Every few years a new generation arrives in the workplace. The current one is Generation Z, which shares many characteristics with the generation before it and differs in a few that matter.
To make the most of what they bring, a firm has to understand them.
Group Responds Well to Structure
One of the better things about the generation now filling law firms is that many of them value structure, and a law office is already built for orderly operation. A few ways to make that an asset:
- Clear Intentions: Give every area of your office and professional space a clearly defined role within the structure as a whole.
- Be consistent: Predictability helps. If an area has been designated for research, try not to use it for anything else.
- Signage: Make it clear and straight to the point.
Small things, and they tend to put people at ease and make them more productive.
Technology and Generation Z
The previous generation adopted social media and online collaboration. This one has never worked any other way, which is a real advantage to a firm:
- Working across tools: Experienced staff may be perfectly proficient online. This generation moves between tools without thinking about it, which is worth real productivity to a team.
- Coordinating a group: Many of them have spent years organizing people toward an objective online. Give a younger hire the chance to head up a small project and it often shows.
There is a corresponding weakness. Fluency online has come at some cost to face-to-face communication, and a firm can close that gap deliberately, with work that puts new hires in a room together.
Whichever generation you are hiring from, OnBoard Legal can help. Contact us.