Gen Z Coming of Age in the Workforce

Focus Groups Look Into the Fastest-Growing Generation of Baptist Health Employees

Gen Z Employees Reveal That Meaningful Relationships With Co-Workers, Sense of Equity, and Honest Communication Are Their Primary Drivers

Generation Z employees, typically considered as those between ages 18 to 26, are the future of Baptist Health. They are young, eager, and ready to start working and take on life headfirst.

Baptist Health took the time in 2024 to find out more about the fastest-growing generation of employees at Baptist Health in order to get feedback about their employee experience.

There are many preconceptions about this group, as with any generation of people. Gen Z employees are described as being unapologetically authentic, determined, compassionate, emotionally intelligent, and very comfortable using technology.

They are the very first generation to be considered “digital natives,” having grown up with social technology readily available to them their whole lives. They are considered by other generations to be purposeful and driven by accountability but are also considered by some to be unreliable and willing to leave a job at “the drop of a hat.”

As the fastest growing group employed by Baptist Health, understanding the similarities and differences about this new generation is vital to the enhancement of their work experience and the services Baptist Health provides.

While conducting the focus groups, Baptist Health found that the majority of Gen Z employees primarily care about three main things –– having meaningful relationships with their co-workers, a sense of equity or justice, and direct and honest communication.

Gen Z employees are very ambitious. They work hard and care hard about their job. Gen Z employees find great purpose in their work at Baptist Health, no matter the role, and the familial culture we have. The importance of meaningful relationships with co-workers general sense of equity in the workplace. They are there to support and be supportive of everyone and are very sensitive to instances where leaders aren’t. When their co-workers are mistreated, Gen Z takes notice, and this mistreatment of others changes their own work experience. was brought up in every single focus group conducted.

That’s why Baptist Health held focus groups aimed at listening and simply learning about the Gen Z outlook.

While they do care greatly about their job, they are incredibly sensitive to employee treatment and

Many focus group participants agreed that not having decent treatment of their co-workers can affect the way they view Baptist Health as a whole and their willingness to stay long-term. With the most frequently cited response being about teamwork and community, the Gen Z standard says when a company gets its culture right, it doesn’t just fill positions –– it fulfills people.

It seems that Baptist Health has done just that for them so far.

It is a sense of equity that acts as the dominant metric for the burgeoning Gen Z employees and how they sense the Baptist Health culture.

When we asked focus group attendees if they would take a pay cut to have a more flexible work schedule, the majority said they would. Gen Zers want their managers to understand that they care about their job and want to succeed. They also value their personal time and life outside of work. No matter how successful they are, Gen Zers work to live, they do not live to work.

Growing up, Gen Z’s primary mode of communication and navigating the social world was using a screen, a device, a computer. Ask a question, get an answer. In this age of constant feedback and interactivity, of technology as a resource, Gen Z has become accustomed to having direct, honest conversations and being able to seek answers when questions or uncertainties are raised.

During the focus groups, the topic of effective communication within the workplace was repetitively brought up. The focus group participants discussed how important it was to them to be up to date on department and systemwide changes and to have the ability to be comfortable enough to voice their thoughts and opinions to management.

Perhaps more importantly, Gen Z also greatly cherishes verbal recognition and affirmation when they have done a good job. While having a tangible award is always appreciated, a simple “Good job!” can be incredibly meaningful, more than most might think, and constructive criticism/ feedback is a necessity.

In 2025, Baptist Health will continue conducting focus groups and providing the space to hear their thoughts and opinions so that they may contribute to our guidance. Baptist Health values this latest generation joining the workforce and all they can bring.

Gen Z is growing in the workforce — and they will help Baptist Health keep growing, too.