What Gen Z Want From Work (It Isn’t What You Think)

Gen Z (1997-2012) is officially here. They’re estimated to now take up a fifth of the working world, with many of them still at school and excited to enter the workforce in the years to come. Or not but it’s not like they have a choice.

So we decided to find out what that means for businesses.

We surveyed 200 British Gen Zers, aged between 18 and 29, about how they feel about the world of work. What motivates them? What demotivates them? And how can companies attract, retain, and train this new generation?

What Gen Z wants from the workforce isn’t necessarily what companies have to offer. There’s a canyon forming that could impact hiring as the TikTok generation becomes bigger and more influential at work.

Keep reading to discover more about our key findings and download your copy.

Key findings

• Almost 1/3 of respondents rated career progression as the least important factor at work – they’re sceptical of management promises. But you still need to offer them a carrot every now and then
• Gen Z don’t care about making friends with their colleagues. Work-life balance is more important to them
• They’re not interested in working for publishing, fast fashion, or energy and utilities companies
• Continuous, one-to-one learning is the best way to support and retain your youngest talent
• Gen Zers aren’t loyal to their employers, with 41.5% saying they see themselves working elsewhere in 3 years
• 40% define financial security as a marker of workplace success, followed by work-life balance at 17.5%

Pay matters the most

One of the biggest trends was that Gen Z want to be paid what they’re worth. They’ll happily move roles if they’re offered more money elsewhere.

Given the current economic climate, this should come as no surprise. Offering more than competitors is a simple way for businesses to attract fresh talent, particularly in less popular industries like energy and utilities or print publishing.

They’re not here out of loyalty

Nearly half of Gen Z respondents said that they’d leave a role if somewhere else offered more money. Around the same amount saw themselves working in a new role in three years’ time. 

Our findings align with data from CareerBuilder, which found that Boomers stay in roles over 8 years, while millennials and Gen Zers are likely to leave within less than 3 years. Gen Xers were in the middle, staying for just over 5 years. 

Younger generations aren’t as loyal to their employers, which means employers must work harder to retain them, or spend more money on hiring, onboarding, and training.

The solution? Offer them what they want! (And find out what that is by reading our whitepaper.)

Younger gens aren’t loyal, but they’re more likely to be if you support their personal and professional development with tailored, scalable support (more on that below).

Making a difference matters

The most important company value for survey respondents was making a difference in the world. It was one of the biggest motivating factors alongside pay.

This is likely also why working in the tech sector was so popular: it’s seen as an industry that pays well and it’s at the forefront of driving change in every aspect of our lives.

But as the tech sector matures, and its focus on DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility) declines, a gap may emerge for innovative industries and businesses to fill. One that aligns with Gen Z values (like DEIA) while keeping existing stakeholders happy.

Work-life balance and pay are how Gen Z measures success

Gen Z don’t want their roles to revolve around work. Alongside pay and making a difference, they also value work-life balance. This was the second biggest marker of work success.

It makes sense: they aged into the workforce during Covid, where there was nothing to do but work and scroll endlessly through TikTok. Sometimes at the same time if they worked in marketing.

So now that they’ve had a taste of life not revolving around work, they want things to stay that way. And they may well decline roles that don’t align with those values.

They’ve also seen the impact increasing house prices, wage stagnation, and all work and no play have had on their older colleagues, friends and family. And they’re learning from those mistakes.

For millennials, things like flexible working, remote working, and being paid what they’re worth were nice-to-haves. But for Gen Zers, they’re non-negotiables.

Since the average house price is now 8x the average salary, being surgically attached to a desk won’t get them any closer to traditional markers of success. The goalposts have been moved and may well never be within their reach. So now they’re redefining success in a way that works for them and the ever-evolving environmental, social, technological, and political climates.

They want continuous learning (without career progression)

The most surprising finding from our survey is that 27% of Gen Zers don’t care about career progression and only 14% value it. The gender divide on this one is stark, too: just 8% of male employees care about career progression compared to 19% of females.

There are lots of political and social reasons this divide could be so large. Regardless of why it is, though, businesses can and should show all employees that with the right support, they can achieve their goals. Whatever they may be. This will help foster company loyalty so that your employees are happy and productive. You can’t have one without the other.

Regardless of their career goals, respondents still valued continuous learning. This is likely because they know the world is changing at an exponential rate. Continuing to grow their skills will be the key to them navigating and surviving the evolving climate.

They want tailored training programs

Gen Z values continuous learning, but not in the way that it’s often delivered. Webinars were unpopular, likely because they’ve become nothing but background noise to most of us after a seemingly endless stream of them during the pandemic.

Instead, they want to be taught in a more tailored, one-to-one way. This allows them to upskill and reskill in a way that suits their learning style, fitting for an independent generation that’s used to having everything tailored to them, thanks to growing trends in personalisation and AI.

So it should come as no surprise that the most popular ways for Gen Z to learn were coaching and mentoring. Both allow for far more tailored approaches to learning, so they can grow the skills that will benefit them the most in the short and long term.

Download our report on Gen Z in the workplace

Discover how to invest in, and motivate, your Gen Z employees in our new whitepaper: Why Gen Zers Are Over Career Progression Promises (And What They Want Instead). Fill in the form below to download your copy ⬇️