Gen Z and How Best to Manage ‘Generation Snowflake’
A series of unconnected recent conversations with law firm leaders have impelled me to reflect further on a topic I am periodically asked about.
Senior management in law firms often raise the issue of how best to manage Gen Z and ask: How should we best manage our Gen Z employees? Why do we struggle to retain them?
The issue has been raised with me by law firm leaders in multiple jurisdictions and is evidently an international issue. It was one of the top topics that managing partners and other senior leaders wanted me to talk about at the recent meeting of their international law firm network. I have been asked about it in the last couple of years in jurisdictions as diverse as Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, UK and the US.
At the highest level, law firm leaders comment on the difficulty of meeting the needs of their Gen Z junior lawyers and often report on difficulties they encounter retaining lawyers from the generation they sometimes label – derogatorily – as ‘Generation Snowflake’.
A few of the things law firm leaders tell me about the challenges associated with managing ‘Generation Snowflake’ (their language, not mine):
- Gen Z aren’t prepared to work as hard as we did – for us a partner was someone we looked up to, an authority figure. Gen Z don’t have the same respect for the status of partners that we did.
- They expect to clock off at 6 or 7pm to socialise or do whatever else they do. We understood that you stayed at the office as long as you were needed for.
- Post-pandemic they don’t want to be in the office. They want to work from home or from overseas, whatever works best for them. They aren’t hungry in the way that we used to be when we were newly qualified lawyers.
- For them it’s not just about the work. They openly question what clients we work for; they expect us to have a view on social and sometimes political issues. None of this was ever an issue when we were juniors.
- They don’t have real loyalty to the firm. They regard themselves as portable and valuable – and they remind us that they are in demand elsewhere.
Some leaders add that some of their colleagues aren’t prepared to flex to the ‘demands’ posed by Gen Z. For those colleagues it’s ‘our way or the highway’. Those colleagues will insist, for example, on their team members being in the office, whether their team members like it or not.
There is an old apocryphal English legend, well-known to everyone British of my generation (cards on table I was born in 1967 and am a post-baby boomer, Gen X-er).
King Canute was an 11th century English king who on the popular retelling of the legend believed that his divine powers included the power to turn back the tide. Surrounded by his courtiers he commanded the tide to retreat but ended up soaked to the skin.
Interestingly the popular version of the Canute legend is apparently the opposite of the original telling of the story. In the original version of the legend Canute role-modelled his inability to reverse the tide in order to educate his courtiers about the limits of his regal powers.
Whatever. The story is apocryphal in both versions and either way illustrates that leaders cannot hold back irreversible tides.
Some compelling facts that should cause the inflexible ‘older guard’ to have pause for thought and reflection:
- Post-pandemic the attrition rate in the top 1000 law firms in England and Wales rose from 10% to 14% in one year – a 37% increase.
- The average associate attrition rate in AmLaw 100 firms was reported to be 16% pre-pandemic. At the 16% rate, one study found that for every 20 lawyers hired by a firm, 15 would leave within 6 years.
- 40% of all movers are in the bracket between newly qualified and 6 years PQE
The harsh reality is that Gen Z talent is highly portable and aware of its value. It is also easier than ever for younger lawyers to identify opportunities for lateral movement as information is more readily accessible than at any previous time in human history.
Here are my top 10 tips for how best to manage Gen Z:
- If you can’t beat them, meet them on their ground: you can’t beat them. They have the whip hand, so don’t bother trying to act as if you have the power in this particular relationship. To retain the top talent you need to be as attractive an employer as possible.
- Understand what motivates Gen Z – it isn’t all about the money: some of the ‘old guard’ act as if chucking money at the problem will make it go away. It won’t. Gen Z isn’t motivated exclusively by money. Money is important for sure but Gen Z-ers often have other non-monetary concerns around climate change, sustainability etc. Figure out what the unique concerns of your younger lawyers are. You can only do this by asking them and actually listening to what they say, not telling them what you think. Sometimes it is helpful to have an external consultant chat to your younger lawyers to hear their unvarnished truth from them.
- Recognise that hybrid working is the new reality: Working flexibly is a key priority for many in Gen Z. They perhaps underestimate what they can learn from being in the office. It’s your job to educate them as to why and how they can benefit from being in the office. But don’t think they’ll put up with being in the office five days a week. They will vote with their feet and cross over to the competition.
- Show them that you care about what they care about: You need to understand what they care about (see above) but you also need to address their concerns. You might not give a monkey’s about the appropriate use of pronouns, but if you hear that this is important to your younger talent start to use pronouns: (a) it doesn’t cost anything (b) it shows you’ve listened and care.
- Get your act together on sustainability and the imperative around carbon neutrality: It’s not surprising Gen Z-ers care about climate change. They’re constantly being told that there may not be a planet for them or their children. Through that lens it’s not unreasonable for them to want the ‘old guard’ to make change and do things that show a commitment to carbon neutrality.
- Recognise the needs of working women and meet those needs: women are at least 50% of the junior talent in many law firms. But many of the old guard still act as if working mums should be grateful that they have a job. Working women have choices and they really notice when an employer goes above and beyond to make their lives easier (I hear this often from younger women in law firms).
- A simple thank you goes a long way: Praise doesn’t cost anything. Many of the old guard act as if it’s a scarce commodity. Far from thinking the need for praise is a snowflake thing, senior law firm leaders need to realise that affirmation is part of the glue that engenders Gen Z loyalty.
- Be granular with your feedback: Many law firms are still hopeless when it comes to feedback. Often feedback is pretty much non-existent or if there is feedback it is lacking in texture and granularity. Gen Z crave feedback. Give it to them.
- Have a defined career path for your young talent. If you don’t, you will lose out to firms that do. Younger lawyers have no problem moving on and will switch firms if they aren’t getting opportunities for growth and development or don’t see a clear career path.
- The little things matter: One firm I consult to have a kitchen stacked with snacks and goodies. The younger lawyers love it. A stacked kitchen won’t in and of itself cause Gen Z to stay with a firm. But little things like this go a long way in creating a culture that makes young lawyers more likely to think twice before leaving.
Jonathan Middleburgh specialises in advising firms on people issues and is a highly experienced coach and trusted adviser to senior law firm management internationally. If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised by this article with Jonathan you can email him at [email protected]