Massyn, L.Ridgard, Melanie Ingrid2024-06-132024-06-132023http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12590Dissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2023The youngest and latest entrants into the workforce are known as ‘Generation Z’. This generation faces various challenges and obstacles when they are being integrated into the workplace. There is insufficient information and confusion about their expectations, challenges, obstacles, characteristics, work values and preferences, which hinder effort to attract, recruit and retain this generational cohort in the organisation. This study aims to assess the expectations and challenges that accompany the onboarding programme at the Centre of Teaching and Learning (CTL) of the University of the Free State (UFS). Furthermore, the study wishes to propose strategies for an onboarding programme at this centre in the hope of addressing the issues mentioned above. This study adopted a qualitative method and purposive sampling was employed to sample the participants. The sample size was thirteen Gen Z employees between the ages of eighteen and twentyfive years and seven Gen Z supervisors participants, who supervise Gen Z employees, were between the ages of twenty-five to forty, all employed at the CTL. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the results. Evidence from the interviews reveals the expectations and challenges Gen Z employees experience when they enter the workplace; the expectations and challenges Gen Z supervisors have in working with Gen Z employees versus the experience of working in the workplace and how these experiences differ. Additionally, this research explores participants’ understanding and experience of participating in an onboarding programme, whether a programme could be created for the CTL and what this programme would look like. Moreover, the study recommends that the CTL, together with the Human Resources Division at the UFS, pilot an onboarding programme for all new employees.enOnboardingGeneration Zthematic analysisworkplace expectationshuman resource managementDissertationUniversity of the Free State