Gen Z is reshaping workplace culture by putting wellbeing at the center of the conversation Image: Ratana21/Shutterstock.com
By: Tifani L. Gleeson, MD, MPH, FACOEMMillions across the world took a moment this month to reflect on World Mental Health Day, a time for education and advocacy against the stigma towards mental illness. For those in the public sector, it was an opportunity to commit to updating and adopting strategies to support workers’ well-being, especially as younger employees enter the workforce and operate out of remote, hybrid and in-office roles.
Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2013, grew up with a focus on mental health and have carried that with them into their careers by prioritizing work life balance, healthy boundaries, and empathy at the core of all communications. Public sector managers must recognize the new workplace reality being shaped by Gen Z and adapt to it with evolved approaches to not only address their needs but also to bolster recruitment efforts.
Adapting to a New Mental Health Paradigm
Gen Z is rapidly growing in numbers in the workplace and is expected to make up 30-percent of the workforce by 2030. Many private sector organizations have already realized that the previous ways of working between employers and employees have been disrupted by this cohort. They are responding by fostering stigma-free work cultures, implementing policies and programs that integrate mental health across their departments, enhancing knowledge of mental well-being and cultivating empathic leadership.
For public sector managers who are aiming to stay ahead of the curve, address these generational changes, and identify ways to respond, a recent Johns Hopkins University article suggests that organizations should promote mental health awareness as the first step in adapting to Gen Z. This involves implementing clear lines of communication for employees’ wellbeing along with offering programs to support mental health across their teams.
Opening Lines of Communication
Due to several factors, including remote environments, Gen Z is entering the workplace feeling more detached than many of their older peers. This situation often leads to poor mental health outcomes and therefore lower productivity and engagement when compared to other age groups. Without the familiar outlets they came to rely on in school and within their community, they often don’t know where to go to address stress and anxiety at work.
Managers need to respond by creating places and pathways where employees can go to have open dialogues about their mental health challenges. Once those protocols are in place it’s critical to openly communicate to the organization how they can access these resources without concern that it will impact their workplace standing. Listening is central to this process and managers may want to survey employees on their wellbeing. This simple act can provide useful insights as well as give employees a platform to be heard.
Providing Mental Health Support
Burnout among workers continues to remain high, particularly in the public sector, with one recent survey revealing a burnout rate of 41% of government employees. To help address this challenge, organizations should ensure employee assistance programs offer comprehensive mental health services. Managers should encourage their workers to take advantage of these resources proactively to maintain their wellbeing and reassure them they have support if crises arise.
Gen Z has existing mental health expectations for the workplace that managers can draw from for inspiration and ideas. This includes offering access to mental health days they can take without judgment; managers that serve as role models in prioritizing wellbeing by doing simple things like openly taking a mental health day and encouraging others to do the same; offering mindfulness training during the onboarding process; and scheduling structured team-based activities such as a book club or a walking meeting.
The benefits of addressing mental health are numerous not only to help foster effective public service employees, but also in recruitment. In their search for work, Gen Z talent looks for organizations that embody their values and it’s up to organizations everywhere to respond by communicating that they put mental wellbeing front and center.
Organizations that have adapted to this new paradigm are seeing the benefits of this approach with thriving, successful teams made up of workers across generations. It’s time for all managers in the public sector to do the same.
Tifani L. Gleeson, MD, MPH, FACOEM is the Chief Medical Officer at Sedgwick Government Solutions.
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