You’ve heard the complaints. Gen Z doesn’t want to work hard. They’re entitled. They ghost their jobs. But what do Gen Z employees actually want from managers? The answer might surprise you.
After training over 100 organizations across Asia on managing younger generations, I can tell you the real problem isn’t Gen Z. Most managers just have no idea what Gen Z employees want from managers — and it’s costing them their best talent.
TL;DR: Gen Z employees want managers who mentor (not micromanage), support their mental health, offer growth opportunities, lead with purpose, and build inclusive cultures. A 2025 Deloitte survey of 14,751 Gen Z workers found a 11-point gap between what they want from managers and what they actually get. Close that gap, and you keep your talent.
Table of Contents
- Why is there a gap between what Gen Z wants and what managers deliver?
- Do Gen Z employees actually care about mental health at work?
- What motivates Gen Z if it’s not climbing the corporate ladder?
- Why do Gen Z employees leave so quickly?
- Does inclusion really matter that much to Gen Z?
- The five things Gen Z employees want from managers, ranked
- How should managers adapt their style for Gen Z?
- Frequently asked questions
Why is there a gap between what Gen Z wants and what managers deliver?
In Deloitte’s Singapore sample, 47% of Gen Z say they want managers who teach and mentor them, but only 36% report that this actually happens (Deloitte 2025 Gen Z & Millennial Survey, 2025). That 11-point gap tells you everything about what Gen Z employees want from managers. They think they’re being ignored while their managers think they’re leading.
The disconnect gets worse. On building an inclusive and positive culture, 42% of Gen Z employees consider it a top manager responsibility. Only 22% say their manager actually does it. A 20-point gap.
I see this in every workshop I run. A VP will tell me, “We give them a competitive salary and flexible hours. What more do they want?” And I’ll say: “They want you to actually talk to them. Not about deadlines. About their growth.”
Here’s what most managers get wrong. They treat Gen Z the way they wanted to be treated at that age. But Gen Z didn’t grow up in the same world. They grew up with instant feedback loops: social media likes, YouTube comments, real-time app notifications. Waiting six months for a performance review feels like being ignored.
Try this: Schedule a 15-minute weekly check-in with each Gen Z direct report. Not a status update. A development conversation. Ask: “What skill are you working on right now?” and “How can I help you get better at it?”
Related: How to give feedback to Gen Z employees without them getting defensive
Do Gen Z employees actually care about mental health at work?
91% of Gen Z workers report experiencing mental health challenges at least occasionally, and 61% would seriously consider leaving their job for one with better mental health benefits (SHRM/LIMRA BEAT Study, 2025). Mental health support isn’t a soft perk. It’s a retention lever.
Deloitte’s 2025 survey found that 40% of Gen Z employees feel stressed or anxious all or most of the time. Financial worries top the list of causes, but respondents also named workplace factors: long working hours and a lack of recognition.
Both of those are things a manager controls directly. Recognition costs nothing. Shortening the hours costs a conversation about priorities.
From my workshops: When I ask Gen Z employees in Singapore what stresses them out most, “not knowing where I stand with my boss” comes up more often than workload. The uncertainty wears them down, not the work itself.
I’ve watched managers dismiss mental health concerns as “generational softness.” That’s a fast way to lose your best people. More than six in ten Gen Z workers would walk for a company that takes mental health seriously (SHRM, 2025). They mean it.
One thing that works: start team meetings with a quick energy check-in. “How’s everyone doing this week, 1 to 5?” Takes thirty seconds. Signals that you care about the person, not just the deliverables.
Related: What if the “problem” with Gen Z isn’t Gen Z?
What motivates Gen Z if it’s not climbing the corporate ladder?
Only 6% of Gen Z and millennial employees say reaching a leadership position is their primary career goal. They prioritize work-life balance and learning instead (Deloitte 2025 Gen Z & Millennial Survey, 2025). If you’re dangling a promotion as your main retention tool, you’re playing the wrong game.
This doesn’t mean they lack ambition. Their ambition just looks different from what older generations expect.
70% of Gen Z employees develop professional skills at least once a week. 67% do so outside of work hours (Deloitte, 2025). According to EY’s 2025 Generation Survey, 99% of Gen Z workers developed professional skills in the past year, with 43% focused on emotional intelligence (EY US 2025 Generation Survey, 2025).
They’re investing in themselves constantly. The question is whether your organization is part of that investment or irrelevant to it.
What I’ve seen across 100+ organizations: The companies that hold onto Gen Z longest don’t have the highest salaries. They make learning part of the job description. One Singapore fintech I worked with added “2 hours of self-directed learning per week” to every role. Their Gen Z attrition dropped 30% in one quarter.
Even a small “growth budget” helps. $500 per person per year for courses, books, or conference tickets. Ask each Gen Z employee to set one quarterly learning goal and share what they picked up with the team. You get retention and knowledge transfer from the same investment.
Related: Gen Z 101: Top 10 most common questions about Gen Z
Why do Gen Z employees leave so quickly?
Gen Z’s average job tenure is 1.1 years. Millennials stay 1.8. Gen X stays 2.8. Boomers, 2.9 (Randstad Gen Z Workplace Blueprint, 2025). The top reason isn’t salary. It’s lack of career progression.
They’re not leaving because you pay too little. Understanding what Gen Z employees want from managers reveals the real reason: they can’t see a future with you.
Gallup’s 2025 data backs this up from a different angle. Gen Z employees were 5 points less engaged than the year prior, with specific drops in clarity of expectations, recognition, feeling cared about, and development opportunities (Gallup State of the Global Workplace, 2025). U.S. engagement overall hit a 10-year low of 31%.
And 89% of Gen Z employees say purpose is important to their job satisfaction. 44% have already left a role that lacked it (Deloitte, 2025). They won’t stay somewhere that feels pointless just to pad a resume.
In your next one-on-one, try asking: “Where do you want to be in 18 months?” Not three years. Not five. Eighteen months. That’s how Gen Z thinks about career timelines. Then work backward together on what skills and experiences get them there.
Related: Why do Gen Z employees quit without warning — and how to stop it
Does inclusion really matter that much to Gen Z?
77% of Gen Z workers say a company’s inclusion strategies affect where they choose to work, compared to 53% of the overall workforce (Eagle Hill Consulting Gen Z Retention Report, 2025). For Gen Z, inclusion isn’t a side initiative. It’s a filter they apply before accepting an offer.
Deloitte found a matching gap. 42% of Gen Z employees believe managers should actively build an inclusive culture. Only 22% say their manager does.
What I hear in my keynotes across Asia: When I ask Gen Z audiences, “What makes you trust your manager?” the most common answer isn’t “they hit targets.” It’s “they stand up for people who aren’t in the room.”
I’ve trained teams at multinationals in Singapore, Malaysia, and India. In every market, Gen Z tells me the same thing: they can spot performative inclusion instantly. A rainbow logo in June doesn’t cut it. They pay attention to promotion decisions, to whose ideas get credit, and to whether junior people actually get heard or just get to sit in the room.
Here’s a quick test. Think about your last three team meetings. Who spoke? Who stayed quiet? Did seniority dominate? Start calling on junior team members by name. “Priya, I’d like to hear your take on this.” That’s inclusion that people can feel.
The five things Gen Z employees want from managers, ranked
Based on 2025 data from Deloitte, Gallup, SHRM, Randstad, Eagle Hill, and EY, here’s what the research says matters most:
1. A manager who coaches, not controls
50% want mentoring. Only 36% get it. Close the gap with weekly development conversations.
2. Real mental health support
61% would leave for better mental health benefits (SHRM, 2025). This one surprises managers the most. Normalize energy check-ins. Stop treating wellness days as weakness.
3. Growth opportunities that are actually accessible
70% develop skills weekly on their own time (Deloitte, 2025). They’re already doing the work. Give them a small learning budget and quarterly skill goals so they do it with you, not despite you.
4. Purpose and meaning in the work
89% say purpose matters. 44% have already quit a role that lacked it. You don’t need a grand mission statement. Just explain how the task they’re doing connects to something that matters.
5. Genuine inclusion
77% factor inclusion into where they work (Eagle Hill, 2025). Policies aren’t enough. They’re watching who speaks up in meetings, who gets promoted, and whether anyone notices when they don’t.
How should managers adapt their style for Gen Z?
Now that we’ve covered what Gen Z employees want from managers, the question is how to deliver it. U.S. employee engagement dropped to a 10-year low of 31% in 2024 (Gallup, 2025), with Gen Z seeing the steepest decline. The old playbook, annual reviews, top-down communication, “pay your dues” culture, doesn’t hold anymore. Managers who adapt keep their talent. Those who don’t keep replacing it.
Here’s a framework I use in my workshops:
Replace annual reviews with monthly growth conversations. Gen Z needs faster feedback. One monthly conversation about growth (not just performance) will outperform a polished annual review every time.
Make expectations explicit from day one. Gallup found that clarity of expectations was one of the biggest drivers of Gen Z disengagement. Don’t assume they’ll “figure it out.” Write it down. Share it on day one. Revisit at week four.
Let them lead something small, early. Gen Z doesn’t want to wait three years for ownership. Give them a project, a client, or a process within the first 90 days. Ownership builds engagement faster than perks do.
Ask for their input on how the team works. 42% of Gen Z focused on emotional intelligence skills in the past year (EY, 2025). They’re investing in relational skills. Invite them to co-create team norms and meeting structures. You might be surprised at what they suggest.
Read next: The complete guide to managing a multigenerational workforce in 2026
Frequently asked questions
What is the number one thing Gen Z workers want from their managers?
Mentoring and coaching. Deloitte’s 2025 survey of 14,751 younger workers found half want bosses who teach and mentor them, making it the top-ranked expectation. Only 36% say they receive it. That gap is the largest across all generational cohorts surveyed.
Why do younger employees quit so quickly?
The main reason is stalled career progression, not pay. Randstad’s 2025 study of 11,250 workers found the youngest cohort stays an average of 1.1 years, the shortest tenure of any generation. Separately, 44% have walked away from roles that felt purposeless (Deloitte, 2025).
Related: Why do Gen Z employees quit without warning — and how to stop it
How important is mental health support to this generation?
Very. SHRM’s 2025 analysis found 61% of younger workers would seriously consider leaving for a job with better wellbeing benefits. 91% report experiencing mental health difficulties at work at least occasionally. For people leaders, supporting wellbeing has become a retention question, not a HR checkbox.
Do the youngest workers care about diversity and inclusion?
More than any previous cohort. Eagle Hill Consulting’s 2025 report found 77% say inclusion strategies affect their employer choice, versus 53% of the broader workforce. They judge inclusion by watching behavior, not reading handbook policies.
How often should managers give feedback to Gen Z?
Weekly at minimum. This cohort grew up with real-time feedback through social media and digital platforms. Gallup’s 2025 data showed their engagement fell when recognition and development conversations were infrequent. A 15-minute weekly check-in focused on growth (not just task progress) is the single highest-return change a people leader can make.
What is the biggest mistake managers make with Gen Z?
Treating them the way older generations wanted to be treated at that age. Gen Z grew up with instant feedback loops, social media, and real-time communication. Deloitte’s 2025 data shows a 11-point gap between what Gen Z expects from managers and what they actually receive. The biggest mistake is assuming a competitive salary and flexible hours are enough, when what Gen Z really wants is regular mentoring conversations, visible mental health support, and a manager who listens before directing.
How do you retain Gen Z employees?
Focus on career progression, not just compensation. Randstad’s 2025 study found the top reason Gen Z leaves is lack of career advancement, not pay. Retain them by offering monthly growth conversations instead of annual reviews, giving them ownership of a project within their first 90 days, connecting their daily work to a larger purpose, and making learning opportunities accessible. Even a small annual development budget of $500 per person significantly boosts retention.
What management style works best for Gen Z?
A coaching-based management style works best. Gen Z responds to managers who act as mentors rather than micromanagers. Replace annual performance reviews with monthly growth conversations, make expectations explicit from day one, let them lead something small early on, and ask for their input on how the team operates. Gallup’s 2025 data confirms that clarity of expectations and regular recognition are among the biggest drivers of Gen Z engagement.
Related: How to give feedback to Gen Z employees without them getting defensive
What happens when you actually listen to Gen Z
Gallup’s 2025 tracking data found that teams with high manager engagement scores see 23% higher profitability and 18% higher productivity (Gallup, 2025). The practices Gen Z is asking for, coaching, clarity, recognition, are the same ones that drive performance across every age group.
Once you understand what Gen Z employees want from managers, you realize they aren’t asking for unreasonable things. They want a manager who mentors them, a workplace that supports their wellbeing, growth opportunities that match their pace, work that means something, and a team where everyone belongs.
Every one of those things makes your organization stronger regardless of who’s asking for it.
The companies I’ve worked with that get this right don’t just retain Gen Z. They end up with stronger teams across every age group. I didn’t expect that when I started this work ten years ago, but the pattern is consistent. What Gen Z employees want from managers — coaching, growth, purpose — actually makes you better at managing everyone.
Key takeaways:
- Close the mentoring gap with weekly coaching conversations, not annual reviews
- Make mental health support visible and real
- Offer learning opportunities (even small budgets work)
- Connect every role to a larger purpose
- Practice inclusion in daily actions, not just policy documents
Vivek Iyyani is a generational expert, keynote speaker, and author of 4 books on managing Millennials and Gen Z. He has trained over 100 organizations across Asia on building high-performing multigenerational teams. His work has been featured in Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times, and TEDx. About Vivek | Contact
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