Gen Z employees – aged 16 to 24 – are more likely to leave an organisation if they don’t receive frequent managerial feedback and communication (73%), compared to other non-Gen Z employees (52%).*

The survey *of 250 HR professionals and 1,000 employees revealed that over one in five (21%) of HR professionals admitted that their organisation doesn’t have a performance management process in place at all.

Furthermore, just 15% of employees of all ages have a regular weekly check-in with their manager to discuss performance, while the majority of employees (76%) only check-in once per month or less. However, it’s commonly recognised that a more frequent check-in schedule, such as once per week, results in employees performing better.

And, when it comes to logging the feedback from their performance management meetings, 25% of employees don’t have access to a personal development plan and associated goals.

“If organisations don’t check-in with their employees, it’s very likely that their staff will start checking out altogether, and Gen Zs are leading the way with this feedback,” commented Mark Seemann, Founder and CEO at StaffCircle. “It’s bad enough that a fifth of organisations don’t conduct performance reviews, but even those that do aren’t ensuring that their employees have access to their development plans. Organisations need support to overcome these challenges.”

Shifting expectations
With Gen Z employees now firmly in the workforce, 77% of HR teams have noticed a shift in employee expectations in recent years, including requesting more managerial feedback and flexible working. When asked what the most important employment benefits to Gen Z currently are, HRs said flexible hours (75%), remote working (56%) and money (55%).

To combat this, 67% of organisations are making changes to HR processes to accommodate Gen Z and future generations. However, 69% of employees don’t see these promises in action, and don’t think that their organisation is making changes.

“Each new generation that enters the workforce brings a new set of expectations, and Gen Z is no different, if anything they are more demanding,” Seemann added. “HR teams using an effective performance management process are more likely to understand what every generation in their workforce needs. If employees feel heard, they’re much more likely to be more engaged and productive.”

*Survey by StaffCircle