Gen Z has been criticized for too long in the workplace. It’s echoed from whispered remarks to loud criticisms. They are portrayed as company lightweights – clock-watchers who prefer side jobs, bosses who are impossible to please, and those unwilling to accept real career responsibilities. Are these Gen Z myths true?
Culture Amp analyzed global data of 1.7 million employees from five ‘generations:’ Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Generation Z. Our findings suggest that employers should stop the generational “blame game” and pay more attention to their employees’ needs at all career stages.
Priorities change
The data collected over the past ten years indicates that the so-called generational difference in the workplace is more indicative of the different stages or life phases that employees are at, and their changing priorities.
Myth number one: Gen Z is less motivated to work than Millennials
Gen Z is often stereotyped as being flighty in the workplace. The benchmark data for 2024 shows that Gen Z is the cohort least likely to stay in their current position compared to others. As an example, 70% of boomers have a strong commitment to their current role.
When we compare data from 2015 when Millennial workers had a similar age range to Gen Z, we find the same pattern. In their youth, today’s Millennials showed even lower commitment to their job than Gen Z.
Myth number two: Gen Z is hypercritical of their mentors and managers
Gen Z is often portrayed as a generation that values social responsibility and prefers ethical employers. They are also viewed as difficult to manage. Our data shows that Gen Z has the best perceptions of line managers among all of today’s generations.
Our data show a clear trend towards line managers descending as we move up the generational ladder of our workforce. The older the generation of workers, the more negative their opinion is towards their manager.
The same pattern is evident when we compare the data from 2015 with the corresponding 2014 data. In their early careers, the Millennials had the most positive views of management. These perceptions decreased with age. The younger cohorts have the best views of their supervisor.
Myth number three: Gen Z is more interested in side hustles and career development than traditional employment.
In order to further dismantle Gen Z stereotypes, we need to look at career ambitions. The data for 2024 shows an interesting paradox between the career optimism of these workers and their commitment to remain. Gen Z workers, like the young millennials a decade back, have the highest career expectations, but the lowest commitment to remain.
The optimism of young workers about their future employment prospects is not a sign that they are indecisive or on the lookout for a job. Gen Z workers are likely to view the world of work as an oyster, full of opportunities for exploration, learning new skills, and changing career paths. Gen Z workers are less concerned about being tied down to one employer and more interested in developing themselves.
The career motivations of Generation Z have probably been misunderstood or interpreted too narrowly by employers and managers. It’s not a sign of a lack in loyalty. Instead, these young people are looking for genuine opportunities to grow and learn.
Myth number four: Gen Z is disengaged at work and lacks motivation
A second misinterpretation of Gen Z’s flittering is their apparent lack of involvement in HR and internal communication plans. Gen Zers were the least informed age group in our data for 2024 about the efforts of People Teams to improve employee experience. Asked , “I was given the opportunity to view and discuss recent survey findings” Just over half of Gen Z employees (55%) agreed. Gen X employees were more than twice as likely (67%) to agree.
Looking at 2015 data we see that the same thing happened: The youngest employees (Millennials) at the time were the ones who were least aware of the results and actions resulting from employee surveys. This suggests that younger workers have an incomplete understanding of the culture of an organisation and what it takes to create momentum for change. Early-career workers can feel disconnected due to this persistent gap in communication within the organisation. However, they are also more open and receptive to new ideas about their career path.
Instead of blaming generations, focus on the changing stages of life.
Our research dispels the myth that Gen Z represents the weakest link of today’s five generation workplace. The concerns of this age group are similar to those that Millennials had when they started their careers.
While it may seem that the youngest cohort of workers is the least motivated, they are actually more motivated than the Millennials from 2015. Generation Z workers rate their supervisors higher than older cohorts. This bond is key to building resilience in organisations and increasing performance.
Gen Zers also have a lot of drive to develop their careers. They are not the flittering employees that caricatures portray. The lack of insight into HR and communications plans is a reflection of the younger employees’ lack of understanding of People strategies.
The analysis of five generations and ten working years shows that the workplace behavior and sometimes mixed signals sent by younger employees are often more reflective of the stage in which they have reached their career than the generation to which they belong.
In order to achieve this, HR and company leaders must develop engagement and performance strategies that are tailored for each employee rather than relying solely on generational categories.
