How HR can better support millennial workers

How are those not-so-new kids on the block doing? You know, the “kids” who were born roughly 30 to 45 years ago…

Millennials make up the largest generation in the US workforce, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and, as of 2025, the largest share of managers, Glassdoor research found. They’ve also experienced a bigger decline in engagement than any other generation in recent years.

Engagement among Gen Z and younger millennial workers (those born between 1989–1995) dropped from 40% in 2020 to 32% in 2025, while that among older millennials (those born between 1980–1988) fell from 39% to 30%, a January Gallup report found.

This may be because many millennials are part of the “sandwich generation,” made up of those caring for aging parents and children simultaneously, Caitlin Collins, organizational psychologist and program strategy director at Betterworks, told HR Brew. She said they’re experiencing this stressful life stage as many workplaces undergo a “paradigm shift on what the value of work means to people.”

What’s changed? As people live longer, millennial caregivers are facing increased pressure to make more financial and career sacrifices. On top of that, the rate of technological change continues to grow at an exponential rate, with AI increasing that rate of change even further.

Thinking about the future of work may induce feelings of instability and insecurity in millennials who, Collins said, have learned that they don’t have the same access to stable, secure career paths as the generations that came before them.

“What we were promised, the expectations that we grew up with, counting on that, as we were raised by our previous generations, none of that’s coming to fruition,” Collins said.

So far in their careers, millennials have already seen numerous shifts. From the 2008 recession to widespread digital disruption to the Covid-19 pandemic, they’ve had to learn how to quickly adapt and that “nothing is ever promised,” Torri Santander, a millennial and a VP of brand at public relations firm Zeno Group, told HR Brew.

They may also feel “career grief,” Collins said, or “the loss of what a future might look like.” Workers from older generations often saw their hard work lead to career success, but that’s not always the reality in the world of work today.

“Working hard, overworking hard, doesn’t guarantee stability within a job or within your future career,” Collins said. And, it’s causing workers to “lose trust in the system,” she said. “If I’m going to work really hard, and it gets me nothing, then why do I have to work really hard?”

Why this matters to HR. Millennials are crucial to an organization’s success because they’re oftentimes “cultural and technological bridges” between older and younger generations, Santander said. They can teach social media trends and new technologies to older generations and guide younger workers through AI transformation.

HR leaders should help millennial workers through these times of instability and change, Collins said, by reinforcing how their work matters.

“It’s making sure that their work still matters, their effort still counts for something…It’s being transparent about what is known and unknown,” she said. “We’re not here to promise you something that doesn’t exist, but here’s where we can, as HR, create stability around making sure that people are still engaged.”

HR and organizational leaders can bring employees from different generations together to have candid conversations and “open lines of communication” about various topics within the organization, like culture and AI, Santander recommended.

“You want people to feel invested and care about the work that they do. And, they work harder for that, and there’s a lot more productivity around that,” Collins said. “Be really clear and transparent about what exists, what doesn’t.”