
Managing Gen Z employees can feel tricky. Most managers don’t see Gen Zers as hardworking or committed to their careers. And trying to manage these younger employees can feel like parenting a teenager.
But the reality is that Gen Z is here to stay. As of 2024, roughly 20% of the workforce is made up of Gen Z, a larger percentage than baby boomers, and that number is only rising.
So if you are a manager, it’s in your best interest to learn what motivates this demographic as soon as possible.
And if you can’t figure out how to motivate your Gen Z employees, there is a cost— nearly 60% of Gen Zers want to leave their jobs within the next year.
Fortunately, once you understand how Gen Z thinks, you can attract them to your company and keep them around as loyal and productive employees. If you know how to motivate them, Gen Zers will work as hard as anyone. And in this article, we’ll share how to do just that.
1. Purpose
We are in an era where a good paycheck on its own won’t be enough to entice and motivate top talent. The new generation wants their work to be an expression of their purpose.
One way we find purpose in the world is by living in accordance with our core values. And 77% of Gen Z say it’s important to work at organizations whose values align with their own. This isn’t just talk; 44% of Gen Zers have actually chosen not to work with an employer based on their ethics or beliefs.
If your Gen Z team members don’t feel like their work contributes to the bigger picture in some way, prepare yourself for some unenthusiastic employees.
To attract Gen Z talent, be very clear about your company’s values and purpose. And to retain them and motivate their best work, tie their role to a greater purpose.
What you can do as an employer:
Put energy into your company values. Make sure your values are clear, compelling, and well thought-out. These values will act as a magnet to pull in resonant candidates.
Connect each worker’s tasks to something bigger. Paint a vision of the world you want to live in and clarify how the company’s goals are helping create that world. And how your team goals contribute to the company. And how each employee contributes to the team. Spell out how each assignment they take on promotes a better future and helps the company’s bottom line.
2. Mental Health
Mental wellness is a big deal to Gen Z.
As one Gen Z worker poignantly put it: “Gen Z does want to work. We just don’t want to be mistreated and can’t stand the unrealistic work expectations from out-of-touch employers.”
Gen Z is taking a stand for their wellbeing like no generation has before. And perhaps it’s warranted.
70% of Gen Z in the US say that their mental health could use improvement. And what part of life does Gen Z say has the biggest negative impact on their mental health?
You guessed it. Work.
It should then be no surprise that when asked what they look for most in an employer, the top response from Gen Z was that “The organization cares about employees' wellbeing.”
The bottom line is that lots of Gen Zers struggle with mental health issues. And so if you, as their employer, can show them that you get it and that you care, it will go a very long way.
You’ll show them that you’re on their side. And that they aren’t just a cog to help your business make money—they are people who you value and want to support.
What you can do as an employer:
Offer mental health benefits. 39% of Gen Z and Millennials are planning to go to therapy this year. Including mental health benefits is a clear way to show you value their well-being. And it’s actually Gen Z’s number 4 pick for a healthcare benefit (following healthcare, 401k, and employee discounts)
Actively help them manage their workload. Fewer than half of Gen Z workers say their boss helps them maintain a healthy workload. And 28% say they’re struggling with mental health because of their boss. You don’t want to be that boss! Get on their side and help them create a workload that works for both of you.
3. Empathetic Management
According to research, Gen Z ranks empathy as the second most important trait in a boss.
Guess what bosses ranked empathy.
Fifth!
In other words, if you are a manager, then learning to be empathetic is probably a lot more important than you think it is.
When you express empathy to your Gen Z team member, it helps them feel more connected to you. It helps them feel valued and cared for. It turns a work relationship into a human one.
The lines between professional social norms and personal ones are starting to overlap.
As an example, imagine someone working at an assembly line about 100 years ago. Their emotions were irrelevant. How they “felt” on any given day of work didn’t matter. They were an extension of the machinery they operated.
Fast-forward to today: while the workplace is becoming more integrated with technology, it’s also becoming more human. There seems to be a balancing act in play—as ChatGPT seeps into every industry and role, the need for empathy, communication, and connection grows ever stronger.
The point is that if you want to create a workplace that appeals to Gen Z, you need to step up your empathy game. The better you become at listening and welcoming your employees' human side (not just their productive side), the more loyal and motivated they’ll be.
What you can do as an employer:
Invest in your own well-being; consider seeing a life coach. If you’ve never tried life coaching or therapy, this suggestion may feel radical, but the reality is that one of the best ways to improve your empathy is to get in touch with your own emotions.
Genuinely ask your employees how they’re doing. In your next 1-on-1 try asking “How are things going for you in your life right now?” Don’t press them to share any more than they want to; but by continually inviting them to share, you’ll start to create a safe and empathetic space.
For a 3-minute crash course on empathy, here’s a great video by the esteemed Brené Brown.
4. Genuine Connections
Gen Z is much less motivated than previous generations by team success. Though interestingly, they are far more motivated by building relationships. Check out the graphs below:


Your Gen Z employees probably don’t want to “take one for the team” or be a “team player” at the expense of their own well-being. But they do want to bond with the team and form real connections.
And this makes sense—79% of people aged 18 to 24 report feeling lonely, compared to only 41% of those aged 66 and older.
Young adults now are lonelier than ever. And perhaps this is no surprise—we know that social media use is correlated with loneliness. And that 19-year-olds spend 4.5 hours per day on social media.
These digital natives don’t just want connection; they need it.
So as a leader, this puts you in a powerful position to create a workplace that fosters real relationships. You can create a workplace that Gen Z employees want to be a part of. A workplace that doesn’t just motivate them to work hard, but one that makes them healthier and happier.
This is also good for your company’s bottom line; studies suggest that when people are lonely they are less productive at work and more dissatisfied with their jobs.
What you can do as an employer:
Host casual team-building events. Create spaces for employees to bond without working. These could be happy hours, company parties, game nights, annual retreats, group volunteering, escape rooms, sports leagues, or anything else.
Create a mentorship program: Pair all of your new Gen Z employees with a mentor to help them succeed at their jobs, navigate their careers, and (perhaps most importantly) just have someone in their corner to support them.
5. Career Growth
Generation Z is more motivated than any of the previous generations by professional growth opportunities. Take a look at the figure below:

Note that this data also makes sense because younger people, regardless of their generation, are probably more inclined toward career growth than someone at the end of their career. But the point remains—Gen Z wants to grow.
This seems to reflect a broader cultural phenomenon where younger adults are strongly motivated by personal development, self-help, and self-actualization.
And this motivator is something to take seriously–74% of Gen Z and Millennial employees feel ready to leave their jobs in the next year because of “subpar skills-building support or a lack of career mobility options.”
Simply put, if you don’t invest in their professional development, they’ll bounce.
But if you invest in your employees’ skills and careers, then they will love working for you and sing your praises. After all, employers who invest in their employees’ growth have 58% higher retention.
What you can do as an employer:
Offer in-house coaching. You can hire full-time or contracted career coaches who’ll give dedicated 1-on-1 time to your employees to help them build skills and advance their careers. You can read more about in-house coaching here.
Give them an annual stipend for training. What says “I want to support your growth!” more than giving them free money to uplevel with continuous learning?
Show them the path upward. Talk with your employees about where they want to be in the company and give them a clear route to get there.
6. Work-Life Balance and Flexibility
Have you come across this new term called “work-life balance?”
Of course, you have! Who hasn’t heard this modern mantra? In fact, people are Googling “work-life balance” four times as often as they were just five years ago.
So it shouldn’t be news to you that Gen Z cares a lot about work-life balance.
81% of Generation Z believe that work flexibility is important for their work-life balance.
Here are the types of flexibility they pointed to when asked, “Which of the following are most important when thinking about the flexibility of your ideal job/workplace? (Select up to five choices.)”

Gen Z’s desire for work-life balance and flexibility is coming from a sincere place: 60% of Gen Z say they are “merely surviving or flat-out struggling right now.” They are also more likely than other generations to struggle to balance work with life and to feel exhausted after an average work day.
Gen Z is begging you to take their well-being seriously. And it’s possible that to remain competitive in the future, you’ll need to build a workplace culture that puts the person above the profit.
In practice, this could look like flex time, four-day work weeks, unlimited PTO, or remote/hybrid options.
Though in principle it means creating an anti-burnout culture. And this has to start from the top down. No matter how “work-life balance” your policy sounds, if the leadership team works nights and weekends and doesn’t take vacations, then that is the expectation you’re conveying. And it might not bode well for keeping up with the times.
What you can do as an employer:
Offer a hybrid work model. If you have an in-person team, consider at least offering 1-2 days per week of remote work. Especially since nearly half of Gen Zers would think about quitting their job if there weren’t flexible remote options.
Consider a “minimum PTO” policy. 47% of people feel guilty if they don’t work while on vacation. It’s hard for employees to unplug! So as a manager, you could encourage it with a minimum PTO policy (say 15 days). For context, in the UK it’s national policy for full-time employees to get 28 days of PTO a year.
Not to mention, for every 10 days of PTO women take, their depression rates decrease by 29%. Even if you don’t enforce PTO, you could consider upping your PTO count.
7. Authentic and Transparent Leadership
Four in five Gen Zers value transparency and honesty in their workplace.
Part of this follows the general trend of Gen Z wanting more humanity in the workplace—they aren’t looking for their business leaders to be stoic lieutenants or stern authoritarians. They want leaders who are authentic and honest. Leaders who they can relate to.
The desire for transparency can also play into company finances.
Many Gen Zers first entered the workforce during the pandemic and were immediately fired, furloughed, or took a pay cut. Some speculate that this led to Gen Z distrusting corporations and “the system” at large.
Thus the more you can do as a corporation to foster trust and openness, the better. There are some companies, like Buffer, who are fully open (even to the public) about their company revenue, where the money goes, and the salary of every position (including the CEO). Here are some snapshots from Buffer’s page:



This level of transparency may sound extreme—but can’t you imagine how this type of openness would encourage a culture of extreme trust and comfort?
This type of mentality extends beyond finances too. Consider sharing openly with your team about your strategy, how it impacts the org, and how each employee’s role impacts the strategy. Additionally, you can inch toward a general culture of feedback and honesty.
Anything you can do to promote more openness, transparency, and trust will draw in Gen Z candidates and make them want to stick around.
What you can do as an employer:
Ask how you could be more transparent. Set up regular feedback meetings (either group or 1-on-1) and get direct, constructive feedback on what ways your employees would like you to be more open and transparent.
Share your growth and personal challenges as a leader. In the next team meeting, consider showing a little more vulnerability on ways you’ve grown and overcome adversity as a leader.
8. Competitive Pay
While many of the motivations so far might make it seem like Gen Z values principles over pay and development over dollars, that’s not all true.
Generation Z is not so different than previous generations in that they want money from their job!
One large survey found that half of Gen Zers deemed it extremely important for a potential employer to offer “a fair and competitive salary.” Here are the top three results from the survey:

But Gen Zers’ motivation for pay is a bit different from that of older generations. A lot of it has to do with empowerment and self-worth.
To many Gen Zers, the desire for good pay and work-life balance come from the same place. These young adults want to be respected, treated well, and to live balanced lives. And money is a huge part of that.
What you can do as an employer:
Offer competitive salary. There’s not really a way around this one. Look at your competitors and make sure you’re paying on par (if not more) than your industry’s average.
9. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Practices
83% of Gen Zers say that when choosing who to work for, a company’s commitment to DEI is an important factor.
Let’s unpack these terms.
Diversity refers to who is represented in your company. This might include diversity of age, gender expressions, race, neurodiversity, disability status, or simply how people think.
Equity refers to the fair treatment of all employees. Having a diverse workplace isn’t enough on its own—it’s also important that norms and policies are in place to ensure equal opportunity.
Inclusion means that all employees feel empowered to contribute and like they are a part of the team.
So having an emphasis on DEI means your company is made up of people from a diversity of backgrounds, where everyone feels included and has access to the same company opportunities.
It’s worth noting that diversity of all kinds is clearly shown to make companies more financially profitable.
Gen Zers are the most socially conscious generation yet. And for many, it’s personal. Roughly 30% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ+, nearly half of Gen Z are people of color, and one-third fluently speak a non-English language.
If your DEI practices aren’t in place, it’ll be hard to win the loyalty of your Gen Z employees.
But if you can take DEI seriously, you will create a company culture that the younger generation will respect, admire, and ultimately want to work for.
What you can do as an employer:
Ensure fair practices in hiring, pay, and promotions. Put policies in place to make sure everyone has equal opportunities.
Create opportunities for affinity groups or employee resource groups. Having dedicated spaces for all employees to gather and belong can create a sense of community and empowerment.
Develop a solid DEI strategy. Make it someone’s job to promote DEI practices and help shape your company culture.
Takeaways on What Motivates Gen Z in the Workplace
Gen Zers know how to work hard and produce quality results. It’s just up to you to know how to motivate them.
Just remember these key motivators:
Purpose: Gen Z wants their work to align with their personal values and to have a positive impact
Mental health: Employee wellbeing is a must
Empathetic leadership: The more empathy management gives, the more Gen Z will want to stick around
Connection: Gen Z wants genuine relationships at work
Professional and personal growth: Opportunities for growth will go a long way
Work-life balance and flexibility: Try offering more flexible work arrangements
Authentic and transparent leadership: Honest, relatable leadership and open communication
Competitive pay: Money talks
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): Create an inclusive work environment
If you’d like to create a workplace where your Gen Z employees feel valued, you could consider bringing on in-house career coaches. It’ll give your employees a place to open up and find clarity in their career questions.
If that’s an option you want to explore, please feel free to book a consultation with me here where I can talk with you about hiring in-house coaches from the International Association of Career Coaches and if it’d be a good fit for your company.