When Maribel Diz, senior vice president of human resources at Visa, joined the workforce, she recalls being motivated by a desire to climb the corporate ladder, an ambition shared among others in her generation. The fruits of their labor were to be rewarded ostensibly with higher pay and rank.

Millennials and Gen Z, however, approach their careers from a slightly different perspective, Diz shared in a fireside chat during From Day One’s Miami conference. Diz sat down with moderator Jane Wooldridge, senior director of journalism sustainability and partnerships at the Miami Herald, to discuss how managers best tailor their leadership styles to courting a multigenerational workforce, particularly young workers.

“They’re driven by intrinsic value,” she said. “These employees care about impact. They care about society. They need to have a sense of pride in the company that they work for.”

Gen Z, individuals born between 1997 and 2012, represent an increasing share of the workforce. The cohort is forecasted to be 30% of the workforce by 2030, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employers focused on high retention rates will need to think about how their employees perceive their role in the company and the extent to which their varying expectations of their managers are being met.

Diz’s answer to centering the needs of a multigenerational workforce? Lead with humanity.

Authentic Leadership

Young workers’ trust may not be bought, for example, with a happy hour hosted by their managers, Diz says. But they do want their managers to be stand-up people who will stick up for them when needed.

“They’re looking for someone who will have their back, that will give them feedback and coaching,” she said.

Providing work-specific guidance signals that employers are invested in their workers’ growth and capability to meet expectations. Still, above all, Diz says beyond work-related agendas, managers should lead with humanity.

Maribel Diz of Visa, left, was interviewed by Jane Wooldridge of the Miami Herald, right, during the fireside chat session.

She defines this as an authentic relationship-building where employers think of their employees holistically – not just individuals performing a service for the company, but as people with distinct lives.

“It starts with asking someone, ‘How are you doing?’” Diz said as an example. “‘How was your weekend?’”

Such questions should not be treated as a checklist at the beginning of the meeting or an optional afterthought at the end, rather they represent continuous practices to foster an empathetic workplace.

Managers who come across as humble or relatable may also find that employees have more confidence in their leadership. To that end, managers must admit their mistakes and admit when they do not have all the answers. “Always take accountability,” Diz said.

After all, everyone is human.

The Cost of Losing Employees

There’s also a financial benefit to leading with humanity.

In a 2022 McKinsey study on generational gaps in the workplace, researchers found that 77% of Gen Z respondents reported actively looking for a new job. Employees may be courted by competitors at any given moment. If they feel that their values and expectations do not align with what their employer is putting forth, they can have a higher incentive to depart prematurely. Loss of talent can be a financial blow to the company.

“Do you know how much it costs to hire someone?” Diz said.

In the months-long process to recruit, vet, interview, and onboard new hires, companies can rack up costs that range from 50% to 200% of the role’s base salary, according to analysis from research firm Forrester.

“If you hire someone and you lose them within six months or even a year because you haven’t fostered that connection with them, you’ve just lost a lot.”

She continued, “It doesn’t take much to connect with your people.” Once these relationships have been built across your workforce, a domino effect can occur.

“More people would want to sign up and work for you,” Diz said. “If we just pay a little more attention, the reward is just tenfold.”

Uwa Ede-Osifo is a writer, journalist, and producer based in Brooklyn, NY. She recently concluded a reporting fellowship at NBC News where she covered national news including youth culture, race, and inequality.

Do Your Workers Feel a Sense of Belonging and Recognition?

Employees thrive and remain in organizations where they feel included and valued. Creating a comfortable space where everyone feels that they are heard and seen is crucial to recruitment and retention. During a panel discussion at From Day One’s conference in Salt Lake City, four experts offered tips and tricks on helping employees feel that they have a part in the conversation.For Emma E. Houston, chief diversity officer at the University of Utah, it starts with ‘hello.’ “One of the things that I make a habit of doing is saying, ‘Good morning, good afternoon, good evening.’ Because what is important is for individuals to be seen. So when you’re thinking about how you help people feel included, acknowledge their presence. Simply acknowledge their presence, and then the conversation can start from there. Just greeting someone on a regular basis, making that pause and making that acknowledgement that ‘I see you’ is one of the very first steps in creating a space of inclusivity,” Houston told session moderator Robert Gehrke, government and politics reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune.Matt Frisbie, chief marketing officer at AXOMO builds rapport in the workplace with stories, sweets (he prefers Snickers) and swag, which is appropriate since Namify manufactures branded gear. “The shortest distance between two people is a story,” said Frisbie. “We all have a story, we all have experiences that we can share. Ask open-ended questions and invite that [sharing], and try to get to their story.”Every Thursday at two o’clock, they walk the whole manufacturing facility with a box of snacks, says Frisbie. There’s everything, chips, Snickers, and healthy snacks, too. “But the point is actually to just walk in and smile, and say hello.”Weslie Porter, the director of culture and engagement for the state of Utah’s Department of Government Operations, shared a unique example of how different groups can have different needs, and they need to feel comfortable expressing those needs. He began by surveying attendees, asking who was right-handed [most of the audience], and who left [a few], and named scissors as one tool that is commonly engineered for right-handed people.“I have a left-handed friend,” he shared. They have to be very deliberate and strategic on where they sit when they go out to eat, he says. What’s interesting about this, as right-handed people, sometimes we think that things are just the norm. And so when we think about how we make people feel included, and feel welcome, we take a minute, and we realize that sometimes the norm comes from the majority.“And so the first step, specifically leadership, and even HR, when we're developing our job description, interview questions, whatever that might be, is to stop and realize, what about my experience is transferring into everything I do? And how do I get the different perspectives?” said Porter.The panelists discussed the topic "Do Your Workers Feel a Sense of Belonging and Recognition?" in Salt Lake CityWhat we can do is realize those perspectives will allow us to make better decisions. And more importantly, “it’ll allow our people to feel like they’re heard, they’re included, and recognized.” When they’re recognized, that’s when magic can happen, he says.Whitney Harper, the senior VP of people at Extra Space Storage, agrees. “I love the analogy of the left-handed versus right-handed. It’s imperative to “[create] those opportunities to listen to those perspectives, and to be open to that” she said.She adds that inclusive language is essential to creating an inviting and inclusive community in the workplace. Leaders need to ensure that “language is accessible to individuals to make sure that when we talk about DEI, we talk about inclusiveness, that we’re not using language that all of a sudden feels jargony.”Houston explained how the University of Utah has sought to achieve that goal, bringing stakeholders together to define what DEI meant for the school to create a consistent language. “We had 75 individuals in the room, creating the definitions of what we believe equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging access would mean at the University of Utah. So now we’re all holding ourselves accountable for what those consistent definitions are, and what the language is, and how we attach those to our values.”Porter has experienced how the language in job descriptions can impact diversity in the applicant pool. “When writing job descriptions, we have a tendency to use words that can mean different things that are bigger than they need to be.” Simplicity is key, he says. When the language is accessible and understood by all, there will be more applicants.He also touted Governor Cox’s initiative towards skill-based hiring, and his own experience being onboarded and welcomed as a completely remote employee. “We focus on the onboarding piece. Some of the data suggests that if you have that good onboarding experience, at the beginning, your attrition rate is going to go low, and [employees] are going to stay there longer for retention. So we really focus on that. In particular, those first couple of weeks are absolutely crucial to make sure that they feel that they can belong, and they can thrive. And we’re seeing some dividends getting paid.”Cynthia Barnes has written about everything from art to zebras from more than 30 countries. She currently calls Denver home.

Leading With Humanity: What Younger Workers Expect From Their Managers

RELATED STORIES

Balancing Tradition and Transformation While Hiring Thousands of New Workers

Do Your Workers Feel a Sense of Belonging and Recognition?

Cultivating a Strong Corporate Culture in a Changing Work Dynamic