Gen Z’s Workplace Priorities Are Different — HR Has to Keep Up

Gen Z is entering the workforce with a different definition of values and a different approach to workplace priorities — and it’s forcing employers to rethink long-held assumptions about what job applicants and employees want.  

For many early-career workers, for instance, a pay bump isn’t enough to work long hours, have no flexibility, and feel burnt out by their jobs, said Luke Goetting, future-of-work expert and author of Unlocking Next Gen Talent: How to Connect, Engage, and Future-Proof Your Workforce in the Age of Digital Natives & AI (2026). 

‘A Work-to-Live Generation’ 

Gen Z is “very much a work-to-live generation,” Goetting said April 22 at SHRM Talent 2026, adding that they prioritize their mental health and their life outside of work “[T]hey will evaluate promotion opportunities and say, ‘A 10%-20% raise, that seems pretty sweet. But a 50% to 100% work increase? I’m good, I’ll stay [where I am].’” 

For HR, the implication is simple: Workloads, and even promotions, that significantly increase stress or hours without rethinking scope can deter high-potential employees.  

For many young workers, witnessing the fickle realities of the job market have driven them toward that new set of priorities, Goetting said. 

“It’s a generation that grew up when the 2008 financial crisis happened — they saw parents, siblings, family who’ve been at jobs for decades have it all disappear on them,” he said. “They’ve seen benefits be slashed. They’ve seen people who leave get promotions faster than people who stay. They have a real frustration with the opportunities that might be available.” 

Related Article: Here’s What Employees Say Is a Fair Annual Pay Increase

What Gen Z Is Looking For 

Although compensation is still important, Gen Z workers are looking for more than other generations have before then, he said.  

Flexibility, particularly hybrid work, as well as more control over their hours and their workload, plays a big part in their expectations of their employer. With fewer ties like homeownership or children, Gen Z has “a ton of flexibility to pull up and leave and search for other opportunities,” Goetting said. They are also prone to taking up side and freelance work so that they don’t have to rely purely on their employer for income. 

Mental health is equally important. This generation is entering the workforce with what Goetting described as “the lowest mental health outlook of any generation,” shaped in part by the pandemic and economic uncertainty. In that context, benefits that support well-being aren’t nice-to-have perks; they’re essential when attracting and retaining Gen Z workers. 

Related Toolkit: Creating a Mental-Health-Friendly Workplace  

That shift is important for HR leaders to know as Gen Z proliferates in the workplace. While work is still important to them, as it is for other generations, they don’t want work alone to define them, Goetting said. 

Gen Z doesn’t just prefer mission-driven organizations; they screen for them, he said, adding that that those workers have “the highest alignment to values of any generation,” calling out priorities like environmental sustainability and workers’ rights. They also put great emphasis on inclusion and diversity efforts, he said. 

Rethinking Recruitment 

Gen Z’s preferences are playing out in other ways in the workplace, too. Having grown up with technology and now heavily using social media platforms like TikTok, they rely on shorter, quicker bursts of information on most aspects of work — even in recruitment. 

That can serve as a lesson for employers — that recruiting doesn’t have to be long and flowery, Goetting said. “Try quick-hitting, short-form videos to feature your company. Include pictures of employees; have different videos of scenes around the office,” he said. “A 30-second video can capture [life at work] in a way that dozens of pages cannot.” 

Bridging Gaps 

Gen Z’s reliance on technology, coupled with missing out on in-person experiences in college or at the start of their career due to the pandemic, may be causing some young workers to fall short on communication or social skills.  

For employers, the lesson might be to incorporate training on soft skills — or “power skills.”  This training might focus on communication, expectations, work ethic, and sensitivity. It could even include education on basic workplace etiquette. 

Doing so can not only help Gen Z become more successful workers, but also bridge some of the gaps that might exist between them and other generations of workers. 

“We have a huge range of generations in the workplace, meaning we have a lot of different norms and expectations,” he said. “But there are things we can do to bridge connection.”