Why are Gen Z and millennial workers descending the corporate ladder?

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Why are Gen Z and millennial workers descending the corporate ladder?

By Laura Ashley-Timms

Some Gen Z and millennial workers are actively deprioritizing their career growth to pursue better work-life balance. 

For instance, in this viral video, TikTokker @aaronflarin explains why he’s trying to descend the corporate ladder, saying “I just think it’s better for mental health”. It’s been viewed 1.2M times, and now, TikTok is awash with similar videos of others who are doing the same.

With an estimated 8 out of 10 employees at risk of burnout this year, it’s perhaps no wonder that the younger workforce isn’t buying into the idea that working harder is the only option for employees. According to Deloitte, poor well-being is pushing many Gen Z and millennial workers to consider reducing their working hours, despite the impact this could have on opportunities for skills development and promotion.

Yet this desire not to climb the corporate ladder speaks to a deeper issue in the modern workplace. Managers are struggling to engage and motivate their Gen Z and millennial employees, who want to achieve not only better well-being but also more purpose and autonomy at work.

WHY ARE MANAGERS STRUGGLING TO ENGAGE THEIR GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL STAFF?

Many managers are promoted to management positions because of their technical performance in their previous roles, not because they’re good at managing people. Without the proper training to handle the interpersonal aspects of leadership, many managers default to a “command-and-control,” problem-solving, and micromanaging approach with their teams, whereby they simply tell or direct employees what to do. 

The reality, though, is that as soon as a manager steps in to provide a solution, they inadvertently rob their team members of a learning opportunity by not helping them resolve the issue themselves. Not giving others space to make decisions leaves little room for them to develop their own innovative thinking and problem-solving skills, both of which are crucial for career advancement.

In this way, Gen Z and millennial workers often feel they’re denied the autonomy they crave over their roles. As a result, many workers become disheartened by their lack of growth, advancement, and impact. And if you don’t feel that the work you’re doing matters, it’s easy to feel disconnected. In fact, Deloitte estimates that 35% of Gen Zs, and 28% of millennials, feel mentally distanced and cynical about their work.

Managers simply haven’t been given the modern skills to engage this cohort. New research shows that managers and leaders have a greater impact on employees’ mental health than their spouse, doctor, or therapist. Ill-equipped to nurture a sense of purpose and growth in their staff, the long-standing elephant in the room is that poor management corrodes confidence and leads to stress, overwhelm, and burnout.

If Gen Zs and millennials had more autonomy, purpose, and inclusion at work, I believe they would feel more excited about contributing to their workplaces, and more eager to progress and ascend the corporate ladder.

So what has to change to achieve this? Nothing short of a revolution in the very practice of management itself.

ENQUIRY-LED LEADERSHIP

An effective way for managers to cultivate a deeper sense of purpose in their Gen Z and millennial employees is to adopt an enquiry-led approach to leadership. Integrating more impactful questions into daily conversations with team members acknowledges the capabilities of others and taps directly into their talents, experience, and insights.

A well-intentioned question about a problem, asked purposefully to direct focus on what employees can change about the situation, helps to engage employees’ problem-solving capabilities. It could also help them develop their prioritization skills, build their confidence in decision-making, or encourage them step up to tackle a larger problem. Powerful questions leave team members with a sense of ownership over their work and indicate their manager’s belief in their ability to resolve problems and manage day-to-day issues, which ultimately fosters deeper, more trusting connections.

Leaders can also develop an operational coaching style of management. This method helps managers learn how to use different kinds of questions to stimulate the most helpful forms of thinking for the scenario. For example, if an employee comes to you with a problem they’re facing, you could ask clarifying questions like “What’s the crux of the issue?” to bring focus to the situation. Or you could ask exploratory questions like “What would need to change?” to develop workers’ ideation. Alternatively, you could ask questions designed to shift workers’ perspectives such as “What advice would you give to a colleague in your situation?” And lastly, managers could ask questions that challenge workers’ barriers and generate confidence such as “What is it that makes you think you can’t do that?” This kind of question helps others overcome something that may be preventing them from moving forward.

ASKING BETTER QUESTIONS TO BOOST CAREER GROWTH

Learning to ask more insightful questions helps young professionals build confidence in their career growth. If you can help them feel confident in their own decision-making, you provide purpose while removing uncertainty, which is what makes people feel stressed, overwhelmed, and disengaged at work. When junior employees feel confident, I believe they will desire progression and feel supported to ascend the ladder.

From an organizational perspective, asking better questions can also create a culture of appreciation. This can trigger a cascade effect where leaders, managers, and colleagues all begin to ask better questions of themselves and others, in turn cultivating a workplace where people are motivated to develop and contribute and are excited to advance. And who wouldn’t want to climb a career ladder at an organization with a culture like that?

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