During this era, there are things these young people are doing differently from their previous generations. From the looks of the situation, they intend for these changes to stay and become the new norm.
Before talking about the change, let’s first get to know who is gen-z is and who is not. A study from Deloitte published in 2018 indicated that Gen Z is comprised of people born mid 90’s between 1995 and 2010.
Up until now, gen-z constitutes 35% of the global population and the study shows that gen-z will be 27% of the workforce by 2025.
Millennials are just starting to accept that people they consider as children are now mostly adults doing the same jobs as they are.
It is also interesting to look at how these generations differ from each other.
Love for side hustling
We are all familiar with nine to five jobs but what is most popular with gen-z is a side hustling.
Side hustling is combining the normal nine to five with another job on the side. Most of the time it is a hobby. You can make money from or another small job you can take on the side for extra cash in case of need.
Pacifique Nyinawumuntu who spoke to IGIHE, works as a cashier in a forex bureau. Nyinawumuntu says, she has transformed her makeup hobby into a side hustle whereby combining the two has helped her a great deal.
Nyinawumuntu transformed her makeup hobby into a profitable business in 2021. She slowly got the hang of it and concurrently continued to do her other job at the same time up to this point she does not regret her decision.
“Apart from my formal job, I make extra cash from this little hobby with optimism to continue making more money,” she said.
Nyinawumuntu continued to say that combining the two jobs is not easy but makes possible efforts to meet her expenses.
“I try to be productive in both jobs. I do not attend to clients at a critical time lest it affects my main job. I find other clients whenever the time is right.” she said.
Nyinawumuntu said that most people cannot side hustle due to time and availability. She however observed that they are adapting to this new lifestyle because they can see the results and benefits.
“It requires zeal and consistency. You can keep both jobs so long as they help you earn a living.”
There are other young people like Nyinawumuntu who have adopted this new lifestyle. They have normal jobs but run other businesses that provide them with extra cash.
It is obvious that it will be a normal lifestyle in the coming years this whereby more people will start mingling the two.
Prioritizing mental health
Mental health these days is given more attention than it was before. Some people are gradually becoming aware of the problem and are taking part in change.
To this end, gen-z prefers to work in a mental health friendly environment, in which they are comfortable and can easily adapt into.
Many say that the workplace environment and its stance on mental health plays a big role in the decision to work somewhere or not.
Pretty Kansiime who is also part of gen-z told IGIHE that mental health is crucial and should definitely be given the attention it deserves.
She stated that she would likely quit her job and prioritize her health if the working environment is not conducive.
“If I cannot find the solution among my colleagues or management, I would quit because mental health is more important,” Kansiime said.
“It is common that people quit jobs due to physical problems. As far as I am concerned, mental health problems should also be considered under such circumstances,” she added.
Kansiime Pretty said that gen-z is more aware of the gravity of mental health than previous generations.
“Gen-z is very active on social media and other platforms voicing their concerns and spreading mental health awareness.”
Working remotely or working for a few hours
We were used to physically attending work but Covid-19 presented unprecedented effects and obliged us to be flexible to changes. Since then gen-z has hopped on that train, they wish to never come back.
The theory is, if the work is done, there is no need to prolong hours. It is clear that this might be adapted by most companies in the future.
People will either work for a few hours or work remotely whenever it is possible.
Henriette Uwamahoro, who works in transport and logistics says working remotely online has improved her way of life.
She told IGIHE that working online helps in self-management and self-improvement.
“Working online helps a lot. I work peacefully and I am more productive this way. I do what I must do to find time for other occupations,” Uwamahoro revealed.
She continued to say that young people want to be self-sufficient that working this way helps them find time for everything and become more productive.
“When I finish work, I close my laptop and use the rest of the day to do my stuffs and increase self-productivity,” she said
Some employers think that working online is lazy that it decreases efficiency and results.
However, Uwamahoro seems is against the perception. She believes that working online helps people develop more skills and knowledge.
“Working under such circumstances helps people find other jobs or find time for family and self-care. Working this way also helps people develop additional skills like management and communication,” she said.
As Uwamahoro said, it helps reduce expenses like transport and lunch that they would normally use for the week.
Gen-z is a generation that has a different understanding and different outlook on life which is not a bad thing. It is defying the workplace world by changing the norm and being non-traditional.
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