Hempy: Get Your Hiring and Onboarding Up to Speed for Gen Z

Walk into any service center today and you’ll notice a new workforce is present. The technicians pulling drain plugs and grabbing the greet are younger, and more often than not, they’re members of Generation Z. This group, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, is rapidly becoming the backbone of service in the quick lube industry, already accounting for 25% of the workforce in 2025.

That shift brings tremendous potential. Gen Z is sharp, digital-native, purpose-driven, and ready to grow. But it comes with a new set of expectations around communication, training, and career development. If our industry doesn’t meet those expectations, we risk losing members of this generation to the next opportunity down the road.

Hiring and developing Gen Z talent isn’t complicated. It’s just different. And if we’re intentional about how we bring Gen Z on board and help them grow, we’ll be building the next generation of leaders in our bays.

It starts with how we attract them to the oil change industry and open opportunities. Gen Z doesn’t respond to generic job postings or long hiring funnels. They expect speed, clarity, and a sense of purpose. At Oilstop, we recently began using an AI tool to help us screen and get back to applicants within five minutes from when they apply for a phone screening. This responsiveness is necessary and expected from the digitally native generation. If your application process takes more than five minutes or isn’t mobile-friendly, they might not even finish it.

Once a new team member is hired, the first impression goes a long way. A sloppy onboarding experience where uniforms aren’t ready, nobody introduces themselves, or day one feels like chaos sends a message. So does a clear training plan, a clean service center, and a manager who knows their name. Structure and hospitality matter just as much for your team as they do for your guests.

Training Gen Z requires a mindset shift. They’ve grown up on YouTube, learned on-demand, and expect fast feedback loops. For many in Gen Z, that’s how they were taught in school. Long classroom sessions or binder-heavy manuals won’t land. Break training into focused sessions. Use videos, shadowing, and visual tools, and make progress visible with skill ladders or achievement boards. The goal isn’t to dumb it down, but to meet your new hires where they are and help them rise.

Feedback is another opportunity or liability. Gen Z doesn’t want to wait three months to know how they’re doing. In a tech native world, feedback is instant. New team members crave regular, short feedback bursts: “Nice work with that greet.” “Really strong filter presentation.” “Let’s tighten up that checklist walk-through.” Recognition and course-correction in real time go a long way toward loyalty.

Finally, promote potential, not just tenure. Gen Z wants to grow, and they’ll move on quickly if they feel stalled. You don’t have to hand out titles that aren’t deserved, but you do have to show them what’s possible. Lay out a path: technician, certifications, assistant manager, team trainer, store manager. This will help them achieve and pursue that path of growth if they find their fit and purpose in changing oil.

The quick lube industry is built on being fast, efficient, and guest-first. That same focus should be applied to how we adapt to build our teams for the future.