Generation Z in the labour market. A stress-free environment more important than a pay raise. The key role of sport

Permanent stress and anxiety, and thus a lower sense of happiness and satisfaction with life, have become part of everyday life for many Poles. Some people link this state with the pandemic and the then restrictions, e.g. in the field of social life and work. However, according to Jon Clifton, CEO of the Gallup Institute, unhappiness has been growing in societies for at least a decade and its systematic growth has been largely overlooked by world leaders. Employers are taking more and more measures to increase mental wellbeing because since the pandemic they have been facing employees’ lower and lower efficiency caused by professional burnout. According to Dr. Elżbieta Lisowska, an expert in occupational stress and professional burnout, currently only 18-20% of employees do not show any symptoms of burnout, 15-18% are in the acute phase and the remaining 60-70% are already in the process at various stages.

One thing is certain. The 2020s will go down in history as a period full of changes unfavourable for mental health and at the same a time when the negative impact of many factors on the mental wellbeing of employees finally began to be discussed seriously. Will this be followed by specific actions in the field of corporate wellness or wellbeing management in the organisation, though? According to Małgorzata Frankowska, HR Director at Benefit Systems, this is highly likely, especially when we take into consideration the scale of negative changes regarding the mental condition of young workers.

– According to the “Tired, indifferent, uncommitted” survey carried out by Kantar for Benefit Systems, already 80% of Generation Z representatives admit that the pandemic had an impact on their mood deterioration. Increased levels of stress were noticed at that time by 62% of “zoomers” while 44% of young people had problems with sleep, which has a key impact on employees’ efficiency. During the period of isolation related to lockdowns, one in four representatives of Generation Z noticed a decrease in motivation to perform duties (25% of responses), problems with work-life balance (24%) and being overloaded with professional duties (25%) – comments Małgorzata Frankowska, HR Director at Benefit Systems.

According to the “Zoomers at work” report by CPL, the second reason (the first one being a friendly atmosphere at work) that would encourage “zoomers” to stay in the company for more than two years is the low level of stress, already indicated by 32% of the respondents. A pay raise once a year (31%), job stability (30%) and flexible working hours (26%) seem to be of less value these days than a stress-free working environment.

– Currently, creating a workplace where young people will feel good and which they will want to come back to is a big challenge for employers. Appropriate management is of course of key importance in this respect but all programmes supporting the psychophysical condition of young employees, such as active breaks in the office or physical activity as part of MultiSport cards that has a real, research-proven impact on reducing stress among team members, can also be helpful – comments Małgorzata Frankowska.

Prevention related to building the good mental condition of employees through sport is a healthy trend on the labour market which at the same time fits in with the expectations of “zoomers.” According to the Health Capital report, in 2020 two out of five decision makers in Polish companies believed that in the future the promotion of physical activity will be a key activity supporting the health of employees as well as building their physical (39% of responses) and mental (42%) resilience. In turn, according to the report by Benefit Systems, already 97% of Generation Z representatives believe that physical activity is a good way to relieve stress associated with work.

– It is worth remembering that physical activity changes the structure of the brain areas that are essential for the stress response, acts as a brake on the stress system and teaches the body how to efficiently calm down the stress response so that it does not turn into chronic stress – says Dr. Iwona Piątkowska, doctor of physical culture sciences in the field of biomedical sciences and expert of the Health Full-Time programme.

Permanent fatigue is also a big problem among “zoomers.” According to experts, it may be one of the symptoms of professional burnout. Data from the Benefit Systems report indicate that currently 36% of people aged 18-24 report feeling tired and exhausted after work, even several times a week.

In the context of the efficiency of the organisation and the effectiveness of employees, however, it is more alarming that, according to the report, already one in three (35%) working representatives of Generation Z feel tired even before starting work. According to Małgorzata Frankowska, from the employer’s point of view a chronically tired employee becomes a threat to maintaining business liquidity.

 – The lack of adequate energy reserves in an employee, especially a young one, translates into increased stress when performing tasks as well as lower concentration, motivation, or commitment to duties. Team relations also suffer from this, because over time an ineffective employee may become a threat to the achievement of common goals, which can give rise to many negative emotions among co-workers and generate various types of conflicts. All this significantly affects the wellbeing of young people for whom a good atmosphere and lack of stress are important at work – adds Małgorzata Frankowska.

As the expert points out, the poor psychophysical condition of employees from the younger generation begins to affect the effectiveness of the organisation, also becoming a challenge in acquiring and retaining talents, and above all, an increasing social and health problem. According to the World Health Organisation, failure to encourage more physical activity will result in nearly 500 million people developing heart disease, obesity, diabetes or other non-communicable diseases related to physical inactivity between 2020 and 2030. The cost of this inaction is estimated at 27 billion dollars a year.