going
to the office.
(c) According to the study of Dan Schawbel (2014), they prefer in-person or face to face
communication and want to take them seriously. They desire the managers to listen to their
ideas and value their opinions. It indicates that the workplace should be less about age and
more about ideas and contributions. Also they want to work for an honest leader and want
them to be open and do not hide information from them because of their young age or title.
(d) According to Teresa Bridges (2015), they prefer work environment that cultivate
mentoring, learning and professional development opportunities as they believe their
education has not given the required skills to deal with the real life problems. Work place that
encourages their entrepreneurial skills, work environment which is friendly and allowance for
flexible schedules are the attributes that the Generation Z looks for a job. Technology is their
integral part of their lives and prefers organizations that are at the forefront of workplace that
supports and allow them to communicate, edit documents and advance work regardless of
geographies or time zone barriers.
(e) They prefer office workplace that is easy to adjust within. They value arrangement and
certainty in the workplace and find complex planning layout undesirable (Knoll, 2014).
(f) They prefer to work for a leader with honesty and integrity (Robert Half, 2015).
(g) They prefer to work for an organization that demonstrate genuine ties with community
and social responsibility (Nicola Middlemiss, 2015)
It is obvious that the new generation entering the workforce often prompts comparisons to
those who came before, along with much anticipation— and predictions, sometimes
accurate—of how the generation could disrupt the workforce. Millennials, for example, were
projected to introduce new forms of communication and prioritize the social responsibility of
their employers while demonstrating less loyalty to the organizations they serve. As per
various researches done, the shifting behavioural patterns of the Millennial generation are
attributed to their higher levels of college debt and delayed family planning as well as an
economic recession. Gen Z has grown in the world of global terrorism threats; tough
economic environment and financial rises. It’s easy to assume Gen Z workers will be just an
extension of the Millennial, but studies show that’s not really the case. Many have speculated
5
about the influence an always-connected generation will have on the workplace. Research
suggests that many within the Gen Z cohort are concerned.
Work Values:
In order to effectively attract the new generation of people, organizations need to understand
their Work Valuesand how they will distinguish from previous generation (Twenge et al.,
2010). Ye (2015) explain that work values are the goals of what individuals pursue in their
work and it is a direct influence on individual’s choice and abilities. Smola and Sutton (2002)
classify work values as the individual's evaluative standards. Ye (2015) further state that
work values predict what kind of attitude individuals have towards different work positions
and work values differ from generation to generation and to individual to individual (Kowske
et al., 2010; Ye, 2015; Jaskyte, 2014).Several scholars have emphasized on how work values
differ between generations (Dries, Pepermans & De Kerpel; 2008; Kowske et al., 2010; Ye,
2015). However it is important to understand that work values can differ between individuals
within the generation itself (Jaskyte, 2014). Balsamo, Lauriola, Saggino (2012) explain how
the choice of major plays an important role in how people form their work values.
Specific Patterns of Students Work Values:

They further state that Specific Patterns of Students Work Values could be the explanation to
what type of major (specialization) they choose (Balsamo et al., 2012). Frieze, Olson, Murrell
and Selvan (2006) claim that many researchers have reported that there are differences in
work values concerning females/girls and men/boys. They continue stating that men are more
likely to value being ambitious, being capable, receiving social recognition and having a
sense of accomplishment than females (Frieze et al., 2006). Men have a sense to value self-
expression whereas females value extrinsic work values. Frienze et al. (2006) also mention
that men place more value on salary and the opportunity for promotions, while females place
more value on having flexible hours and good co-workers. Jaskyte (2014) state that
employees may choose a specific workplace based on the individual's needs, how it fits the
individual's own personal values, and if the workplace provide benefits that are important to
them. Since the work values influence the employee's activity and performance through
attitudes and goals, it is vital to explore the differences within different groups of the
generation in order to create a good person-environment fit, which will create effective
human resource practices, provide job satisfaction and improving employee performance
(Karl & Sutton, 1998).
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Five Common Work Values:

An explanation of the Five Common Work Values that scientific researchers’ have discussed
up to now in scientific research based on precedent generations is presented here.
1. Intrinsic work values
Sengupta (2015) describes intrinsically oriented individual’s values with the terms;
development, self-actualization, challenging projects and growth. Vanteenkiste et al. (2007)
are consistent with Kasser and Ryan’s (1993) perception on intrinsic workvalues, where they
acknowledge the intrinsically individuals to those who develop andbuild meaningful relations
in their workplace. Vanteenkiste et al. (2007) continue bydescribing employees reflecting
intrinsic work values as having a natural desire to growand develop. Intrinsic values are also
associated with an increased well-being since theirambition to satisfy psychological needs
such as competence and autonomy (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Intrinsic work values center on the
process of work, the rewards that areintangible and reflects the inherent interest of the work.
Such rewards could be theopportunity to be innovative and the given learning potential (Deci
& Ryan, 2000).
2. Extrinsic work values
Extrinsically oriented individuals’ values with terms such as: power, focus on status,
hierarchical positions and reward (Sengupta, 2015). Twenge et al. (2010) believe thatextrinsic
work values reward payments, material possessions and prestige. Extrinsicemployees are
perceived as pursuits of a career, status and power (Kasser & Ryan, 1993; Vanteenkiste et al.,
2007). Work values that pursuits of career, status and powerreflects extrinsic work values
since the most important values most commonly layswithin the personal esteem and self-
worth (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Carlson et al., (2000)argue for that employee with extrinsic work
values promote negative experiences in theworkplace, where the work takes over and affects
the family-life. Extrinsically orientedemployees have shown to be more satisfied in their
workplace when they receive a higher income (Malka & Chatman, 2003).
3. Altruistic work values
Twenge et al. (2008) describes altruistic values as individuals who work to help othersand get
triggered by helping the society through their work. Altruistic work values involve the
ambition to helping others while contributing to the society (Twenge et al.,2008). According
to Lyons et al. (2006) the altruistic values are espoused by an individual who supports the
public service. In other words, individuals who are stimulated to havea career within the
public service. Individuals who share altruistic values are oftenmorally compelled and are
more motivated towards a job within the public sector eventhough the economic rewards are
7
below the private sector (Lyons et al., 2006). Pursuantto Perry et al. (2010) the key
motivation for individuals who work within the publicsector is the extensive interest to serve
the public. A study done by Frank and Lewis(2004) showed that employees with altruistic
work values frequently valued helpingothers as well as making contributions to the society
and where the private sector lackedthese types of values. Lyons and colleagues’ (2006)
findings confirms the importanceof contributing to the society, it also showed that employees
within the public sector honour the altruistic essence of their work and not the economic
rewards or benefits ofthe work itself.
4. Status-associated work values
According to Ros et al. (1999) individuals that prefer status-associated work values,value
workplaces that gives people achievement, advancement, status, recognition,independence,
but also makes them proud of working at a specific job. They furtherdescribe how these
values make people compare themselves with others and the aim isto achieve personal
superiority (Ros et al., 1999). Cennamo and Gardner (2008) explainthat if a person have a
strong focus on hard work and achievements it may mean thatthey value status and extrinsic
values such as; recognition for loyalty and commitment, and pursuant to Smola and Sutton
(2002) these people have tendency to balance workand family.
5 Social work values
According to Lyons et al. (2006) and Twenge (2010) social values concern therelationship a
person have with co-workers, supervisors, and other people, but it also pertain other facets,
such as: leisure time, nurturing/fun environment and work-lifebalance. If individuals are used
to be assigned to group projects and presentations theyare more likely to emphasize on the
social aspects of work, such as preferring friendlyco-workers or work in a fun environment
(Lyons et al., 2003 cited in Ng et al., 2010;Lowe et al., 2008 cited in Ng et al., 2010).
Johanson (2002) describes leisure as theopportunity for free time, vacation and freedom from
supervision. A person who prefersleisure time strives to get a job which gives them more
time for other things in theirlives, makes them free from supervision by others, a job where
they have more than twoweeks vacation and a job with an easy pace where they can work
slowly (Johnson,2002). Strömberg and Karlsson (2009) state that an nourish and fun
environment ischaracterized by humor and laughter, and will increase the quality of a
individual’swork life. A workplace which enriches humour and “fun at work” will enhance
andinfuse energy and motivation to their employees (Strömberg&Karlsson, 2009).
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Levenson (2010) emphasize on the facet “work-life balance”, which comprises

theunderstanding of how people balance their job situation with their personal lives.
Hefurther discuss that the work-life balance considerations plays a vital role in
people’sattitudes about jobs (Levenson, 2010). People’s attitudes will have an impact on
theircareer path and what kind of jobs they choose. A central conflict is the work-
familyconflict, where the person needs to balance work with its family and could it affect
thechoice of career or job. This conflict is very common, especially for women, since
theyhave the primary responsibility of child fostering (Levenson, 2010). Levenson
(2010)suggest that to be able to examine people’s work-life balance, one could simply
observea person’s family situation. Interpret by Zhang et al. (2007) work-life balance
isdetermined on early events in a generation’s lifetime and out of that, they shape anattitude
on how they balance their work with their personal life.
There are two perspectives on how people view their work-life balance, either they “making a
life” or“making a living”. The differences are that if people choose “making a life” they
prioritize freedom, leisure and jobs that are less under supervision, while “making a living”
means that people prefer working long hours and prioritize working (Zhang etal. 2007).
OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
The research aims to explain –
a. How the work values differ within different groups (specialization and gender) of
Generation Z, based on Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Altruistic, Status-Associated, and Social
Values Concerning the Relationship.
b. The study also seeks to examine what kinds of workplace expectations do we hear
from Gen Z that employers didn’t hear from millennial?
Research Hypothesis
c. H1: Depending on Specialisation, individual’s value differs in work values.
d. H2: Depending on Gender, individual’s value differs in work values.
METHODOLOGY
The study is initially exploratory at the time of exploring literature review and after the
finalization of research problem it is descriptive at later stage of research. Structured
questionnaire was designed based on research objectives and hypothesis to collect data. The
9
questionnaire consist dichotomous, rating, multiple choice and demographic related questions
as per the requirements of the study. Convenience sampling techniques employed to select
individuals for data collection. Survey of 215 MBA Students of Semester 3 of S. R. Luthra
Institute of Management (SRLIM), both shifts, batch 2017-19 was done.Further, pilot study
carried out to identify potential error so as to improve the reliability and validity of the
research questionnaire. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire sent
through Google docs. Finally, statistical analysis techniques used to analyze and interpret the
data. Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) have been used to analyze collected
data.
The data was collected through a structured questionnaire sent through Google docs. A
deductive research approach was also applied and two hypotheses were created based on the
already existing theory to see if different groups within Generation Z differ concerning their
work values.
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The study will deliver valuable insights into the evolving needs and expectations of a large
portion of the current workforce. It will help understand how then should entrepreneurs,
executives or even middle managers look at hiring, managing and retaining Gen Z. The
answer lies in understanding the mindset of Gen Z and how their career attitude will differ
from those of their predecessors
LIMITATIONS
The study is limited to the MBA students of SRLIM batch 2017-19 only and therefore the
results cannot be generalised for general purpose.
ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
Profiling:
The Table1below shows the distribution of the respondents from the questionnaire.The table
represents gender and specialization. It is visible that responses were dominated by females
and finance specialization.
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Table1: Gen Z (respondents) Profile
Variables Percentage (%)

Male 35.10
Gender
Female 64.90
Marketing 16.90
Specialization Finance 67.54
HR 15.60
Gen Z Profile
Specialization Marketing, 16.9 Finance, 67.54 HR, 15.6
Gender Male, 35.1 Female, 64.9
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Male Female Marketing Finance HR
Reliability & Validity:

Reliability test was performed to check instrument accuracy and consistency.The reliability
indicator (α) was calculated for both overall measurement scale and for each construct.
Commonly used acceptable value for reliability test is 0.70. Table 2 show the result of
reliability test, which is above the threshold level with descriptive statistic mean, standard
deviation.
Table 2: Reliability test
Cronbach’s
Number alpha based on Cronbach’s
Construct
of Items standardized alpha
items
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Intrinsic Work Value 5 0.716

Extrinsic Work Value 9 0.786
Altruistic Work Value 6 0.751
0.918
Status-Associated Work Values 2 0.710
Social Values Concern the 9
0.803
Relationship
The discriminant validity can be confirmed by calculating the correlation between each pair
of constructs and it should be less than 0.85. Table 2 shows the inter construct correlation and
all values are less than 0.85 thus discriminant validity is achieved.
Table 3: Discriminant validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio of Correlations (HTMT)
Extrinsic
Altruisti
Intrinsic
Social
Status
c
Intrinsic Pearson Correlation .675** .673** .535** .599**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0 0
Extrinsic Pearson Correlation .660** .616** .682**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0 0
Altruistic Pearson Correlation .679** .656**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0 0
Status Pearson Correlation .690**
Sig. (2-tailed) 0
Social Pearson Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)
Mean Score of Work Values:

Chart 1 show the overall means score for each value. It can be interpreted from the mean
score that all the students have high agreement towards all work values under the study.
Further Intrinsic, Altruistic and Status Associated values are most important for the students.
Chart 1: Mean score of work values
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6.3
6.2
6.2 6.1
6.1 6.0
6.0
5.9
5.8
5.8 5.7
5.7
5.6
5.5
Intrinsic Work Extrinsic Work Altruistic Work Status-Associated Social Values
Value Value Value Work Values Concern the
Relationship
Male and Female Students Mean Score of Work Values:

Whereas chart 2 show the comparison of work values score of male and female students. It is
found that the mean score differences are minimum and it can be said that Male and Female
students gave equal importance to each work values. At the same time, it can be further
reinstated that Intrinsic, Altruistic and Status Associated values are the most important for
male and female students.
Chart 2: Male and Female Students Mean score of work values
6.60
6.41
6.40 6.28
6.20 6.08 6.10 6.06
5.98 5.98
6.00 5.89
5.80 5.69 Male
5.66
5.60 Female
5.40
5.20
Intrinsic Work Extrinsic Work Altruistic Work Status-Associated Social Values
Value Value Value Work Values Concern the
Relationship
Mann-Whitney U test
The Mann-Whitney U test is used to compare differences between two independent groups
when the dependent variable is either ordinal or continuous, but not normally distributed. The
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study applied Mann-Whitney U test to compare work values of male and female students.
The hypothesis of the test is as below.
H0: There is no significant difference in work values of male and female students.
H1: There is a significant difference in work values of male and female students.
Table 4: Mann Whitney U Test

Mann- Asymp. HO
Constructs Statements Whitney Sig. (2- Accept/
U tailed) Reject
When I apply for a job I value challenging work tasks as
568.000 .227 Accept
important
When I apply for a job I value the opportunity to build meaningful
411.000 .003 Reject
contacts as important.
Intrinsic
When I apply for a job I value to grow as a person as important. 583.500 .277 Accept
Work Value
When I apply for a job I value to work in a motivating
520.500 .068 Accept
environment as important.
When I apply for a job I value a work that motivates me in a
532.500 .088 Accept
positive way in order to reach good results as important.
When I apply for a job I value high positions (e.g. manager
605.500 .443 Accept
positions) as important.
When I apply for a job I value workplace where I can work
495.500 .044 Reject
independently as important.
When I apply for a job I value a workplace where I have a lot of
513.500 .073 Accept
responsibilities as important.
When I apply for a job I value material things as rewards as
614.000 .503 Accept
Extrinsic important.
Work Value When I apply for a job I value the company’s status as important. 544.500 .148 Accept
When I apply for a job I value the salary as important. 653.500 .811 Accept
When I apply for a job I value the opportunities to grow within the
569.500 .211 Accept
company as important.
When I apply for a job I value the opportunities to a long career as
557.500 .166 Accept
important.
When I apply for a job I value the company's career benefits as
569.500 .223 Accept
important.
Altruistic When I apply for a job I value shared knowledge as important 618.500 .515 Accept
Work Value When I apply for a job I value a workplace where I can be helpful 605.000 .419 Accept
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as important.
When I apply for a job I value a helpful working environment as
621.000 .532 Accept
important.
When I apply for a job I value a company who contributes to the
521.500 .085 Accept
society as important.
When I apply for a job I value volunteer jobs as important. 623.500 .565 Accept
When I apply for a job I value companies who cares about the
655.000 .821 Accept
Status- When I apply for a job I value a company who I can be proud of
641.500 .703 Accept
Associated as important.
Work
When I apply for a job I value to fulfil achievements as important. 567.500 .214 Accept
Values
When I apply for a job I value flexible hours as important 537.500 .128 Accept
When I apply for a job I value independent tasks that does not
647.000 .759 Accept
require supervision at my workplace as important
When I apply for a job I value leisure time as important. 667.000 .930 Accept
When I apply for a job I value a good relationship with my co-
650.000 .768 Accept
workers as important.
Social When I apply for a job I value working in a fun environment as
495.000 .042 Reject
Values important.
Concern the When I apply for a job I value the possibilities of working
593.000 .356 Accept
Relationship together with my co-workers as important.
When I apply for a job I value balance in my work and personal
580.500 .274 Accept
life as important.
When I apply for a job I value to have control over my work-life
655.000 .822 Accept
balance as important.
When I apply for a job I value balance in my work and personal
672.500 .976 Accept
life as important.
Mann Whitney test results (Table 4) show that all p values are greater than the 0.05 (except
for three statements highlighted with yellow colour, one is for intrinsic value, extrinsic value
and Social value). Thus null hypothesis is accepted for remaining all statements. There is no
significant difference in work values of the male and female students.
Kruskal-Wallis H test
The Kruskal-Wallis H test is a rank-based nonparametric test that can be used to determine if
there are statistically significant differences between two or more groups of an independent
variable on a continuous or ordinal dependent variable. The study applied Kruskal-Wallis H
15
test to compare work values of students based of their specialisation that is Marketing,
Finance and Human Resource Management. The hypothesis of the test is as below.
H0: There is no significant difference between work values and specialisation of students.
H1: There is a significant difference between work values and specialisation of students.
Table 5: Kruskal Walish Test

Asymp. HO
Chi-
Constructs Statements Sig. (2- Accept/
Square
tailed) Reject
When I apply for a job I value challenging work tasks as important 6.623 .036 Reject
When I apply for a job I value the opportunity to build meaningful
2.997 .223 Accept
contacts as important.
Intrinsic When I apply for a job I value to grow as a person as important. 3.637 .162 Accept
Work Value When I apply for a job I value to work in a motivating environment
1.313 .519 Accept
as important.
When I apply for a job I value a work that motivates me in a positive
.100 .951 Accept
way in order to reach good results as important.
When I apply for a job I value high positions (e.g. manager
1.060 .589 Accept
positions) as important.
When I apply for a job I value workplace where I can work
2.000 .368 Accept
independently as important.
When I apply for a job I value a workplace where I have a lot of
5.095 .078 Accept
responsibilities as important.
When I apply for a job I value material things as rewards as
5.412 .067 Accept
Extrinsic important.
Work Value When I apply for a job I value the company’s status as important. 4.705 .095 Accept
When I apply for a job I value the salary as important. .113 .945 Accept
When I apply for a job I value the opportunities to grow within the
1.363 .506 Accept
company as important.
When I apply for a job I value the opportunities to a long career as
2.163 .339 Accept
important.
When I apply for a job I value the company's career benefits as
1.857 .395 Accept
important.
When I apply for a job I value shared knowledge as important 2.032 .362 Accept
Altruistic When I apply for a job I value a workplace where I can be helpful as
.918 .632 Accept
Work Value important.
When I apply for a job I value a helpful working environment as 3.605 .165 Accept
16
important.
When I apply for a job I value a company who contributes to the
7.737 .021 Reject
When I apply for a job I value volunteer jobs as important. .940 .625 Accept
When I apply for a job I value companies who cares about the
2.056 .358 Accept
Status- When I apply for a job I value a company who I can be proud of as
2.343 .310 Accept
Associated important.
Work
When I apply for a job I value to fulfil achievements as important. 3.194 .202 Accept
Values
When I apply for a job I value flexible hours as important .078 .962 Accept
When I apply for a job I value independent tasks that does not
2.072 .355 Accept
require supervision at my workplace as important
When I apply for a job I value leisure time as important. 3.386 .184 Accept
When I apply for a job I value a good relationship with my co-
4.702 .095 Accept
workers as important.
Social When I apply for a job I value working in a fun environment as
1.938 .379 Accept
Values important.
Concern the When I apply for a job I value the possibilities of working together
4.155 .125 Accept
Relationship with my co-workers as important.
When I apply for a job I value balance in my work and personal life
.784 .676 Accept
as important.
When I apply for a job I value to have control over my work-life
1.295 .523 Accept
balance as important.
When I apply for a job I value balance in my work and personal life
.650 .722 Accept
as important.
Kruskal-Wallis H test results (Table 5) shows that all p values are greater than the 0.05
(except for two statements highlighted with yellow colour, one is for Intrinsic values and
another is in Altruistic values). Thus null hypothesis is accepted for remaining all statements.
There is no significant difference between work values and specialization of the students.
From the above analysis it is clear that there is no significant difference in the work values
within different groups of Gen Z neither Gender wise nor Specialization wise.
17
Table 6: Work Values of Gen Z

Work Values Indicators Score
Development 6.12
Intrinsic Work Values
Motivation 5.98
Power 5.63
Extrusive Work Values Status 5.52
Career 6.22
Helps Others 6.24
Altruistic Work Values
Contribute to Society 5.81
Status Associated Work Values Personal Superiority 5.73
Leisure 5.26
Social Values Concern The
Relationship Co-workers 6.09
Work-life balance 6.14
Chart 3: Work Values of Gen Z
Work Values of Gen Z
WORK-LIFE BALANCE 6.14
CO-WORKERS 6.09
LEISURE 5.26
PERSONAL SUPERIORITY 5.73
CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY 5.81
HELPS OTHERS 6.24
CAREER 6.22
STATUS 5.52
POWER 5.63
MOTIVATION 5.98
DEVELOPMENT 6.12
4.60 4.80 5.00 5.20 5.40 5.60 5.80 6.00 6.20 6.40
When it comes to Gen Z work values and expectations in the workplace, our data paints a
clear picture of the priorities and preferences of this generation. Table 6 shows that among
various Altruistic work values important for the respondents the most important value is
18
Helps others (6.24). Their inclination is more towards shared knowledge, being helpful and
they expect the working environment to be equally helpful.
At the same time for them Extrusive work values are equally important and in that
specifically Career (6.22). They would like to join those companies who would give them
opportunities to grow within the company, so that they can stay there for long career (unlike
Millennials) and appreciate the career benefits. Compare to what is known for Millennials,
Gen Z sounds less materialistic. They want to have work-life-balance (6.14) along with
pleasurable working environment. But this doesn’t stop them from expecting challenging
work tasks, building meaningful contacts and grow individually as a person along with
organization (development 6.12). For Gen Z, good relationship withtheir co-workers (6.09)
and working in team is important too. Their Motivation (5.98) is good work environment.
They are sensitive towards society and therefore would value working for companies who
care for society (5.81).
From the study it is obvious that Gen Z value independent tasks and therefore doesn’t find it essential
to be supervised (Leisure, 5.26). For them salary & designation is important but not the only
motivators to work (Status 5.52 : Power 5.63). They want to work to get appreciated and do
something for the wellbeing of their company and therefore competition with peers is not very
important to them (Personal superiority 5.73).
Our Study sheds light on what Gen Z seeks in a career and hereby provides some food for thought to
help recruiters/talent acquirer address these desires.
Heartening Work Environment

From the survey it is clear that the Gen Z is much less likely to do business with a company where
they have had a poor experience as a job applicant. Therefore, Companies must identify any friction
points that exist throughout the entire candidate experience and work toward creating an effortless,
timely, and relevant candidate experience.
Use of Innovative Technology

Innovative recruiting tools such as Chatbots that automate the process from resume to interview,
neuroscience games and bias-free artificial intelligence (AI) to predictively match people with jobs
where they’ll perform at the highest level or recruiting app that helps distribute jobs, identify and
19
attract candidates, build relationships, and manage the interview process to give companies a
competitive advantage when recruiting Gen Z.
Don’t Rely on Company’s Name Alone

Companies should be actively managing and leveraging their employer brand on Glassdoor.com
where these Gen Zers look at reviews, respond to reviews, and act on the trends and/or feedback.
Cultural Diversity
In addition to this, Gen Z decision to work is affected by the company's level of diversity. Not only
will promoting diversity and a wide-ranging organizational culture attract Gen Z-- the most diverse
workforce to date--but organizations with inclusive cultures are likely to meet or exceed financial
targets, be high-performing, be innovative and agile, and is more likely to achieve better business
outcomes.
Recognize the Multifaceted Nature of Gen Z

Growing up with ubiquitous connectivity, evolving mobile technology, and in a growing gig economy
has altered how Gen Z views employment. Gen Z would be interested in a situation in which they
could have multiple roles within one place of employment. In that case, companies should consider
becoming more fluid by using rotational programs, reconnaissance, and offering more learning and
development opportunities.
Professional Development Opportunities Are Essential

Gen Z grew up with YouTube, the world’s largest on-demand how-to video library, at their fingertips,
which means organizations must offer innovative solutions to appease their appetite for on-demand
learning. Therefore, providing training in small learning units and short-term learning activities will
delivered in a convenient and accessible manner will be more effective. Content should be distributed
(ideally on-demand and mobile-first) in mini-bursts, typically 2-15 minutes in length.
Communication
Gen Zers are used to communicating by text and in status updates on Facebook profiles. Email is not
as popular with this generation. They are used to brevity so texting, IM’ing, and Facebook is how they
would enjoy communicating. They may need additional training and coaching in business
communication and grammar. The form of communication in a blog is often not grammatically
correct, and often times may not be entirely appropriate in business. Although, by the time Gen Zers
are running the business world, that will likely change too.
20
CONCLUSION
The purpose of the study was to know the work values of generation Z. The study considered
Intrinsic, Extrinsic, Altruistic, Status and Social values based on the literature review.
Descriptive analysis of the data revealed that the students are giving more importance to
values such as Intrinsic, Altruistic and Status. Further, the gender based comparison of work
values shown that there is negligible difference between male and female with respect to their
agreement on work values under study. Study also puts an attempt to compare work values of
the students based on their specialisation that is Marketing, Finance. Human Resource. It is
found that there is no deference in students work values based on their specialisation.
While universities may ultimately shift focus to close some of these skill gaps, employers
and, specifically, talent organizations, should evolve to secure the future talent pipeline. As
many young adults strongly consider bypassing college to move straight into the workplace,
companies are challenged with positioning themselves to acquire the next generation of top
talent a lot sooner than expected. Recruiters requires a re-examination of the life cycle of the
entry-level employee experience. This includes re-evaluating traditional approaches to
employee acquisition as well as job assignments, employee development, and influencing
overall organizational culture. Theyneed to unpack each of these parts of the overall
employee experience and explore alternative ways to design the entry-level role of the future.
Generations Z seems to have different requirements and motivating factors then the earlier
generations. This generation will stir its own unique needs upon the workplace as they enter
the organizations. It is important for the organization to discover what’s important to the
Generation Z beforehand to boost attractiveness within and outside the industry in order to
establish a corporate culture and workplace to gain a distinctive advantage in the hunt for top
talent employees from the Generation Z which in turn will sustain the organizational growth
and remain a winning organization throughout.
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WORK VALUES OF GEN Z:Bridging the Gap to the Next Generation

Conference Paper · December 2018

Hemlata Agarwal Pratiksinh S. Vaghela

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WORK VALUES OF GEN Z:Bridging the Gap to the Next Generation

Dr. Hemlata Agarwal, Professor, S. R. Luthra Institute of Management, Surat,

Characteristics and Work Values of Generations:

Characteristics and Preferences of Generation Z

In the study conducted by Dan Schawbel (2014), Generation Z tend to be more

Based on the findings of Generational White Paper (2011), Generation Z tends to be

Specific Patterns of Students Work Values:

Five Common Work Values:

Levenson (2010) emphasize on the facet “work-life balance”, which comprises

ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

Table1: Gen Z (respondents) Profile

Variables Percentage (%)

Specialization Marketing, 16.9 Finance, 67.54 HR, 15.6

Gender Male, 35.1 Female, 64.9

Reliability & Validity:

Intrinsic Work Value 5 0.716

Table 3: Discriminant validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio of Correlations (HTMT)

Mean Score of Work Values:

Chart 1: Mean score of work values

Male and Female Students Mean Score of Work Values:

Table 4: Mann Whitney U Test

Table 5: Kruskal Walish Test

Table 6: Work Values of Gen Z

Chart 3: Work Values of Gen Z

Work Values of Gen Z

WORK-LIFE BALANCE 6.14

PERSONAL SUPERIORITY 5.73

CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY 5.81

HELPS OTHERS 6.24

Heartening Work Environment

Use of Innovative Technology

Don’t Rely on Company’s Name Alone

Recognize the Multifaceted Nature of Gen Z

Professional Development Opportunities Are Essential

4. Bascha.(2011). Z: The open source generation.

6. CIPD. (2008). Gen Up: How the four generations work.

8. Cennamo, L., and Gardner, D. (2008). Generational differences in work values,

12. DeVaney, A. (2015). Understanding the Millennial Generation. Journal of Financial

18. Harber J. (2011).Generations in the Workplace: Similarities and Differences. Institute

21. Joseph Coombs.(2013).Generation Z: Why HR Must Be Prepared for Its Arrival

25. Kupperschmidt, B. (2000). Multigenerational employees: Strategies for Effective

33. Robert Half. (2015). Get ready for generation.

37. Twenge. J.M. (2010). A Review of the Empirical Evidence on Generational

39. Understanding the Generation Z: The Future Workforce. Available from:

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