In Workplace 2.0 part 1, Lubna Haq looked at the questions asked by the newest generation to enter the workplace and explores the evolution of work.
Our workplaces are undergoing a significant change. The societal shift in workplace contracts has spread from the youth to most generations. Gone are the one organisation career lifers. Gone are the retirement parties and benefits packages. These have been replaced by purpose, cultural alignment and career changes.
At first glance, these questions are easily dismissed, and pigeonholed as “the youth of today just don’t want to work as hard”, or perhaps a sign of changing values. But what if we reflect on them? What if these shifts are not simply about personal preference? What if they are rooted in broader social and psychological transformations that redefine our collective relationship with work?
What Leaders and Organisations Must Do continued:
- Reimagine Career Progression – Instead of traditional ladders, progressive organisations like Schneider Electric use internal mobility programs, enabling employees to pivot roles within the company rather than leaving. This keeps institutional knowledge intact and retains talent.
- Make Work Meaningful – Younger generations seek meaning in their work. Patagonia’s model, aligning employees’ roles with their environmental mission, demonstrates how purpose-driven leadership attracts and retains talent in a competitive market. Companies must connect work to a larger mission, whether through sustainability efforts, social impact, or community engagement.
- Embrace Skills Over Tenure – The old model of career advancement, where years of service determine progression, is obsolete. Organisations should reward skills development, adaptability, and contribution rather than longevity. This means more investment in continuous learning, mentorship, and skills-based hiring.
- Address Productivity with Purpose – Productivity in many industries has stagnated, not because employees are unwilling to work, but because traditional structures no longer inspire engagement. To reverse this, leaders must create clear, measurable accountability frameworks that align individual contributions with organisational success. Employees need to see how their work connects to broader goals, how their efforts lead to meaningful impact, not just arbitrary targets. This means defining KPIs to reflect contribution, innovation, and collaboration rather than just hours worked or output. It also requires fostering a culture where performance feedback is continuous and constructive, rather than annual and bureaucratic. People care when they feel valued, when they understand how their work makes a difference, and when their success is tied to the organisation’s progress in a transparent and fair way.
Waiting for organic change is not an option. With productivity preserved to be at historic lows and workforce engagement in decline, the time to act is now. Organisations that take the lead in redefining work will attract the best talent and remain competitive. Those that push against the tide of change or hope to ride it out, will meet the same end as Blockbuster.
The Future: Evolution or Revolution?
Within just a few years, we’ll be facing an entirely new reality. Younger workers won’t just want flexibility, they’ll demand structural support. Think workplace crèches, caregiver stipends, and radical empathy baked into policy. Because the cost of doing nothing? That’s a choice too. Will not be a wise one.
Ultimately there’s no perfect solution, there is no silver bullet. But this is precisely the reason leaders need to identify the best solution that allows for harmony between a striving business and a workforce that wants to contribute to it.
Leadership isn’t about waiting for answers. It’s about building them. Just like Ford reimagined the work week, this generation needs to reimagine work itself, for a world that’s more diverse, more complex, and more human.
Working with a people advisory business to assess your current state and develop a programme to bring about transformation is one option. Onboarding interim or permanent expertise with experience in delivering change is another. If you would like to discuss these themes further contact Lubna Haq or visit our leadership assessment and development page.