Gen Zs and millennials: what they really want from employers in the built environment

They want jobs with purpose. They demand better work/life balance. They think businesses should help tackle the climate crisis. Gen Zs and millennials have strong views about the modern workplace and have high expectations of employers.

That is often the picture painted by international surveys carried out by the likes of LinkedIn and Deloitte when looking at generational shifts in the workplace. But is that true of built environment professionals in the UK?

Last month, at Building’s first Good Employer Guide Live event, a range of themes were debated around what good employment across construction and housing looks like, including how to attract and retain talent and increase industry diversity.

To capture the insights and perspectives of future leaders, we gathered some advisers: the people named as rising stars in Building’s 40 Under 40 list and the Top 30 Housing Champions named by our sister title Housing Today. We asked them to hop on a virtual meeting to get their feedback on the topics discussed and to share their thoughts about what being a good employer means to them.

Finding the right culture fit

People at the start of their career, or just one or two jobs in, want to work somewhere they can gain experience quickly and thrive. They want to know what opportunities will be open to them beyond just the pay (though that is important too).

Our advisers’ discussion focused initially on those vital first impressions that job candidates absorb of a potential workplace at interview stage – employers, please note: you are being tested too. Even a simple “hello”, friendly small talk or a smile from the people they might meet as they are shown around the office can make a huge impact and boost the perception of an employer.

Even a simple “hello”, friendly small talk or a smile from the people they might meet as they are shown around the office can make a huge impact 

Our advisers also felt it was vital for an interviewer to provide a clear picture of what it would be like to work in a particular team. The interviewer should be able to communicate openly and transparently about topics that may seem taboo, such as salary, longer term career ambitions and how a new recruit can make the most of their time with the company.

The “four-to-six-year itch” was mentioned during one of the panel sessions at the Good Employer Guide Live, which is around the time when employees may start to look for a change of direction in their career. According to our advisers, employers should do their best to offer supported development paths and facilitate career changes or sideways moves within an organisation in order to retain talent.

A willingness to invest in their employees – through training and development – is also crucial: people want to feel like they are continuous learning and enhancing their CVs.

Another key point raised was about keeping everyone in the company – no matter their level of seniority – up-to-date with the strategy. Our advisers felt it was important that this principle is applied across a company regardless of a member of staff’s position because everyone needs to feel they a part of the team and working in the same direction.

This applies even more in times of market turbulence, when a company may need to change its strategy or ways of working. A company that already has an open and transparent culture gets the best out of its people in good times, but even more so when times are tough.

Making flexible working work

Views on the benefits of remote and flexible working varied within our advisory group. Most saw the clear benefits of having the option to work from home some or all of the week, such as creating a more harmonious work-life balance and being able to expand the talent pool to people who live further afield.

However, not all our panellists agreed that hybrid working is a cornerstone of a good workplace. Some pointed out that in-person working offers better learning opportunities to junior members of staff, who are able to take part in conversations and form stronger connections with their teams.

One panellist noted that juniors seemed to struggle with the social side of corporate life post-pandemic, lacking soft skills as well as opportunities to network and step out of their comfort zone. To remedy this, one company created a soft skill support mentorship scheme.

Another pattern observed during the covid-19 pandemic was that apparent high levels of productivity was often undermined by poor communication on digital platforms. One panellist discussed how members of the same team seemed to be working in opposite directions as they were out of touch with each other’s work.

For some if hybrid working were to be withdrawn that would be a reason to look for a new job

Many agreed that it is not necessary to mandate five days per week in the office – some saying that if hybrid working were to be withdrawn that would be a reason to look for a new job. For others though five days in the workplace has remained the default because of the nature of their work and because their work schedule depends on their client’s needs.

A recurring point raised was that employers must be fair and consistent no matter what the guidelines are, and trust that their employees will act professionally when given clear expectations and the autonomy to carry out their work.

Employers stand out when they get diversity and inclusion right

A topic that was unanimously agreed upon is that a good employer should promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Our advisers backed the idea that companies can and should demonstrate the EDI values that are in their policies, as opposed to having a vague claim in the benefits section of a job description.

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As job applicants many said they were likely to research whether their potential workplace had up-to-date policies and procedures that openly welcome people from diverse backgrounds, allowing minority groups to feel comfortable working there. This was seen as a sign of an inclusive employer for people from all backgrounds.

One example given was an employer that said it had implemented the halo code in its employment policy, which respects the right of people with afro-textured hair to wear their natural or protective hairstyles at work.

Our participants made it clear that applicants can see through feigned EDI claims, where a company’s policies fail to live up to the tokenistic images on their website meant to depict the ’diversity’ of their workforce, which can influence their decision to join the company at the early stages of application.

What’s stopping younger generations choosing construction?

On top of improving inclusive policies, the sector must also get better at advocating for the vast amount of career opportunities it can offer graduates and school leavers.

The built environment is competing with fashionable companies that sell themselves well to university students, such as Google and Shell, and our panellists agree that attracting talent to the industry will require more effective methods.

With the built environment constantly evolving, it can be difficult to pin down what a role actually entails. A housing officer, for example, can have several different titles and there needs to be greater clarity around the description of the role so potential recruits are not left guessing whether they have the required skills.

Meanwhile, the new emergence of roles within areas such as sustainability means that these niche positions are overlooked or cause confusion for applicants as it is not obvious what the salary should be. It can also be difficult to attract suitably qualified people who may not recognise that their knowledge can be transferred to a new discipline.

One adviser said that potential recruits are often unaware of the alternatives that exist within the industry and the ability to switch positions, giving the example of an employee who moved from engineering to coding in the same company.

The rise of online entrepreneurship means young people coming out of school often have a dim view of traditional careers

So potentially there is much more that could be done to explain how varied and rewarding different career paths can be for someone starting out today. As noted by the panellists, construction offers promising routes and destinations for apprentices, where those entering at a tradesperson level can also progress up the career ladder to more technical or even commercial roles.

Our advisers pointed out that the generations coming up behind them have grown up watching YouTube influencers making millions. This rise of online entrepreneurship, where young people generate incomes through content creation on social media, means young people coming out of school often have a dim view of traditional careers. This makes it even more important to shout about the benefits of choosing housing and construction as desirable career options – and to use social media more effectively to take that message to the channels young people are using.

Meanwhile, the development of technology and AI means job requirements will change, with one adviser pointing out that the national curriculum taught at schools must change and keep up with what the world of work requires from its future workforce.