4 Steps Business Leaders Must Take

Some business leaders don’t believe Gen Zs have a mental health problem. At least 45% of hiring managers view them as difficult to manage, lazy and irresponsible. And many Gen Z, right out of college, are being fired just months after being hired at a faster rate than their older coworkers. Truth be told, Gen Z has the poorest mental health of any generation, according to Gallup. Experts predict that Gen Z will make up nearly 30% of the workforce this year, so their mental health is crucial to the American workforce. Instead of vilifying them as troublemakers, experts suggest taking a closer look at the Gen Z mental health crisis.

Why Consider The Gen Z Mental Health Crisis

Gen Z are criticized for having too many rules, refusing to comply with corporate demands, being oppositional and lacking etiquette, reliability and flexibility. Truth be told, they bring a different set of values—many of which can reshape the traditional workplace in a positive way.

Gen Z emphasis on flexibility and work-life balance are healthy aspects that can improve workplace mental health and well-being. Their desire for immediate feedback and flexible work environments often clashes with outdated, cumbersome and inefficient systems prevalent in today’s workplaces, further exacerbating workplace tension.

Andrew Roth, founder and CEO of dcdx, told me it’s not that Gen Zs don’t care about professionalism. They simply want to be met halfway and receive the same level of respect they give to their employers. Instead, the younger peers have been vilified and misunderstood by previous generations. And Gen Z face mental health issues at a much higher rate than older generations.

Almost half reports emotional distance and anxiety caused by workplace stress, and 22% say they go to the office, regardless of their mental state, knowing it will impact their work. They struggle to find motivation and energy, leading to reduced productivity, quality of work and workplace morale. The impact is that when employees are struggling, so are companies as they deal with the fallout of poor work due to mental health struggles.

The ways in which the younger generation handles the stressors placed upon them will define our businesses and our world, according to Jo Aggarwal, CEO of Wysa. She believes that ignoring Gen Z’s mental health struggles in the workplace will not only harm employees, but also business. She declares that they are faced with an unprecedented trifecta of stressors:

1. The first generation to face a smartphone and social media dependent adolescence, with epidemic levels of feelings of loneliness, isolation and anxiety
2. The generation that will be building its careers in a post GenAI, and a post AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) world
3. A highly polarized world faced with imminent climate dangers that are, for the first time, factoring into how they make decisions about where they live, and whether they choose to have children

Steps To Mitigate The Gen Z Mental Health Crisis

I asked Aggarwal how leaders can help Gen Z employees become resilient leaders and global citizens. She shared four strategies that companies can employ to improve mental health services, quality of life and quality of work for the new generation of workers:

1. Interlink mental health skills and resilience. “For Gen Z, mental health cannot be addressed by traditional approaches that rely on screening for symptoms of mental illness. Conventional wellness and training programs like mindfulness and yoga help but are insufficient. Workplaces need to integrate mental health training and coaching into induction, training and leadership development programs, just as they once did with soft skills. Mental health skilling, including cognitive behavioral therapy and creating productive routines while dealing with anxiety and isolation will all be important for organizations creating resilient future Gen Z leaders.”

2. Reevaluate your approaches in a post AI world. “A large number of employees are already turning to Gen AI to get advice on how to cope with their mental struggles, stop procrastinating, and deal with isolation. These models are good at giving advice, but AI can provide much more. It can become a coach that helps employees build the skills to stay resilient and productive within their own, specific context, while also helping them think through any barriers they may face. AI tools can allow an organization to reward the development of mental health skills and resilience while completely protecting the privacy of the individual. These services can remove all access barriers, from limits on the number of sessions to stigma and cost, while being measurable, clinically validated and interlinked with human therapists and psychiatrists.”

3. Create a culture of rest, joy and productivity. “Gen Z has made it clear that the work-life balance that worked for previous generations won’t work for them. Businesses should be ready to adjust to the shifting nature of the youngest crop of workers and find systems that maximize both productivity and employee well-being. Nearly one in five (19%) of 25-34-year-olds said they’d look for a different job if they were suffering from depression. Many companies are adapting their workplace with flexible hours, mental health days, and encouraging employees to unplug outside work hours. These are important facets of a more human workplace. Unless employees are taught the skills cope with anxiety, depression, or other mental health struggles, they will continue to turn to unproductive coping methods.”

4. Encourage Peer Connection. “No previous generation has been as open and honest about their mental health struggles as Gen Z, and often, isolation is a defining component of their struggles. Gen Z is excellent at peer learning and wants to have it all. Implementing growth initiatives like structured groups where employees connect with one another, share strategies and offer each other support will leverage the generation’s strengths. These programs should be co-designed by mental health professionals and Gen Z employees, instilling the confidence in the younger workers that they can find the solutions to the unique challenges their generation will face.”

A Final Wrap On The Gen Z Mental Health Crisis

In a previous story for Forbes.com, I quoted Marcie Merriman, cultural insights and customer strategy leader at EY, who beautifully sums up the problem with negative Gen Z stereotypes. She observes that at one end of the spectrum are the employers who believe the worst assumptions about the younger generation and consider themselves “victims” who must “suffer” through what this next generation of workers brings to the organization.

At the other end, she describes endlessly curious employers, wanting to gain a better and deeper understanding of this younger generation that thinks differently than themselves or the organizational status quo. “The executives who leverage this new diversity will make their organization the winner of the future,” Merriman concludes. “Bottom line, ignore the negative headlines stereotyping an entire, very diverse generation and get to know them as people and what drives their views.” Perhaps this is the best antidote of all for the Gen Z mental health crisis.