Gen Z boss's warning shot to mangers over Aussie worker exodus: 'They'll fall behind'

Yahoo

2 days ago

A young Australian boss has urged managers and companies to switch things up a bit to improve worker output and outlook. Kyle Hunt isn't talking about throwing wild staff parties every day, but loosening the reins a little and giving your workers a bit of independence and room to breathe.
Burnout is rampant in Australia at the moment, and it's causing mental health issues and even leading to people quitting their jobs to find greener pastures or without another role lined up. Health Care Providers Association (HCPA) founder Kyle Hunt told Yahoo Finance that making sure staff were happy was a top priority.
"We allow everyone to do whatever they like as long as they're achieving their KPIs," he said.
Dire warning over Aussie Gen Z work trend: 'Very dangerous'
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"The old way of thinking that employees should be chained to their desks and fun goes as far as Zoom work drinks or surprise cupcake morning teas - I want to change the way we view the workplace."
The Gen Z boss started the consultancy firm when he was just 19 and had no prior experience in the corporate world.
While some might look at that as a negative, he was able to look at work through a different, fresher lens.The 25-year-old introduced a policy at HCPA called "Safe to Fail", which allows staff to work on whatever they want for about two hours every week.
"They can go work in another department. They could go work on their own project. They can go build whatever they want, create innovative tech and implement it themselves into the business, and if it does well, they get rewarded for that," he told Yahoo Finance.
"It allows them just to work on something interesting that otherwise they might not be able to work on. If their role is not really ticking all of their skill set or creativity, they can put it into these projects."
Hunt said HCPA's its revenue jumped by 97 per cent after implementing that policy alone.
He said trying something new in the corporate landscape can give staff some power in their day, which can boost their outlook on work and keep them happier.
Research from COS found 28 per cent of Aussie workers never take a break during business hours due to a variety of factors.
But Hunt has encouraged people to take as much time off as they need to unwind and then attack their work when they're more refreshed.
Hunt told Yahoo Finance that having this type of approach to work had helped him attract and retain staff, and warned businesses they could lose workers if they don't try to be different.
"I think they'll just fall behind, to be honest, because there are other places out there that are better, and you're going to be left with not the best employees at the end of the day," he said.
Breaking the rigidity of the corporate world could be even more important when Gen Z becomes the most populous generation in the working world in a few years.
At the moment, they're suffering significant rates of burnout, and they're more willing to quit a job without another one lined up.
Randstad revealed that work-life balance is now even more important to workers than pay.
Jo Jakobs, director of professional talent at Randstad, told Yahoo Finance that Gen Z workers weren't afraid to leave if they weren't stimulated, respected, and looked after.
"They are more likely to be looking to change careers simply because work is not their be-all and end-all," she told Yahoo Finance.
"It's not their sole purpose. Their life and the things that are important to them are probably more balanced."
Interestingly, Jabra revealed last year that 48 per cent of Gen Z workers planned to change jobs in the next 12 months, with the majority (52 per cent) reporting feeling stressed.
However, an even bigger majority (74 per cent) saw a job change as vital to advancing their careers.
Hunt said that all these factors need to be considered by bosses and managers all over the country in the coming years if they want to attract the best workers.