It’s a conversation we hear often: frustration at why younger team members are not doing what they are meant to be doing. Why are they raising issues and not happy, even though I’m doing everything I can? And why do I need to think about this differently?
What we have known anecdotally about psychosocial workplace claims has now been confirmed. Claims have been increasing year on year, with the largest increase coming from Gen Z (currently aged 17–31). But why?
As human beings, our core needs are relatively consistent, regardless of when we were born. But there are societal factors that shape how each generation experiences the world, and how our needs are met at work. Technology, global crises, economics all shape how we navigate life. This means our leadership approach needs to understand where needs are not being met, and adjust accordingly.
For many digital natives, the need for connection and belonging is not being consistently met. Not only is their world view is different to previous generations, but these unmet needs are slowing simmering because of three broad changes in the workplace.
Learning and development
For those of us in older generations (don’t think Boomers, it’s actually anyone 35 and over), more experienced people in the workplace were the primary sources of knowledge. Managers, colleagues, and internal documentation were how people learned. Through these daily interactions, connection and trust were built.
For Gen Z, the experience can look quite different. Many have moved from structured environments such as school or university into workplaces that are remote, hybrid, or less anchored. Fewer daily interactions, less visibility, and less informal guidance can make it harder to learn both the obvious and the more nuanced aspects of working life.
Couple this with the level of pressure leaders are under, meaning they have less time to notice and respond to their teams’ needs.
Sources of truth
Psychological distress is still one of the two highest psychosocial risks in Australian workplaces. A lack of clarity of what to do, how to do it and knowing when it’s done well, has a greater impact on workplace stress than having too much to do.
When answers are not easily found within the organisation, they’ll look for other sources to access. Those sources are quite literally in hand: immediate and external, social media, group chats, and online communities. We’re no longer just ‘at work’. Career advice is more accessible than ever, and often presents organisations and managers in a very negative light. Think influencers using rage bait. This shapes assumptions and expectations before a conversation even begins.
Happiness and social media
Gallup’s Global Happiness Report indicates happiness among younger people in Australia, and across other Western countries that are dominate users of social media, is declining.
Wrapping this together, if someone’s broader outlook feels uncertain, they do not feel like they are progressing, and their career advice is coming from angry influencers, it is not surprising that when issues arise, their first thought is not to have a conversation, but to lodge a formal complaint. If there is no trusting connection with their manager, or they’re too hard to catch because they’re so busy, why would we expect them to raise it in discussion first?
None of this is wrong, just different.
Through the pursuit of efficiency, many of the structures that supported a sense of connection have been designed out of the workplace.
A few intentional steps can make all the difference
Create connection early and often
Design induction and onboarding to actively connect people into the organisation, not just to their role, but to the people and sources they can go for support. A workplace buddy can create a great soft landing for a new employee.
Younger generations are used to being connected across multiple channels and touchpoints. Reflect this in how your team communicates. Different groups, different settings, different purposes. Be clear on which tools are used for what, and what response times look like.
Provide structure and boundaries
While autonomy is valued, so is clarity. People want to understand what is expected of them, and where the boundaries sit.
Make ways of working explicit. What matters in your context, how decisions are made, and what good looks like. Let them know what’s expected so they can work within it. A sense of belonging also comes from knowing you are doing the right thing and you’re aligned with others.
Where their capability is still developing, use additional checkpoints and support to help build competence over time.
Make growth measurable and clear
Shorter attention spans and social media comparison has meant just being patient for recognition or opportunity is not in their wiring.
For many, progress matters as much as promotion. Recognising development milestones and lateral opportunities, not just promotion, can help people stay engaged. Map out the milestones of the skills they’re learning and where it will lead them. Show the steps that will allow them to progress.
Create social accountability
When people have clarity on the desired outcomes, and the skills and resources to deliver, accountability becomes the next focus.
This does not mean relying on individual tracking. Shared visibility of work priorities and progress creates a sense of collective ownership. Social accountability can become a stronger and more consistent motivator than self-discipline or direction from a manager. Creating the environment for psychologically safe review and discussion amplifies everyone’s capabilities.
Systems and structures that have connection and belonging embedded within the process work well for everyone, not just digital natives. They have simply entered the workforce in a different way, which is where adaptive leadership and structured ways of working can make a difference.