What Each Generation Wants from Their Job (And Why It’s Changing Work Forever)

Episode 84: What Each Generation Wants from Their Job (And Why It’s Changing Work Forever)

In this episode, Holly Hibbard - Executive Leadership Coach & Corporate Relationship Consultant - shares with you...

• how different generations in the workforce—Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—prioritize unique aspects of their jobs, and learn strategies to adapt to these diverse expectations for enhanced employee retention. (Generational Insights)
• the importance of fostering personalized career growth plans that empower employees to take control of their professional journeys, while prioritizing mental health and work-life balance in today’s fast-paced corporate environment. (Meaningful Career Development)
• actionable insights on how to cultivate a thriving and inclusive workplace that not only supports diverse talent but also enhances productivity and creativity through authentic communication and collaboration. (Inclusive Corporate Culture)

If you like what you've read so far, I’d love it if you’d SUBSCRIBE to the show, and TURN ON your notifications so you don’t miss a future episode.

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Transcript

Hey, everyone.
Welcome back to the show.
We are going to do another deep dive, probably in the next two episodes, about generational differences that show up in the workplace.
Because listen, as much as we may think that one generation is suddenly going to conform to how the older or the younger generation does things, I think we might be naive if we're going to fall for that.
So let's start to look at the differences between those generations that I'm speaking of because this is a time in our world where all four of the generation I'm going to be speaking about in this episode and probably the next one as well are very prominent in a variety of industries.
I don't think we're living in a time where it is top heavy in industries that two of the four generations are the ones leading the way the most.
I think that there are people who are at the forefront of what they do, who are in leadership roles, or who are aspiring to be in leadership roles regardless of how long they have been here on this earth.
So with that, this episode is all going to be about what each generation wants from their job and why it's changing work forever.
This episode is really inspired for me by the number of conversations I have been having as a person who is now in my mid forties, with so many people who are frustrated by this is how Gen Z or Millennials work or who are equally frustrated by this is how Gen X or Boomers manage people or how they see the way, the workforce should be, quote unquote.
And some folks say that it should be a particular way in our workforce, at work, in our jobs because that's the way that it has always been.
And there are other folks who say, well, that's the exact reason it shouldn't be the way it's always been.
We need to innovate.
We need to come up with some new methods, some new forms of communication, new technologies, and it's creating a divide.
And so what ends up happening is the corporate culture that's being created in an office space is being impacted heavily.
Because if everybody has a different perception of what work should be about, what hard work actually is, that creates a divisiveness that creates an environment where people not only won't see eye to eye, but they're not committed to seeing eye to eye either.
So the modern workplace, as I've been saying here, it is shifting fast.
And what employees expect from their jobs is also evolving.
So companies that fail to recognize these shifts, they're going to struggle with things like retention, recruitment, engagement.
And so I want to, like I said, explore in this episode, the baby boomer or boomer generation, gen x, millennials and gen z, and look at what they are prioritizing in their careers and also how you as a leader in your business, your company, your organization, how you can lead the way to have everyone on board to adapt to attracting and retaining top talent.
Because you already have top talent likely in your company, in your business, in your organization.
And don't we want more of that?
And if you do have those folks already with you, we still wanna pull the best, evoke the best from them as well, so they don't get bored and decide that they don't feel as valuable there.
So if your company is struggling with hiring or retention, this episode is really gonna help especially.
So here's the truth.
It's not that people don't wanna work.
I have been so frustrated by that lie that has been societally mentioned over and over and over again in recent years.
It's not that people don't want to work.
It's not that people are suddenly lazy.
We don't wanna use these blanket statements that just put everybody as a target or the one to blame.
Rather, it's that they don't want to work under some outdated conditions.
Some outdated conditions.
And you might be thinking, okay, wait a minute.
Work is work.
You have your job.
You know what you're supposed to do.
It is very clear.
You signed on the dotted line.
You show up.
You do your job.
That is the condition.
There is nothing different about that.
And you're right.
In terms of an agreement that you make with your employer, there is nothing different about the way agreements are done.
However, the conditions of the workplace have drastically changed.
And so jobs are shifting in priority across different generations because every generation is prioritizing something different and there's no conversation about it.
So I wanna break down for you what each generation values in the workplace and how you as a leader or a colleague leader can use this knowledge to improve, again, retention, recruitment, and mostly boost the morale of the people that you lead and the people that are around you.
Because when you know this information, you're yes.
You're gonna help recruitment and retention stick around, but boosting that morale and boosting that sense of corporate culture where it doesn't feel fake, it feels real and authentic, that enhances productivity.
That also boosts creativity, where people become better on your team at problem solving, coming up with new ways to do things.
They become more resourceful.
They feel less limited in how they think and the way that they get things done.
And so let's look at the generational divide first in these workplace priorities.
So starting with the baby boomers, and as I've highlighted this in previous episodes, these are folks who are born between the year 1946 and 1964, give or take.
The boomer generation, they value stability.
They value a pension or what now remains a pension.
They also value employer loyalty.
So a lot of these folks in the older generation is not uncommon in many industries that they will stay at one workplace for decades.
And not necessarily because they love the company that they're with, but because they are, like, loyal to that employer because of benefits.
So they also, from this, expect a traditional career progression, meaning you, quote, climb the corporate ladder.
Right?
So they they want a promotion and then another promotion and that creates tenure or a sense of protection that they're going to keep that job.
Again, maintain that sense of stability.
Now remember, these are folks whose parents were raised or not raised, who were raising them, just after the Great Depression and or they were born not to after that or their parents went through this.
Right?
And so these folks, the reason stability is so hardwired as something they prioritize, it's not because they themselves lived through the great depression.
But when you think back, nervous systems of an individual are passed down from generation to generation.
So if you have someone who lived through the great depression, who did not know where their next meal was going to come from or where money was going to come from, that gets wired into a person's central nervous system.
The part of you that helps you to, have that adrenaline to motivate and move forward, but also the ability to relax and breathe and be able to think clearly to get through things.
And if you in your life, regardless of what generation you are, have were raised by people or a person who went through something traumatic, their nervous system remembered that.
And guess what?
You were raised by that person.
So you probably inherited in some ways, both maybe in your DNA, but definitely in how you were raised, possibly, those sorts of that sort of thinking.
That stability is going to be valued above all, whether you are happy or purposeful in the job or not.
So going to Gen x.
Now Gen x, these are folks who are born between 1965 and 1980.
Gen x is known for prioritizing more of a work life balance, but also they value their autonomy.
They don't wanna be micromanaged.
They wanna be trusted to know that they are told what they're supposed to do.
And however, though, that all being said, because of this sense of micromanaging that happens to them at times and how many times they get checked in on, Gen x can often be skeptical of that corporate loyalty.
Right?
And a lot of that is because Gen x has witnessed in their lifetime massive layoffs.
They know that layoffs are a thing, and they have lived through, you know, the the the bubble bursting, in what is it?
02/2009?
Two I can't remember.
02/2007, '2 thousand '8, somewhere in there.
They lived through that.
They lived through 09/11 when they were college age.
Like, there were so many things that had happened, not to mention what they witnessed their parents go through while being raised.
And so they know that they don't want to work to the bone and only, you know, what's the word?
They don't want to, work to or like live to work.
There we go.
Anyway, get it.
They don't wanna live to work because they witnessed their parents and their grandparents doing that.
So they do want that balance.
They do want that sense of I can make the choice I need to make.
And they also, at the same time though, can have that skepticism because they're realist.
They're realist.
They have seen both sides of the coin.
They're willing to turn on that optimism and learn a better way.
But at the same time, they're kinda looking behind their shoulder and going, I don't know, but what if I'm wrong?
So the full trust in corporate the full trust in that, that loyalty in corporations may not be there for them.
Now let's go on to millennials.
So millennials, what they're gonna prioritize in the workplace again, millennials are born between, 1981 and 1996.
They were growing up in the, you know, first ten to fifteen years of the new millennial.
And so millennials, this is where a tide really begins to turn.
Millennials are seeking and prioritizing meaningful work.
They want purpose driven careers.
So this is a generation where they enter the workforce and somebody puts a test in front of them that says, let's see the skill set that you are good at, and we can tell you what kind of career would be a great fit for you.
Well, they might take that and say, okay.
Yeah.
Yes.
I am good at this and good at this, but am I going to get mentored?
Am I going to learn something new?
Am I here to make the world a better place?
Am I going to grow as a person?
Am I going to be challenged as a person?
So millennials are seeking more from their work place, than just the paycheck.
They're not going to they they value their mental health more so than generations before them.
They know that they don't wanna just do a job to earn the money and have that stability.
They know that their mental health is incredibly important, and that's why the mentorship, having leaders that they can, grow with and learn from, Having that career growth is important, but also flexibility.
They're able to see that the world is a very quickly changing place, and this is also when technology is really popping off.
Cell phones are coming out when they're growing up and and things like that really make, millennials be the first generation that had access to instant gratification, information, and new insight into ways in the world that things are done that they'd never seen before at such a young age.
So it has the millennials see the world with more possibility because simply they've had more examples of said possibility in front of their face through technology for most of their life.
And so they see in the world out there a multitude of examples of people who work hard, do something in their skill set, who also have a purpose driven career, and that appeals to them.
And they feel that that having that purpose in the workplace is something that the gen Xers or the boomers, whoever raised them or their siblings or whatnot, didn't have.
They didn't have that sense of heart and person in the workforce.
It wasn't just about getting the work done, but this is incorporating the person as well.
And with our our fourth generation I'm talking about is Gen z.
So, again, Gen z is the youngest of the four generations I'm talking about in this episode.
These are folks who are born between 1997 and 2012.
Yes.
Gen z is in the workforce when I'm recording this in 2025 and if you are the youngest of the Gen Z's, I mean, you're 28 years old.
So if you are listening to this and thinking, Holly, why are you talking about Gen Z?
If you work with somebody who is 28 years old or younger, that's a Gen Z.
You're all they're already here.
And some of them have mortgages and families and children.
So if you're still thinking about Gen Z being babies or high schoolers or teenagers, like a fast forward friend because you're behind.
Now Gen Z, what do they prioritize in their workplace?
They are demanding inclusivity.
They also are wanting career mobility and no shocker here, hybrid or remote work.
And some of this is a result of, you know, being in their teenage years or even early twenties when 2020 happened and the pandemic happened.
A lot of this too though is what I just mentioned with the millennials.
Gen z has grown up in a world where because of technology, they've seen hundreds of thousands of examples of people who work in a purpose driven career, who have mobility and ways to move not only, vertically up the ladder as people they know, but also career mobility laterally.
They see people who are in a career they love, they learn a new skill, they love it, they stay there for a decade, and then they make a lateral switch to something that's related or kind of related.
It's not necessarily for Gen z about going from, you know, the baseline of the worker role up to a management level.
Some of them are happier to move laterally or into a new industry at the same level, because it gives them those perks, hybrid or remote work, learning something new, being able to do something that they enjoy.
The benefits for them because they prioritize mental health, they'll make a lateral switch in their career if they're going to get benefits that promote, mental health positivity, if they find that a company offers a better work life integration, or if there is tech driven efficiency.
Because again, the comfort zone of Gen Z, similar to millennials, is is tech because tech is what so many of them, all of them really know it's what they're, they've grown up with.
They've been utilizing all through their childhood, through their teenage years, up until, you know, through school and into a career.
So if they are working for an organization who does things in an antiquated way and doesn't show any interest in incorporating technology to make a process more efficient, to to therefore make a product more effective, successful, palpable, desirable, right, for the world, a Gen Z will leave an organization because of that.
So what do we do in this case?
Because, obviously, everyone in these four generations I'm highlighting, they all want something different.
So I said this is gonna change work forever because, yes, every generation wants something a little different from their job, but let's just cut to the chase here.
This means that this is the death of the one size fits all job offer.
No longer can we say, okay.
I have a slew of candidates who are interested in this position in the organization and they're gonna come in and they're going to interview.
And, yes, all equal things aside, all equal skill sets, let's assume that.
We're not being ageist about this.
But if somebody comes in from every one of those four generations seeking this job, it we can't offer them the exact same thing because that blanket offer isn't going to appeal to all of them.
So it's important to read the room, to know your audience more so.
It's not that you have to adjust the offer itself, but be ready to field questions from that person related to what that generation probably finds more valuable.
Okay?
And so we can't just say, you know, alright.
Well, everyone's mindset in this role that they're gonna walk in and and they're prepared to, you know, put in their twenty, thirty, forty years, get to retirement, and we can't assume that that's everybody's mindset.
Like I said, some folks want that stability, but whole generations, two generations I just named, half of the workforce doesn't desire that anymore.
They're just as happy with a lateral move that does not make more money if it does bring them something like more purpose or prioritizes their mental health.
So we've gotta understand that people are gonna ask these questions, and we can't be like, find it off putting if somebody that is interviewing for a role in our company says something like, well, tell me about, mental health awareness and and how your organization handles that.
If somebody who's interviewing them or a leader sits back and says, why would you want that?
Then you're not hearing what I'm saying.
I'm telling you, you've got to understand that this is where the tides are turning.
It's not that hard work ethic of the older generations at this point in time.
It's not that that's dead or gone.
It isn't.
It's just different.
Different isn't bad.
Different is simply different.
So it's important, again, because we know this is the end of that one size fits all job offer.
You know, millennials and Gen z, as I highlighted, they care more about that work life balance.
They care more about that flexibility than the salary alone.
And there's a mindset shift from generation to generation where groups of people used to aspire to climb the corporate ladder or to build a and and now what they're doing is they're looking instead to build a career portfolio.
So job hopping is also a thing.
It is something that people will do not just because they want to make more money or they're unappreciative or whatever those narratives are that you might read or think and fall for.
It's not true.
A portfolio, a career portfolio can look like a person in a particular industry seeing that they don't want to be in a management role, but they see a colleague of theirs in a different department.
And they think, wow, I would really enjoy that.
I think I would be really good at that.
And I think it would make my life, just impacted more in a positive way.
And that's not money driven.
It's interest driven.
It's purpose driven.
Right?
So, it's funny because I think back I'm a Gen Xer.
I'm kind of on the cusp of a millennial and Gen Xer.
And I even think about growing up when I got my first job when I was 14 or 15 years old.
I remember every single time, especially once I was out of high school, I would look for a summer job or a job that I could do while I was in college.
I remember thinking to myself, I liked and purposely sought out jobs that would teach me a skill set that I did not already have.
I didn't want to, for example, go and work in a in a store and work retail, and then leave that one and go work in a different retail, and then a different retail, and a different I knew that I was going to become more well rounded as a human being if I kept working in different arenas.
Right?
So I worked in a I did the the cash office.
I worked the cash office at Lowe's.
Right?
I had that job for a summer.
I was, attacking radiology at a hospital one summer.
I've been a waitress.
I've been a hostess.
You know, I worked in a bakery.
I worked at, Target as a cashier and a customer service person, but then I also, you know, was willing to work in the back of the house at a restaurant and do some of that sous chef kind of stuff too.
So there's so many different things that I would try, yes, in the service industry, but also in, oh, like paper filing, so many different things.
But I knew that if I had a variety of skills, that that would bode well for me in the future, when I had a quote unquote steady career.
And I don't think I was that far off.
And that's ultimately what some of the generations today are looking to do.
They're not job hopping for funsies or just for more money.
They're building a career portfolio.
So if you're listening to this and you're thinking, okay.
So how can my company or the company that I'm a manager for, a leader in, a worker in, how can a company adapt, to retain this multi generational workforce?
Because again, I'm not presenting this information to you because I want you to sit back and go, oh, that means that we only should be hiring, you know, millennials and gen z's or we only should be looking to keep our gen xers and boomers around because they're they align them.
No.
No.
No.
We want a multigenerational workforce because when you bring that level of diversity in skill and also in perspective, it enriches the corporate culture.
It creates a better team dynamic.
It creates more possibility for how things in your business can be done efficient efficiently and effectively, and that improves your bottom line.
Right?
It improves your corporate culture, but it also improves your bottom line because you have a variety of perspectives and experiences and that's a bonus.
So how do we sweeten the pot?
We wanna have a personalized career growth plan.
And there is a book that I read last year, called The Dream Manager, an older book.
Okay?
And the dream manager is not about here's how to be the best manager ever.
It's not about that.
It's actually about asking the people who work for you what their dreams are and what they're going for in their life.
So some some folks who are, working in your company, they might have a dream or an aspiration to buy their first home.
They might a dream or an aspiration to start a family.
They might have a dream or an aspiration to retire their spouse or to help their aging parents pay off their mortgage.
People have these personal dreams, and so this book goes into detail about how different companies hired someone called the dream manager.
And the dream manager's job was to bring employees in and work with them along and and ask them what is your dream?
Okay.
And now how can we as an organization support you in making that happen?
And so when I see a personalized career growth plan, automatically you might think, okay, so I need to ask my people how they wanna climb the corporate ladder.
Not necessarily.
You wanna ask them what is most important to them that they want to grow in in their life at that moment.
Maybe it's their health, because if they feel better in their health, they're going to be a better employee, a better producer, a better leader.
Maybe they are looking to buy their first home.
What kind of information or support do they need?
Maybe their, you know, career growth plan, it may not always look like them sitting there and telling you I wanna work here forever.
So having that ability to allow them to say, I would love what I I'm good at what I do, and I think I would also be good over here in that department too that I've never been a part of before.
How can I learn a new skill?
So having a personalized career growth plan and having a hand in that and asking them questions can be very, very valuable.
Another way that you can retain your workforce, keep it multigenerational, is having flexible work arrangements.
So there's hybrid work models that are going to appeal to both millennials and Gen z without alienating your Gen Xers or your Boomers.
There are hybrid models where if we say this is the only way to do hybrid work or remote work, If you say it's the only way, that's gonna turn off some of the generations and then because people are very divided on this.
Some folks do not believe in remote work at all.
They are hell bent on the belief that, anything other than working in an office doesn't work.
So you're gonna have different opinions about what that is, but you can create a sense of flexible work arrangement that can even be custom to each person's choice.
Because you might even have somebody who's a Gen X or a Boomer who much prefers remote work to in office work, and you might have someone who's a Gen Z or a Millennial who prefers to be in the office.
Right?
We just can't make that assumption that everyone is exactly the same.
Another way to prioritize your multi generational workforce here and keep this going is corporate culture.
Right?
You want that culture to be there and to prioritize it over compensation.
I'm not saying be cheap.
I'm not saying don't pay people, but what I am saying is that the younger generations, especially, they want alignment with the company's values and they want their leadership to be incredibly transparent.
I talked about that transparency on a previous episode, and so it's very important that if you as a leader or business owner, a person who's up there in the organization or just has a big mouth about the organization, You gotta know what your company's values and principles are and make sure that everyone is completing their work and showing up in alignment with those principles.
It's really that straightforward.
If you're not aware what your organization's values and principles are, that's the way that you create culture in the organization.
So if you don't know what they are and it's not being implemented and it's not front front and center, then you're gonna have a bunch of people across all the generations who just gonna keep doing their own thing and they're not going to adhere to any way shape or form in terms of their their attitude, the way they approach things because you're not setting the stage for them.
So culture overcompensation.
Right?
How can we align as an organization?
And then compensation is a separate entity.
Last way to make sure your multigenerational workforce all can feel prioritized is skill based hiring, skill based hiring.
So like I said, if you are interviewing for a position and you have an individual from each of these four generations interviewing for this job, this is not a time obviously, we we're not promoting ageism, but we we are promoting a skill set that matches the skill set that's needed for the role.
And if we automatically assume that Gen x or a Boomer is gonna have that skill set before a Gen z or a, oh my gosh.
I feel like it's math before a Gen z or a millennial, there we go, then we're sorely mistaken.
Because, again, Gen z and millennials are in the mindset of creating a career portfolio.
So let them surprise you that they may have the skill set.
Now they might have the skill set that you're looking for that's, you know, a a a foot of depth.
Right?
Whereas, you might find that the Gen X or the Boomer individual, they might have the skill set, and it's like six feet of depth.
And you can then make that call.
Do you want someone that has the skill set with much, much, much more detail or someone who is able to learn more things across the area altogether.
And no right or wrong answer.
Just know what you are looking for.
So here are your takeaways and some actionable items, whether you are an employee in this role or you are in a leadership or a management role in the organization.
If you are the worker, okay, adapt to the evolving job expectations or risk a high turnover.
Right?
So if you are I think I misspoke there.
If you are the employer, you are the one that has you are hiring the folks and bringing them in.
You wanna make sure that you are aware, like I said, of all the different generational priorities and how they are different instead of just thinking that it's one size fits all and it's all gonna fit.
Because the turnover is happening and you might not understand why you're not retaining your employees, but it could be because you're not paying attention to the differences across generations.
Now if you are the worker here we go.
If you are the worker, you've gotta say something.
It's important that you advocate for what matters the most specifically to you, and that is not only specific to the younger generations.
If you are a boomer, if you are Gen x, if you are an elder millennial, okay, you've got to use your voice.
And instead of thinking, well, I've been doing this long enough, they should know what I find important.
They should know that I value flexibility or career growth or mentorship or stability.
We can't assume anything.
You've got to advocate for what matters the most and be vocal about it.
Because you know who is typically vocal?
Gen Z and the younger millennials.
They will get vocal about it before you might and everybody should be.
Everybody should be.
That's what creates an organizational culture.
And so the final night challenge I have for all of you is, you know, reevaluate your workplace expectations.
And, ultimately, are your expectations of the workplace, are they keeping up with today's workforce?
Because it's the people.
The people are what's making your company fantastic or the people or lack thereof who want to work with and for you that's bringing your organization down.
And it's up to you if you are in a leadership position or even if you are, you know, the everyday Joe who is just like, you're not in a leadership role, but you wanna take that initiative, it's so important to, again, read the room.
Read the room, know the workforce, understand that the generational differences are just differences.
It they're different.
It's not bad.
And there are ways for us to find common ground and align to principles and ways of getting things done.
Okay?
That is gonna work instead of saying that the way they these folks do it is wrong and the way these folks do it is right because that's not getting us anywhere.
And it's wasting time and energy, and so many better things could be happening other than that.
I hope this episode was supportive.
I would love to hear what you have to say about it.
Thank you so much for subscribing if you're watching this on YouTube.
Drop me a comment and tell me which generation are you resonating with the most.
Do you think that you see the workforce the most like a boomer, a gen x, a millennial, or a gen z?
And, yeah, you might see the workforce in a different way than the generation you actually are in age.
So that's all I have for you for today.
Thank you so much for listening, and until next time, I will talk to you next time.