National Hardwood Magazine - May 2023

ALC Learns Ways To Attract
Gen Z Employees
Roanoke, VA – Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club (ALC)
members seeking workers in 2023 should change
their method of reaching younger candidates, according
to a speaker at the club’s recent meeting.
Toye Oshoniyi, commercial risk advisor with Dominion
Risk Advisors in Roanoke, VA, spoke about the latest
generation of adults entering the workforce. Generation
Z are people who were born from 1997 to 2012.
Employers need to understand the group is different
from previous generations, he said.
Gen Z employees have grown up with the constant
development of technology and the internet.
Oshoniyi said this makes Gen Z more adaptable and
open to change in the workplace. They are often able to
learn new methods of completing tasks than older generations.
He used a mock interview video that stereotyped the
typical interaction between a Gen Z applicant and a
Baby Boom generation employer. While poking fun, it
did characterize the different thinking of the two groups.
Gen Z has a shorter attention span than previous
By Tom Inman
generations because they absorb a continuous flow of
content on the internet, affecting how they process information.
Oshoniyi said studies show the span is approximately
8 seconds. He said it affects the way they handle
various tasks at work.
Millennials, those born between 1981 to 1996, have a
somewhat longer attention span and can discipline themselves
when getting jobs done. He noted that millennials
are more collaborative and build more connections at
work and Gen Z is more resourceful and tech-savvy.
Studies have shown that Gen Z workers want their
time and effort to have an impact on whatever task they
do. They often want to know what exactly is expected
from them at work and how it affects the company.
Oshoniyi encouraged employers to use social media
to educate and attract new employees. He said simple
methods can have positive results.
The next meeting of the Club is the Spring Beach
Meeting on May 4-7 at the Avista Resort in North Myrtle
Beach, SC.
Registration is available at www.lumberclub.org.n
David Bailey, New River Hardwoods Inc., Mountain City, TN; Rick McCreary, ETT Fine Woods, Donalds, SC; Joshua Bond, Turman
Forest Products, Bedford, VA; and Mike Turman and Ross Frazier, Turman Lumber, Salem, VA
50 MAY 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE www.RealAmericanHardwood.org