Kids these days are so demanding ... or are they? For the last number of years, employers have been struggling to understand how to work with and integrate younger adults such as Gen Zs, or Zoomers, into the workplace.
Millennials, born between 1981 to 1996, largely fell into existing work structures but Gen Z employees, born between 1998 and 2012, are chafing against traditional work choices and patterns compared with their older colleagues. This cohort of about 1.1 million, or 21 per cent of the population in Ireland, will soon dominate the mid to lower half of the workplace so employers are working hard to attract and retain them.
“In just five years’ time, nearly three out of every four workers globally will be a Gen Z or Millennial and that signals a whole new way of working,” according to Deloitte’s Gen Z and Millennial Global Survey of more than 23,000 young workers – including 415 from Ireland – across 44 countries. “This isn’t just a generational trend, it’s a fundamental shift in how people relate to work, purpose and growth.”
The 14th annual survey “reveals a generation redefining success, prioritising purpose and continuous learning over traditional career paths, while embracing new tools like GenAI and challenging employers to keep up”.
RM Block
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Questioning norms
Zoomers grew up with technology, came of age during the pandemic and are more comfortable talking about private, social and political issues at work.
Corporate managers and leaders report being a bit thrown by Gen Z’s questions around work-life balance, desire for control over what they’re working on and how they achieve it, plus a greater expectation of fulfilment, a good salary and financial stability.
“Asking why is just their norm,” says cultural anthropologist and strategist Marcie Merriman, co-author of EY’s May 2025 report The First Global Generation: Adulthood Reimagined for a Changing World.
GenZ’s behaviours and attitudes have been shaped by their environment: family interactions and social norms are more open today than in previous generations and that, plus social media, has shaped their thinking, says Merriman.
“During Covid, they would have seen us at home working and heard adult discussions about work and the world. They’re aware of what’s happening and that’s changed the dynamic. They’re not going to be obedient little things and do what they’re told,” she said.
“As leaders in the workplace, this idea of someone coming in and being obedient, who does what they’re told is outdated; AI can do that. Future employees will be highly specialised and knowledgeable so they can rise above and beyond what you can get from tech.”
AI is a generational incubator of change says TU Dublin’s Ciaran O’Carroll, a lecturer in enterprise and sustainability. “What we know from the latest Bloomberg analysis [on AI and employment] is that workplaces are trying to use it to reduce their [number of] workers by targeting entry-level jobs.
“What are the benefits for the younger generation? It may actually reduce their choices. They’ll need to be masters of their own destiny as they might have fewer opportunities than before.”
Gen Z’s lives are more precarious and the promises made to bygone generations – a job for life, ability to afford a home, marriage and children – are no longer guaranteed so they are acting accordingly. Why play by the old rules and remain loyal when work no longer delivers on a good life?
This generation is not a homogenous group but in Ireland, most work and life choices are dictated by the housing crisis, says O’Carroll. “They’re spending longer living at home and have long commutes. For some, one of the only ways they can choose not to live at home any more is by leaving their communities,” he said.
“Acute financial strain is restricting their ability to make independent choices about their future. Adulthood is a struggle for basic stability and agency over their own lives,” he says. They’re asking ‘How do I get though each day and try to make a future for myself?’”
Deloitte Ireland found that more than half of Irish Gen Zs – around three in every five – “live pay cheque to pay cheque, with many saying companies aren’t doing enough to ease corporate stress or support financial wellbeing”.
Meaning and work
These generations are seeking a trifecta of money, meaning and wellbeing while building the technical and soft skills that they believe will prepare them for the workplace of the future.
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Purpose plays a powerful role for young Irish workers says, said Deloitte Ireland. In total, 87 per cent of Gen Z and 91 per cent of millennials in Ireland say that having a sense of purpose is important to their job satisfaction, whether “very” or “somewhat”. When asked how strongly they feel about it, 60 per cent of Irish Gen Zs and 58 per cent of Millennials say it’s “very important”.
In Ireland alone, where 415 young adults were surveyed, 66 per cent of Gen Z (ages 18–27) and 39 per cent of Millennials (ages 28–40) say they are building new skills weekly to move their careers forward, said Deloitte.
In the workplace, there is a gap between what Gen Zs and Millennials believe their manager should do versus what they actually do. More than half of these two groups (56 and 58 per cent respectively) want their manager to provide guidance and support but only a third are experiencing this, Deloitte Ireland says.
Employers who don’t adapt quickly risk falling behind, not just in attracting talent but in relevance. Companies need to urgently rethink the role of managers. Forget the paper-pushing, firefighting and administration; let them go back to managing and developing people. Give them the time, tools and training to be what their people want: mentors, coaches and advocates for growth.
“As an employer, you need to be a coach vs manager. Work with Gen Z to get the most out of them to develop and move forward,” says Merriman. “You need to be a football coach in the moment, helping them with how to approach things differently.
“But that also means responsibility on the player. If the player is giving the bare minimum, they’ll be cut from the team. If [a Gen Z employee] wants those things, they have to put in the effort and take initiative. That’s not face time only, it’s about going the extra mile and showing you care about what you’re doing and bringing new ideas to the organisation about how to do things differently.”
This moment is an opportunity for smart employers. Let AI take on the grunt work usually done by entry-level workers and invest in developing this next generation.
“Gen Z and Millennials aren’t difficult to manage; they just expect more from work and from managers than previous generations did,” says Merriman.
Rather than dismissing them as rebellious, hear what they have to say, she says. They want soft skills such as communication, leadership, empathy and networking, closely followed by time management skills and industry-specific knowledge. Will your managers and leaders rise to the challenge?
Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie
