Gen Z are reshaping the workplace with fresh perspectives, bold expectations and a drive for purpose that challenges traditional management approaches. At our recent event at Brasserie of Light, we gathered leaders, managers and contributors to explore the practical realities of working with Gen Z, moving beyond assumptions to uncover what genuinely works.
The evening brought together cross-generational perspectives, including Gen Z voices in the room, to share real experiences, practical insights, and actionable strategies for building teams where every generation thrives.
Why Gen Z matters to your business now
Rachel, who heads up engagement for La Fosse Academy and works directly with their growing Gen Z population, set the context for the evening: “They are coming into the workplace with fresh perspectives, bold outcomes and quite high expectations in some situations. But whether we are ready or not, they are changing the way that we hire, we retain, we grow our people.”
The urgency is clear. Over just two weeks, six different client conversations surfaced Gen Z management as a critical challenge. This isn’t isolated concern, it’s a widespread need for practical guidance on navigating generational dynamics that directly impact retention, productivity and employer brand.
Lucy Kemp, La Fosse’s Director of Brand and author of extensive Gen Z research involving over 3,000 Gen Z professionals, highlighted the stakes: “Leaders did not know how to manage Gen Z and were throwing their hair out. Gen Z hated being managed, and that meant profits were slowing down. Attrition was really high, and we know how much it costs to replace someone who’s left. Externally, the employer brand was tanking because no one wanted to work there.”
The baseline has shifted: understanding Gen Z’s context
One of the evening’s most powerful insights centred on recognising that Gen Z operates from a fundamentally different baseline than previous generations, shaped by technology, economic uncertainty and changed workplace dynamics.
Lucy illustrated this with a simple example: her nine-year-old daughter wakes up and tells Alexa to play Beyoncé or asks Netflix to find a show. “To her, that’s normal, that’s her baseline. I’m still like, ‘Can you believe this even happened?’ It’s just a robot in my house. That is, we have generations now where their baseline is different, and it’s so different to all the other generations.”
This extends beyond technology to workplace loyalty. Lucy referenced Simon Sinek’s insight about generational approaches to promotion: “We will often say, ‘I will do the job above me. You will see that I’m good at that, and then you will reward me.’ That’s how it works for us now.”
Gen Z, however, have watched their parents and peers get laid off despite excellent performance. Their response? “You pay me extra, and I’ll go above and beyond.” This isn’t entitlement, it’s adapted behaviour based on what they’ve witnessed about workplace loyalty being a one-way street.
Actionable change: Stop comparing Gen Z’s expectations to “how we had it” and start understanding why they approach work differently. Their baseline includes economic instability, witnessed layoffs and technology integration that fundamentally shapes their worldview.
What guests actually love about Gen Z
Before diving into challenges, the room identified genuine positives about having Gen Z team members:
Different perspectives and vocal opinions. Gen Z bring fresh viewpoints and aren’t afraid to share them. They’re very focused and generally know where they want to go, even if that direction differs from traditional career paths.
Challenge and pushback. While this can feel uncomfortable for leaders used to deference, participants recognised that Gen Z’s willingness to question and challenge can drive innovation and prevent groupthink.
Direct communication. One contributor noted how a Gen Z team member flagged feeling micromanaged, creating space for honest conversation about management style that benefited the entire team.
Technical fluency. Gen Z’s natural facility with technology and AI tools positions them to help organisations adapt to rapid technological change.
These positives matter because they frame Gen Z not as problems to manage, but as assets to leverage when approached correctly.
The three critical challenges: motivation, retention and leadership
Based on pre-event feedback, the discussion focused on three interconnected themes that emerged as universal concerns.
Challenge 1: How do we motivate Gen Z?
The conversation revealed that traditional motivational approaches often miss what Gen Z actually values. Several key insights emerged:
Purpose over paycheque. Gen Z want to understand the “why” behind their work. Lucy emphasised: “They need to understand what they’re doing is making a difference. That purpose element is really, really key.”
Flexibility and boundary respect. Trends like “Bare Minimum Monday” aren’t about laziness, they’re about protecting wellbeing and setting boundaries. As Lucy noted, “I don’t schedule meetings on Monday, I need a slow start to the week. Is that them protecting their space, having boundaries?”
Immediate impact and feedback. Gen Z grew up with instant gratification through technology. This translates to wanting clear, regular feedback and visible impact from their work, not annual reviews and distant outcomes.
Autonomy within structure. They want freedom to solve problems their way but need clear expectations and frameworks. Micromanagement is rejected, but so is complete absence of guidance.
One guest shared how involving Gen Z in problem-solving transformed engagement: “When we bring them into how we’re going to solve something, the energy completely changes. They have ideas we haven’t considered.”
Actionable change: Replace “this is how we’ve always done it” with “here’s the problem we’re solving, what ideas do you have?” Give context for why work matters, not just what needs doing. Respect boundaries around work-life separation rather than viewing it as lack of commitment.
Challenge 2: How do we retain and engage them?
Retention emerged as particularly challenging, with Gen Z showing willingness to leave situations that don’t meet their needs. The discussion uncovered several dynamics:
Career progression expectations. Gen Z want to see clear paths forward, but they’re not willing to wait years for recognition. They’re watching LinkedIn, seeing peers progress quickly, and questioning why they should stay if growth is slow.
One guest described the tension: “They’re in the door, they’re six months in, and they’re like, ‘When’s my promotion?’ And internally I’m like, ‘You just got here!’ But to them, six months of high performance should equal recognition.”
Psychological safety and honest feedback. Lucy challenged the room on feedback approaches: “One client said to me, ‘Whenever I give feedback to Gen Z, they push back on me, and I’m really mad about it. Why can’t they go cry in the toilets?’ And I did cry in the toilets when I got feedback when I was younger, but we shouldn’t make people cry in toilets.”
Gen Z’s willingness to discuss and question feedback isn’t disrespect, it’s dialogue. They want to understand the reasoning and have their perspective heard, which requires leaders to engage differently than previous generations.
The AI anxiety. Multiple attendees raised Gen Z concerns about job security in an AI-driven future. One Gen Z attendee expressed it clearly: “I’m worried AI will take my job before I even build my career. Why invest in skills that might be automated?”
Lucy acknowledged the valid concern whilst reframing it: “AI can’t replace soft skills. When you look at skills most needed for the future, it’s things like negotiating, planning, strategy, storytelling. AI can’t do that. How are we training people coming in now to be able to do that so they’re not being taken over?”
Actionable change: Create transparent career progression frameworks with shorter milestones, not just annual promotions. Train leaders to engage with feedback as dialogue, not delivery. Actively address AI anxiety by investing in uniquely human skill development and showing how Gen Z can lead technological adaptation.
Challenge 3: What do leaders need to be great Gen Z managers?
The final theme focused on what capabilities those managing Gen Z need to develop to effectively lead Gen Z team members.
Coaching, not commanding. Traditional directive management doesn’t resonate with Gen Z. They respond better to coaching approaches that develop their thinking rather than simply telling them what to do.
One contributor shared: “I had to completely change how I give assignments. Instead of ‘do this, this way,’ it’s ‘here’s what we need to achieve, what approach would you take?’ It takes longer initially but they own the outcome completely.”
Vulnerability and authenticity. Gen Z value leaders who admit when they don’t know something and show authentic humanity rather than performing authority.
Context-setting and “why” explanation. Leaders need to get comfortable explaining the reasoning behind decisions, processes and priorities. Gen Z won’t simply accept “because I said so” or “that’s company policy.”
Flexibility within framework. The skill is providing enough structure that Gen Z know what success looks like whilst allowing flexibility in how they achieve it. Too much control creates resistance; too little creates anxiety.
Continuous feedback loops. Annual reviews are meaningless to Gen Z. They need regular, in-the-moment feedback that helps them course-correct and feel recognised for contributions.
Actionable change: Invest in coaching training for those managing Gen Z, not just traditional management development. Create structures that require leaders to explain the “why” behind decisions. Implement regular check-ins that replace annual review models with continuous dialogue.
The technical revolution: Gen Z as AI collaborators, not casualties
One of the evening’s most forward-thinking contributions came from discussing how Gen Z’s technical fluency positions them as ideal collaborators in AI integration, rather than victims of automation.
A La Fosse Academy leader shared their perspective: “We’ve got a really different view on this whole topic, which is that Gen Z or Gen Alpha, they’ve grown up with technology. They are the technology literate generation. If you give them the tools, they can go into organisations and help them shape the skills of the future.”
The academy is rolling out an agentic AI tool alongside junior associates “to allow them to be able to deliver what a very senior person would have to spend years and years to be able to deliver, but all of a sudden you’ll be able to get that capability when someone who’s just really tech literate has been trained and knows how to write the right prompts and utilise AI.”
This reframing shifts Gen Z from threatened by technology to empowered by it: “There’s also the other way of thinking about it, which is, what is the future of skills, and how do you give this next generation the tools to be able to come into an organisation and disrupt? People who have been there years and years have got their ways of doing things. Now they’re going to be disrupting things from a technology perspective.”
Actionable change: Position Gen Z as technology leaders who can guide organisational AI adoption. Provide tools and training that leverage their technical comfort. Create roles where they can introduce more efficient ways of working rather than simply following established processes.
The loyalty paradox: why Gen Z’s approach makes sense
A recurring theme was Gen Z’s different relationship with workplace loyalty, which frustrates many leaders but makes complete sense given their context.
Lucy explained: “They’ve seen their parents get laid off. They’ve seen their friends get laid off because it’s not enough to be good at your job anymore. A company will be excellent at your job, and companies don’t reward that. So now they’re saying, ‘You pay me extra, and I’ll go above and beyond.'”
This isn’t selfishness, it’s pragmatism based on witnessed evidence that companies won’t protect employees simply because they’re loyal. Several guests in the room acknowledged they’d actually advise their own children to approach careers the same way, recognising that lifelong company loyalty is largely dead.
The challenge for organisations is that whilst they might agree loyalty is earned not given, they still operate systems designed around expecting commitment before proving they deserve it. This misalignment creates frustration on both sides.
Actionable change: Shift from expecting loyalty to earning it. Demonstrate commitment to employee development, transparent communication and fair treatment before expecting long-term commitment in return. Recognise that Gen Z’s transactional approach to early career is rational given current workplace dynamics.
Real conversations: Gen Z voices in the room
Having Gen Z participants in the discussion provided invaluable reality checks and pushed beyond stereotypes to specific experiences.
When discussing feedback and pushback, Gen Z attendees explained they’re not rejecting guidance, they want to understand it: “If you just tell me ‘do it this way,’ I don’t learn anything. But if you explain why this approach works better, I can apply that thinking to other situations.”
On work-life boundaries, they pushed back against characterisations of their generation as uncommitted: “We’ll work incredibly hard when it matters, but we don’t believe in being busy for busy’s sake. If the work is done, why stay late just to be seen at a desk?”
On career progression, they acknowledged the tension: “I know six months isn’t long, but in six months I’ve delivered on everything asked, learned new tools, and taken on extra projects. From my perspective, I’ve proven I can handle more. How long am I supposed to wait?”
These perspectives helped leaders understand that many frustrations come from different expectations about recognition, communication and what constitutes high performance, not fundamental differences in work ethic or capability.
Moving from theory to practice: what to do Monday morning
The evening concluded with participants sharing immediate actions they’d commit to:
Implement weekly 15-minute check-ins instead of waiting for formal reviews. Brief, regular touchpoints provide the feedback cadence Gen Z need whilst building relationships.
Explain the “why” behind decisions and processes. Even when you can’t change something, helping Gen Z understand the reasoning reduces frustration and builds trust.
Create junior leadership opportunities that give Gen Z meaningful responsibility early, even if it’s leading small projects or initiatives.
Ask Gen Z team members about AI tools and efficiency improvements. Position them as internal consultants on technology adoption rather than assuming you need to protect them from it.
Review career progression frameworks to identify opportunities for more frequent recognition moments, even if they’re not formal promotions.
Stop comparing to “how we had it” and start asking “what does this generation need to do their best work?”
Build in flexibility where possible around when and how work gets done, focusing on outcomes rather than presenteeism.
One contributor summarised it perfectly: “The question isn’t whether Gen Z will adapt to how we’ve always done things. The question is whether we’ll adapt to remain relevant to the workforce of the future, because Gen Z isn’t going away.”
Your blueprint access
Interested in understanding how to create workplaces where Gen Z thrives? We’re offering comprehensive support to help organisations navigate this transition.
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The Gen Z workforce isn’t the future, they’re already here, reshaping how we work. The only question is whether your organisation will resist that change or lead it.
Contact us to explore how we can support your team in unlocking Gen Z potential.