23 Apr Bridging the Generation Gap: What Gen Z and Millennials Want in the Workplace
The modern workplace is undergoing its most significant transformation in decades. If you’ve noticed your best young talent leaving within months, experienced tension between team members of different ages over communication styles, or struggled to attract top candidates despite offering competitive salaries, you’re facing the generational shift head-on. The reality is stark: by 2025, Gen Z and Millennials will comprise nearly 60 percent (two-thirds) of the workforce – a reality that demands immediate attention from employers across many professional sectors.¹,²
At Masis Staffing, we’ve spent decades helping businesses across the US solve their toughest staffing challenges. What we’ve learned is this: success in today’s market requires more than just filling positions. It demands creating an environment where multiple generations don’t just coexist but thrive together. Bridging the generational divide isn’t about pandering to stereotypes or overhauling your entire operation. It’s about making strategic, thoughtful adjustments that respect the unique perspectives each generation brings while maintaining excellence in your operations.
Let’s explore what this looks like—with practical solutions you can implement immediately.
Understanding the Generational Landscape: Millennials vs. Gen Z
The first step in bridging generational differences is moving beyond stereotypes to understand what truly motivates each group. While Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Gen Z (born 1997-2012) share some similarities, their approaches to work go far beyond “they like technology.” It stems from fundamentally different economic and social formative experiences.
Here’s how these generations differ:
1. Career Expectations and Loyalty
Millennials entered the workforce during the Great Recession’s aftermath. Many watched their parents experience job instability after decades of loyalty to a single employer. The result? A generation that values security but has learned to be strategic about career moves. They’ll stay with your company for years – but only if they see a clear path forward with regular growth milestones.
Gen Z’s experience has been different. They’ve only known a gig economy where Uber, DoorDash, and Etsy demonstrate the viability of flexible income streams. A recent survey from Deloitte shows that Gen Z workers maintain more income sources compared to the average Millennial.³ This isn’t about disloyalty or job hopping for its own sake – it’s about risk diversification. It’s a pragmatic approach to career security in uncertain economic times. When you’re hiring, this translates to a candidate who might value skill development over tenure, seeing your role as one piece of their professional portfolio.
2. Communication Preferences
The communication divide between generations often creates unnecessary friction in workplaces. Millennials, who came of age with email as the professional standard, tend to favor more formal, structured communication. Gen Z, raised on instant messaging and social media, prefers quick, visual, and asynchronous exchanges.
Research from the Wichita State University, Kansas, indicates that forcing Gen Z employees into communication styles (like emails) that don’t align with their natural preferences can reduce productivity by up to 30 percent.⁴ The solution isn’t letting everyone communicate however they want but creating flexible frameworks that accommodate different styles while maintaining professional standards.
3. Technology
While all generations today are tech-comfortable, there’s a significant difference in expectations. Millennials are mostly tech-adaptive: they remember adapting to new technologies and countless platform migrations – like Facebook – as they emerged. Gen Zs, however, are true digital natives who expect workplace tools to be as intuitive as their favorite apps. You’ll notice this gap most when:
- Bringing younger team members onto old computer systems
- Rolling out new software to your staff
- Teaching older employees about process changes
The important thing to remember? Just because younger workers are good with technology doesn’t mean they’ll put up with slow, outdated systems. Many companies realize this only after losing good talent.
Read more: Future-Proof Your Staffing Strategy: Navigating Economic Uncertainty
What Millennials and Gen Z Expect from Employers
While understanding generational differences provides context, the real value comes in addressing what Gen Z and Millennials actually want from employers. Our experience working with hundreds of businesses reveals three critical expectations that, when met, dramatically improve retention and engagement. They include:
Career Development that Delivers Real Value
Both generations want careers that move forward meaningfully – not just promotions based on time served. But they show it differently.
Millennials expect:
- Clear promotion paths with specific skills needed for each step and realistic timelines
- Company-backed training and certifications that actually help their careers
- Opportunities to work in different roles to gain broader experience
Gen Z wants:
- Specific skills they can add to their professional toolkit
- Hands-on projects that build measurable expertise
- Short, focused training programs with recognized credentials
- Regular check-ins and proof that their work matters
The common thread? Concrete growth opportunities. A University of Phoenix study found 78 percent of employees from both generations would stay longer at companies that deliver on this – supportive work environments, opportunities for upskilling, and alignment with their values.⁵ Why? They don’t just want jobs – they want careers they can build on. So, development must be structured, visible, and portable.
Transparency
Both generations grew up with Glassdoor and other salary-sharing apps.
Hence, from leadership, they expect:
- Clear explanation of how compensation decisions are made
- Regular updates on company performance (both successes and challenges)
- Visibility into how individual roles contribute to organizational goals
In daily operations:
- Documented criteria for all people decisions (hiring, promotions, raises)
- Access to the “why” behind policies and processes
- Willingness to acknowledge and explain mistakes
This isn’t about oversharing – it’s about respecting employees enough to treat them as stakeholders rather than subordinates. When employees understand the reasoning behind requirements, they’re more likely to comply enthusiastically rather than grudgingly.
Recognition That Feels Personal and Meaningful
Both generations reject one-size-fits-all praise. What works:
- Public and immediate acknowledgment of their professional contributions
- Instant, tangible rewards for specific wins
- Opportunities that show real trust in their abilities
Effective recognition today must be immediate, specific, and tailored. The best programs tie recognition directly to business results. For example, rather than a generic “Employee of the Month” program, your company can offer bonuses for process improvements that save time or money – an approach that appeals to both generations while driving measurable results.
Read more: How a Staffing Agency Can Help During In-Demand Staffing Seasons
How to Bridge the Generational Gap in the Workplace
With these expectations in mind, let’s examine specific approaches to bridge generational differences in your workplace.
Structured Mentorship That Benefits All Parties
Pair Gen Z employees with experienced millennial staff for knowledge exchange. For instance, Gen Z in a legal firm can teach leaders to use speech-to-text software, cutting documentation time in half, while experienced attorneys share client management strategies and industry insights that can drastically reduce follow-up calls.
The key? Structure these relationships as two-way streets with defined goals. Focus on specific skill transfers rather than vague “guidance” and be sure to set measurable objectives for both participants. When done well, these programs create natural understanding between generations while transferring critical institutional knowledge.
Project-Based Collaboration Opportunities
Create cross-generational teams for process improvements, technology implementations, and client experience projects. This breaks down silos while delivering tangible results. Purposefully mixing generations on project teams also:
- Breaks down stereotypes through shared goals
- Allows natural knowledge sharing
- Creates organic mentoring relationships
The key is selecting projects with clear deliverables and timelines, ensuring all participants understand their roles and contributions.
An Appealing Cross-Generation Culture
Your workplace culture isn’t what you say it is—it’s what your employees experience every day through:
- Clear pathways for growth: Map out multiple advancement routes that accommodate different career philosophies, from traditional vertical movement to skill-based progression.
- Values that manifest in action: Move beyond mission statements to demonstrate your values through community involvement, ethical business practices, and employee development investments.
- Adaptable work structures: Create frameworks that provide consistency where it matters most while allowing flexibility in how work gets done. Define core collaboration hours while allowing employees autonomy over their remaining time.
Flexible Communication Frameworks
Rather than mandating a single communication style, successful organizations:
- Establish core channels for different types of communication
- Train all employees on when to use each method
- Regularly solicit feedback on what’s working
This can look like using Slack for quick questions, emails for formal requests, and voice notes or in-person talks for feedback. This simple adjustment can reduce miscommunication by half. It respects generational preferences while maintaining professional standards.
Read more: The Power of Gratitude: Why Expressing Employee Appreciation is Important
Ready to build a team that thrives across generations? Masis Staffing can help!
At Masis Staffing, our specialized approach helps businesses build teams that thrive across generations. We go beyond filling roles to ensure your business needs are met by identifying candidates whose growth mindset matches your culture and by developing tailored retention strategies that appeal to the priorities of a multigenerational workforce.
The time to act is now. Reach out to us to get tailored strategies that ensure you attract and retain top talent, no matter the generation.
References
- No, Millennials Will NOT Be 75% of the Workforce in 2025 (or Ever)! LinkedIn. 17 Sept. 2019, www.linkedin.com/pulse/millennials-75-workforce-2025-ever-anita-lettink.
- Arthur D. Little. The Future Workforce, 1 Apr. 2024, www.adlittle.com/en/insights/prism/future-workforce.
- Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey. (2024, May 15). Deloitte. https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/issues/work/content/genz-millennialsurvey.html
- Bredbenner, J. (2020). Generation Z: A study of its workplace communication behaviors and future preferences. In Wichita State University. Department of Communication, Graduate School of Arts. https://soar.wichita.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/917b5252-e192-4a88-acac-9f6ab3854ce9/content
- Dossey Terrell, J. & 2024 Career Optimism Index. (2024, May 31). Recruiting and Retaining Millennials and Gen Zs in the Workplace. Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research, University of Phoenix. https://www.phoenix.edu/content/dam/edu/research/doc/white-papers/educational-instructional-technology/2024/062024-recruiting-retaining-millennials-genz-jterrell.pdf