The Zoomers Excerpt

They come by several names but for sake of clarification, we will be calling them Zoomers in this book.

Generation Z / Gen Z / Gen Zers / Zoomers include everyone born from the mid-1990s to the early 2010s. Most people count Zoomers as those born from 1996 or 1997 to around 2012. The oldest Zoomers in 2022 are around 26 years old. There are between 67 million and 68 million Zoomers.

Some interesting facts about Zoomers.

Zoomers have grown up with today’s Internet. a world at their fingertips. a world where all knowledge and questions are supposedly answered by the click of a mouse. Things that were previously foreign or unknown are now only a “Google” search away.

This newfound way of living was virtually unheard of in the Boomer generation, but there are many similarities between these generations. Boomers and Zoomers were fueled by injustices and the way the world worked. They both believe that they could and should make a difference. They both felt that those in authority did not have a clue as to how things should be managed and that it was not only their responsibility but their destiny to get involved and make changes. Accepting the status quo of how things have always been managed was not an option for either generation. One may notice that the definition and handling of these changes have taken a significantly different route for each generation. The Boomers were the ones who rallied in the streets in protest of the Vietnam War. They fought to legalize abortion, remove God from schools, and make sure women in the workforce did not have a glass ceiling, and if there was one, it was made to be broken. The seeds of what the Boomers accomplished are now the bedrock of our society, and the Zoomer generation is challenging them. Zoomers believe that only absolutes, rights, and wrongs exist in the hearts and minds of individuals. Political correctness and tolerance are not just buzzwords but a way of life. The issues that comprise this, such as abortion, gender identification, LGBTQ+, climate control, etc., are things that must be upheld, supported, and defended.

Yet at the core of this generation, there is a longing that they have not been able to identify because it is a throwback to the greatest generation. It was their basic principles and ideals that they fought and lived for. Those principles of what is right and wrong gave that generation the strength to face wars and upheaval, such as the Great Depression, and to stand strong. Zoomers have no such foundation, and they are floundering. They are searching, but in all their Internet surfing, what they need and want seems very elusive. One thing that is very apparent in this generation is the need for face-to-face contact and someone willing to pour their life into their lives as a mentor. They may not believe that their parents, teachers, or society as a whole did this. As they enter the workforce, they look at companies that hold dear the things that they feel are important as a culture, but at the root of their search, there is one thing that needs to be satisfied. If this is not satisfied, then the Zoomers will move on. They are not like previous generations that needed the security of having a job to give them identity or provide for them. They are free-spirited enough that finding that inherent need to be fulfilled will be a more motivating factor than a paycheck. Although they do feel that what they are paid does reflect how a company perceives their worth, they will move on to another job if they feel that they are not compensated well. Thus, their value and compensation have equal status in their world.

Their privacy standards are at an entirely different level than previous generations. Their lives are open books on social media sites. It is common for them to open their day with how they feel and close it with a summary of the day’s events to their friends. They can include images and videos to tell their story as well. This has also lent itself to “cyberbullying,” which is unique to this generation.

This has created a bit of a dilemma in the workplace surrounding privacy issues. As employers will also Google a potential candidate for a position in their company, many qualified candidates have been overlooked because of their postings. It has also resulted in the firing of individuals when certain opinions have been aired on their sites that conflict with a company’s ideologies or policies. Case in point: someone as famous as Kayne West posted anti-Semitism, and the backlash was heard around the world.

This generation also has a very entrepreneurial nature. The opportunities to open their own business have increased. It is common for this generation to run businesses that have employees besides themselves. With market challenges, a lack of job opportunities, and a knowledge base only a click or swipe away, they, in some cases, have had no other choice but to start a business to earn a living.

Add to that the fact that business dynamics are constantly changing, with significantly younger generations in positions of ownership, leadership, and management of various generations of workers. This can often cause an unnecessary conflict with other generations when not understood.

During the pandemic, many Zoomers became “digital nomads.” They were able to move from location to location with their laptops or tablets and work without interruption. This has brought about human resource challenges. Wherever your employees live, you must follow the HR laws of that state and county.

Another factor in the business community is that Zoomers are just now beginning to impact the real estate market. This huge cohort of prospective buyers is seen by many as the “future of real estate.” This influx of these demographics can and will have a significant impact on growth in different areas as they tend to want to populate certain areas, and their career choices will impact where they choose to live or, in some cases, where they live will determine where they choose to work.