The Mismatches Between the Workplace in the Service Industry and Generation Z: A General Misalignment

Abstract

Generation Z, as the new generation entering workplaces, is considered the future of many industries. However, as Gen Zers first step into workplaces, many of them struggle to satisfy their employers’ expectations and to adapt to their workplace culture. Structural mismatches between these young talents and their workplaces emerged in the past few years, leading to severe consequences, especially in the service industry. Being a customer-centric, experience-demanding, and ever-changing industry, the service industry witnessed more Gen Zers struggle to adapt. In the past few years, due to physical separation and the digitalisation of the service industry, more problems emerged and have made the mismatch between Gen Zers and the industry unprecedentedly widespread and severe, limiting businesses to recover and young employees to succeed. This article aims to identify the mismatches between the traits of Generation Z and the characteristics of the service industry, categorised based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, seeks to define and explain the mismatches, and provides fixing recommendations for managers to create a better environment for Gen Zers to thrive.