Organisers of Employee Marketplace (EMP) have held the fifth edition of its Industry Meet-Up.
Themed “The Buying And Selling of Gen Zs, the event which was held on February 1, 2024, at the CIBN Bankers Hall, Lagos sought to recognize the talent of the Gen Z in the workplace.
Convened by the Group Head Brand and Marketing Communication at Polaris Bank, Nduneche Ezurike, this edition of the meet-up was focused on the impact of Generation Z’s influence on the work place.
The highly interactive and engaging event had keynote speakers such as Joseph Onaolapo (Jay On-air), Makuochukwu Okafor-Obi, Acting Brand Manager – Caplux Chemical and Allied Products Plc and Sheriff Adekoya, Group Head, Strategy · Ogilvy Africa.
EMP Convener, Nduneche Ezurike (M) Sheriff Adekoya, immediate right; Makuochukwu Okafor–Obi, Far left; Joseph Onaolapo and Michelle Agoh
The speakers explored pivotal themes such as consumerism, innovation, and the essence of trust in the context of modern workplaces.
A highpoint of the event was the presentation of a survey conducted with 1,000 professionals from various organizations, aimed at understanding Gen Z’s impact on key workplace dynamics including consumerism, innovation, sustainability, and leadership.
The study unveiled insightful data on how Gen Z integrates and influences the professional environment.
Ezurike, emphasized the crucial understanding of Generation Z as both a workforce and a consumer base. Insights from the survey revealed that a significant portion of Gen Z professionals feel empowered to share innovative ideas, signalling a shift towards more inclusive workplace cultures.
He noted that traditional workplace norms present notable barriers, with a substantial number of respondents highlighting resistance to change, particularly in aligning with Gen Z’s sustainability values and digital consumer preferences.
The survey underscored Gen Z’s role as agents of change, with findings indicating a strong preference for digital consumption patterns and a call for workplaces to adapt to their sustainability and inclusivity expectations.
Despite these challenges, there’s a positive outlook on Gen Z’s leadership, particularly in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a majority of respondents acknowledging their effectiveness in these areas, Ezurike noted.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Ezurike said,”What we have done this year like I said is that we brought the Gen Z on the spotlight using four pillars. We tried to deal with the Gen Z conversations around Employee Innovation which is creating an environment for procreation where there is no Chief Priest. Some organization have a Chief Priest, the person who does all the thinking while others execute. Where there is no Chief Priest and everybody is a thinker and everybody is a doer.
“The cheering news we discovered in research is that over times, there have been progressive things happening, a lot of improvement have taken place.”
Further, he noted that 78.6 per cent of respondent during the research believe that Gen Z leaders are effective in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.
Ezurike recalled when EMP started in 2018, and a three C research was done, he noted that then about 28 per cent of the respondent said that there was no collaboration in the work place, adding that he is now happy as the feedback coming now shows that there is a lot of improvement.
Panel discussions further amplified the conversation, with speakers advocating for the embrace of Gen Z’s unique contributions to innovation and ethical practices in business. The lively engagement from attendees added a rich diversity of perspectives to the discussions.
At the climax of the event, the convener appreciated CIBN for hosting the event, the panelists for their insightful contributions, survey participants for their invaluable input, and the audience for their active participation.
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