Mediorite Team
As a social enterprise with DE&I at the heart of our business we are committed to embedding diversity and inclusion in the workplace – both yours and ours. Against the backdrop of A Level Results week, we hit the streets to ask Gen Z how they feel about inclusive employers and work environment . See web series highlights below!
Gen Z voices, employer insights
We gathered vox pops from young people in the streets of London, blending them with insights from our SHIFT trainees, filmed by a young diverse crew. We followed this up with a fabulous shoot in the Shard – with thanks to our client, RLB, for hosting us. We also spoke to HR experts and entry level colleagues about ways in which employers can make sure people feel included once they start work. We are sharing this video series from 2023 because it still has so much to say about how young people need an inclusive approach to employment and recruitment today.
Did you know?
Young people revealed they want to see young people who left education in the previous year thriving with an employer. They want to see faces as close to their age range as possible. Employers, your amazing early careers recruitment videos from five years ago might need an update to fully engage your audience!
GEN Z AND DIFFICULT WORKPLACE CONVERSATIONS: Gen Z and employers agree on the benefits of feeling safe to communicate difficulties and actively listening to each other.
What do Gen Z want from employers?
Day 1: Difficult Conversations.
Difficult conversations are hard to have, but good to have. As Bukola Odofin (HR Area Director at Reed) points out, these conversations may feel a bit uncomfortable, but they lead to transparency and progress. Mediorite’s SHIFT training participant Caighlyn Rose explains that Gen Z is more in tune with mental health. They are better equipped to recognise and communicate what they’re uncomfortable with, and what they struggle with.
Co-Founder of Imagen Insights, Cat Agostinho, raises the benefits of cross-generational learning. If your workplace includes young people, it’s mutually beneficial for older professionals and employers to be willing to learn and ask questions.
Employers and Gen Z can work together to open channels of communication and explore potential areas of discomfort in an ultimately comfortable and mutually beneficial way.
Along the way we’ve found some interesting statistics:
- 76% of employees and job seekers said diversity was important when considering job offers (Linked in Learning)
- 74% of millennial employees believe their organization is more innovative when it has a culture of inclusion, and 47% actively look for diversity and inclusion when sizing up potential employers. (Deloitte)
GEN Z AND SAFETY: Young people on the street and SHIFT trainees emphasise the need for safe workplace spaces to use their voice, because happy employees drive company progress.
Day 2 – what is a safe space?
“I haven’t felt like I’ve been on many diversity programmes where people have dared to put a foot wrong, or dared to be vulnerable. Providing a safe environment for people to ask themselves hard questions is really important.”
“At the end of the day, employee happiness drives the company where they need to go.”
As SHIFT trainee Caighlyn Rose points out, Gen Z places a real focus on both having a voice and using it.
As an organisation, are you creating safe spaces for exploring work culture and potentially challenging the status quo without fear of repurcussion?
GEN Z AND VISIBILITY: Gen Z and HR experts agree that it's important to be representative in recruitment materials, because it helps young people of all backgrounds picture themselves excelling in the role. This encourages them to apply.
Day 3: Visibility and feeling seen
SHIFT trainee Trimane Ricketts says diversity should be visible, and here at Mediorite we couldn’t agree more. Diversity is a core pillar of our mission to support diverse young people into an under-representative creative sector. In 2023 alone, we helped 68% of young people on our video production training programmes move from NEET to EET.
When you can see people who represent you, it’s possible for you to understand that you too can take up that role. In our production work for clients, we focus on diversity in front of and behind the camera. For example, when working with insurance firm Gallager on a hidden disabilities in the workplace awareness campaign, the stars of the campaign were from the disabled community. However, we also made sure senior members of the creative team including the Exec Producer and Writer came from the disabled community, as well as our Production Assistant and Runners.
As HR Area Director at Reed Bukola Odofin says, “if it’s there, then young people from the outside looking in can think ‘well actually, there’s a person in a wheelchair, so I can probably apply to that company.'”
GEN Z AND CAREER PROGRESSION: It's a myth that Gen Z aren't motivated. They are. They are keen to hear from young people who have been supported by specific employers and sectors to thrive and grow.
Day 4: Career progression
Gen Z are understandably wary of starting a job role that they will then get boxed into, without further development of their confidence and skills. The danger of this, says SHIFT trainee Caighlyn Rose, is that “you’re not really pushing yourself to move beyond where you’re at.”
What do the HR experts say? Sarah Draper, Head of People and Culture at RLB, says that Gen Z would rather hear from young people about their career progression from school, college or university last year. Gen Z want to hear a real experience of what it’s like to work in an industry. If they can see a young person enjoying a role and progressing in it, they are more likely to be inspired by the role and trust they can flourish with that employer, or within that sector.
GEN Z AND ASSUMPTIONS: Employers, keep an open mind about what 'the perfect fit' for a role looks like! Don't make assumptions!
Day 5: Avoiding assumptions
“Unfortunately for most corporate organisations, assumptions have been made,” says Bukola Odofin, HR Area Director at Reed.
Oliver James, Associate at Clifford Chance, says the main thing is “a commitment to diversity and inclusion which is actually felt by the employees. And it’s something that’s continually shaping narratives and discussions at a senior level!”
Imagen Insights Co-Founder Cat Agosti makes no assumptions when it comes to prizing potential above qualifications. She didn’t go to university, and is keen to help young candidates who didn’t take the uni route feel like they can belong and shine in her organisation.
If your organisation has a role that needs to be filled, don’t make assumptions about what a great candidate looks like. People with all kinds of backgrounds, interests and experience could be a perfect fit for the role… because people are able to adapt.
Gen Z want to work for inclusive employers.
We hope you enjoyed the series. It’s clear we have come a long way but there’s further to go, so let’s keep talking about it and holding each other and ourselves to account. We are proud to include, train, and pay diverse young people of all backgrounds in our video production work as an award-winning social enterprise.
Many thanks to contributors from RLB, Reed, Clifford Chance and Imagen Insights. It’s been great to hear from their HR leaders and early careers colleagues.
And huge thanks to our cohort of SHIFT trainees taking part in the interviews, along with Gen Z members of the public who took part in our vox pops!
National Inclusion Week 2024
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National Inclusion Week this year runs from 23-29 September 2024. This year’s theme is IMPACT MATTERS, a call to action for all in the organisation. Everyone from leaders to teams and individuals can get involved, because we all have the potential to make a profound and positive impact.
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