Fact Check: Have 3 Out of 4 Gen Zers Brought a Parent on a Job Interview?

Now that Generation Z has been in the workplace for a few years, we’re starting to get a sense of who they are as employees. One headline in particular leaped out at me recently. Maybe you saw it, too: According to a new survey, about three-quarters of Gen Zers have taken a parent to a job interview.

But before we start wringing our hands about how Gen Z is destroying the workplace, let’s take a closer look at that statistic. 

Gen X Parents vs. Boomers

While I can’t offer my own counter-statistics, as someone who’s been working with different generational groups since 2008, I can tell you that this finding about Gen Z doesn’t match what I’m seeing. Back when I started, it was Millennials coming into the workforce—and sparking their own wave of alarming headlines due to their “helicopter parents.”

Most Millennials were born to Baby Boomers, who were among the most doting and protective parents in history. I heard from plenty of employers who were stunned at Millennial job candidates’ parents showing up for interviews and negotiating salaries. This discussion is not happening around Gen Zers. Why? I believe one reason is that members of Gen Z usually have Gen Xers as parents. Gen X parents are more like “camera drones” than helicopters. They know what’s happening with their kids at work, and they may intervene if something goes south. But, from what I have observed, they are far less likely than Boomer parents to show up at an interview.

Pay Attention to Methodology

Besides doubts stemming from my own personal experiences, I also have questions about these findings due to the structure of the study itself. Researchers interviewed 831 recent hires who were members of Gen Z who work full time. But in order for us to confidently draw a conclusion about U.S. Gen Zers as a whole, we need a sample size of 1,000 to 2,000.

To create meaningful conclusions, you also need a “representative sample”—a subset of a larger population that accurately reflects the characteristics of the whole group. For example, let’s say you’re trying to find out the percentage of people in the U.S. who have end-stage renal disease. You interview all the patients, staff and family members visiting a kidney dialysis facility in your city. When you tally the results, a very high percentage of your interviewees have ESRD. But you can’t extrapolate this finding to the whole U.S. population because the people in a dialysis unit are not a representative sample.

In this survey, in addition to a small sample size, they only asked questions of “recent hires.”  What about Gen Zs who have been in the workforce?  What about Gen Zs who are currently unemployed?  Have they brought their parents to a job interview?  Unless you include these Gen Zs as well, the sample size is not representative.

Understanding Gen Z

There are couple of big takeaways here: 

1. Look carefully at the statistics others use to make their case to you—especially if the findings seem far different than what you have observed. We often treat numbers as “objective,” but studies can deliver flawed data. And even reliable data can be distorted or misused to lead us to a desired conclusion. 
2. Let’s not be so quick to pile on Generation Z. They have their challenges, just as every generation before them has had. But they are far more promising than we older generations give them credit for and are a critical part of the future workforce. If we cannot understand them, we will never be able to recruit or retain them.  Understanding starts with accurate information.  

Personally, I’m going to keep seeking out the latest information on Gen Z and older generations at work. But I’m also going to carefully consider each finding against my own experiences.

I’d love to hear your questions and comments. What’s your experience with Gen Z employees and how involved their parents are in their jobs? If you are a Gen Zer yourself, what are the biggest misconceptions others hold about people your age? If you would like to discuss this topic further, just drop me a note.