Gille: ‘We are fully committed to achieve a listening culture. We try to know our colleagues as well as possible to truly understand the different needs. This starts as early as in our onboarding process, which we approach in the most personal way possible. After a few months, we also organise return days, to gauge how the initial period at Protime went. We ask about what is going well and what could be better. By actively listening to both our new and our ‘older’ employees, we can formulate concrete action points to make our corporate culture and working environment even more enjoyable. For example, one of our older employees became a coach for new employees after he clearly expressed an interest in a more coaching role during such a survey.’
"Gen Z'ers are more empowered, but what they ask for benefits the whole floor." - An interview with Gille Sebrechts
A renewed role for HR, policies that are as transparent as possible and flexibility as a mindset: Gille Sebrechts, CEO of Protime and, having been born in 1993, just short of being a Gen Z employee himself, sees particular opportunities with the arrival of Gen Z. ‘Digitisation enables transparency and flexibility. By doing so, you keep ALL employees happy – not just the youngest generation.'
Read the full interview below.
What is Protime itself doing to convince the youngest generation of workers to come on board and stay with the company?
How can Protime help other companies to make them ‘Gen Z-proof’?
Gille: ‘Zoomers value transparency, flexibility and autonomy. They are extremely digitally savvy. They’re the generation that grew up with step counters on their smartphone, or insight into their running and cycling performance. They also want to see that data reflected in their jobs. If they work longer than agreed, they want to see the result of that, whether that is in terms of pay or in terms of flexibility to stop working a little earlier at another time.
Protime offers those insights. With our time registration system, your employees will gain insight into their hours worked and you will give them a strong tool to safeguard their work-life balance; another issue that is very much on Gen Z’s mind. That visual representation of hours worked also contributes to flexibility on both sides. Many employers allow employees to recover overtime. While at times that ratio is one-to-one, that is certainly not the case everywhere. Effective agreements about overtime make good friends.’
Some sectors have fewer opportunities to offer flexibility to their employers. What options are you seeing in that area?
‘Flexibility in its best-known form is indeed closely related to hybrid working. This includes things like working from home and coming to the office after rush hour is over. But you can also think of flexibility as a mindset. For employees working in shifts, for instance, you can offer flexibility by digitising work schedules. That digitalisation makes it easy to adjust work schedules according to the needs of your employees.
A big plus with the digitisation of scheduling is that employees can swap shifts among themselves without all the administrative hassle. With time registration software, you also give your employees insight into any accumulated flexitime, which they can use to leave for home a little earlier on a Friday afternoon. Again, that flexibility has to come from both sides. With a digital system, you keep track of everything neatly and avoid discussion.’
Along with that flexibility, Gen Z also attaches great importance to growth opportunities and training. Whose job do you think it is to assist them with this?
Gille: ‘It’s time to redefine what we expect from the HR team. Of course, they are largely responsible for the operational side: payroll, recruitment, employee administration. In addition, I see their role evolving into a corporate strategic role. The HR team of the future will provide the framework within which team leaders and management will guide their teams. That framework reminds managers of their duties to their team: to chart a growth path together with them.’
What has your own experience been like with Zoomers in the workplace?
Gille: ‘I think that what we are seeing in the workplace is what is also happening in the larger society: we focus on our differences and forget to look at the similarities. The same things were said about Millennials. People said they wanted to advance in their career too quickly and were not always willing to do any job. Zoomers want a clear direction in their careers because they are ambitious and have a goal in mind. I myself know some Zoomers. Many of them are bored in their junior roles because they’re not given enough responsibility. It’s up to the employer – together with them – to give that ambition concrete direction.'
'And granted: they certainly aren’t afraid to hold their team leaders to account on specific issues. For example, I myself met young employees at Protime who surprised me with their critical questions about our corporate vision. But those questions linger and challenge you to think further about the issues. They keep you on your toes. Moreover, this empowerment benefits not only Zoomers. Their demand for flexibility, transparency and autonomy contributes to the happiness at work of all your employees.’