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HR Brew

Gen Z

Mikaela Cohen

hr-brew.com

It’s time for some workplace rules to go—especially the unwritten ones.

That’s according to Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, founder and CEO of consulting firm Business M.O. and author of 

Seeking Fairness at Work: Cracking the New Code of Greater Employee Engagement, Retention and Satisfaction

. All too often, she said, they can create stress for employees.

Hasl-Kelchner shared with HR Brew insights from her book.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Anyone that’s experienced the workplace realizes you start, you’ve got great expectations in terms of opportunity…and you get in there, and then you start to discover things they didn’t tell you about in the interview, and about how things really work. And, those are what I call the unwritten rules of the workplace, and we kind of accept them, and we obey and conform, as a cost of our paycheck…but they take a toll, and they create a tremendous amount of stress.

There are all these workplace surveys [about], “Why do people change jobs?” And the majority of the time, it’s not about the pay—it’s about the manager. They leave the manager more than they leave the organization. And, so the reason is it’s because of the relationship they have, or really don’t have, with the manager, and that’s what these unwritten rules really erode.

What are examples of those unwritten rules?

Approachability. Some people are just never available…Ignoring employees, not demonstrating any kind of empathy, leaves [leaders] unapproachable, and then employees may be afraid to approach them, because there just doesn’t seem to be a good time. “Oh, he’s in a bad mood. Oh, he’s not here. She’s not here. I have to move on”...Managers and leaders at all levels of the organization really need to be available or let their employees know when they can be available to answer questions in order to keep work moving.

Lack of recognition is another one. Too often people take things for granted, and they’re quick to point out, “Well, you didn’t do this. You didn’t do that.” Yeah, but what about the things that went right? I think sometimes people need to have that feedback to have the recognition that: “Yeah, I appreciate what you did do. We got it done on time. Maybe we could have done a little bit better here. Let’s focus on that the next time.” Focus on also the positive things…That’s one thing Gen Z has a real issue with because some managers take it for granted.

Do you think Gen Z workers are less likely to abide by these unwritten workplace rules?

That’s exactly right…One HR professional told me that one of the most effective things she heard a CEO do during Covid was to personally call employees to ask them how they were doing and what can I do to help? When was the last time a manager or someone anywhere in the hierarchy asked you that question? I was working for more than 30 years, and I never had a manager ask me that. It was all a one-way street. What can you do for me? How high can you jump?

To know that somebody is listening and willing to help, and even if what you ask for, they can’t give you. Just to know that they hear you. They see you, and if the opportunity arises, well maybe now they can help you. They couldn’t before, but it puts it on their radar screen. But, I think that’s something that a lot of managers miss out on, and it creates that distance where now people are afraid to ask unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Two hands holding on opened book with text highlighted

An interview with Hanna Hasl-Kelchner, author of ‘Seeking Fairness at Work’

Unwritten rules can create friction in the workplace, especially for Gen Z employees, author Hanna Hasl-Kelchner tells HR Brew.

Why managers need to ditch unwritten rules in the workplace

Move over, Boomers and Gen Xers. Millennials and Gen Zers are ready to take over.

Nearly 80% of the global workforce will be made up of millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha by 2034, according to 

. And this year, millennials surpassed Gen X as the largest share of managers for the first time in the US, Glassdoor 

“Every time there’s a new generation that enters the workforce, there’s always this shift of style,” said Matt Poepsel, VP and godfather of talent optimization at talent software company the Predictive Index. “Even when Boomers entered…They were saying, ‘What do we do about this manager who’s showing up with bell-bottom jeans and mutton chops?’”

Now that millennials have transitioned into leadership and managerial roles, and Gen Zers are right on their heels, people leaders will need to adjust strategies to cater to their differences and preferences.

 Every generation faces similar challenges entering the workplace and advancing their careers, Poepsel told HR Brew, but they also have distinct characteristics and experiences.

“About every 15 years, you have this interesting dynamic where people have a similar set of lived experiences. They’re contemporaries, but they’re also a reaction against what came before,” he said, later adding, “When Gen Z showed up, they said, ‘We want to be heard’...and ‘We want you to change some things around here.’’”

Gen Z leaders will likely be more accountable and authentic than those from generations prior, Olivia Meyer, a member of the Gen Z networking group The Z Suite, told HR Brew. “We are a generation that, I think, is known for holding each other accountable,” she said. “We call out things that we don’t like, or different campaigns or different companies where we can clearly tell that they’re not being authentic.”

Poepsel agrees with Meyer. Gen Zers want the workplace to be real, authentic, and honest, he said, because they don’t want to pretend there aren’t issues. “They’re talking to each other about their diagnoses, and their dosages, and everything else, and they come to work, and we’re supposed to pretend like we don’t have any mental health issues at all?” Poepsel said.

Gen Z and millennials will lead differently, and it’s evident in their approach to work, said Tara Salinas, a professor of business ethics at the University of San Diego. Millennials, for instance, are known for their openness to new ideas, according to Salinas, while Gen Zers are more tech-savvy and adaptable.

But Salinas warned that Gen Z leaders, specifically, may need more learning and development (L&D) at work to unlock their potential.

Gen Z’s interpersonal skills have been stunted due to the pandemic and social media, Salinas said, so she said HR teams need to develop training programs for “seemingly basic” workplace conduct, like how to connect with coworkers and have thoughtful conversations.

“Instead of having them floundering and frustrated, from an organizational perspective, if you give them the tools, they’re in a better position, and your organization is in a better position,” she said.

Poepsel recalled a similar experience, when a Gen Z employee told him, “I don’t get email.”

“I thought it was entertaining at first, but then she said, ‘It really stresses me out.’ I thought, ‘Oh no, I don’t want you to be stressed out about email, something as silly as email’...That was a real opportunity to check my preconceived notions about, ‘Of course, everyone understands email or likes email.’ No, that’s not true,” Poepsel said.

HR teams can help Gen Z workers in situations like this by offering email etiquette training, Poepsel said. They can also train older generations to communicate via platforms that come more naturally to Gen Z, like Slack. But this isn’t the only L&D strategy that could use a revamp, he added.

“Is it mobile friendly? Is it unpolished? Because if not, it’s not trustworthy in Gen Z,” he said. “And how often do we see other Gen Z people in our training videos?”

If organizations don’t help younger workers, then “what are our organizations going to look like in 10 years?” Salinas said. She recommended HR pros help millennials avoid falling into the old-school mindset of, “I had to figure it out, so you have to figure it out.”

“It’s not a useful attitude for developing an organizational culture that is supportive and that makes employees want to stick around,” Salinas said. “There’s always a risk when you say, ‘Oh, Gen Z is this. Millennials are that.’ Obviously there always could be outliers, but I think HR needs to take the line that this is what is good for the organization.”

Cutout of a man working on his laptop contained in a shape collaged next to a close up of stars on a desk name plate.

How HR can adapt to the up and coming generation of leaders

People leaders should focus on change management strategies as millennials, and eventually Gen Zers, take on managerial and leadership roles.

When it comes to AI, Gen Z workers may be the teachers, rather than the students.

Nearly all (89%) of KPMG’s Gen Z interns use generative AI weekly both in their professional and personal lives, according to 

“They come in from day one, just already used to, on a daily basis, almost having some level of technology at their hands” said Derek Thomas, KPMG’s national partner-in-charge of university talent acquisition. “They [have] these tools that’s just helping make their job a little bit easier and helping them to get some more experience doing probably some more challenging things than we did when I first started out.”

Companies have an opportunity, Thomas told HR Brew, to lean on their Gen Z workers, who can use this technology to pursue more complicated tasks and projects than previous generations of entry-level talent. In return, however, they should consider Gen Z’s priorities for their workplace and careers.

Many of KPMG’s Gen Z interns reported finding value in in-person interactions with coworkers, Thomas said. As AI speeds up the pace at which work gets done, he suspects employees will be eager to dedicate even more time to these sorts of opportunities—they ranked hands-on learning as number one as well as observing colleagues in-office for “navigating expectations.”

Thomas said he was surprised to see how many Gen Z workers value stability: 59% of respondents said they want to spend their careers growing at just one or two companies, while 35% want to spend their careers in one industry.

“As a generation, they want to go deeper and wider, so in order to do that, they want to be in that one place where they could try to grow and learn,” he said. “Not necessarily always have to be that jack-of-all-trades and do 100 different things, but where can I best get that focus, and really learn my craft, and really get good at it?”

A photo collage of two coworkers looking at a digital tablet in an office and and a young man with colored hair using laptop in foreground.

Gen Z workers are digital natives, but what they want from their workplace is more old school

The priorities they have for their careers may come as a surprise.

 want to spend less time working and more time lounging poolside in the sweet, sweet summertime? According to one recent survey, it depends on who you ask—and maybe how old they are.

Some 49% of workers reported working less in the summer, according to a recent 

 released in June. Gen Z is leading the pack, as 64% of employees aged 21–25 and 56% of employees aged 26–29 said they are taking it easier, compared to 39% of employees over 45 years old (Gen X) who reported doing the same.

“People actually tend to be more productive and task focused when there’s nothing else to do [recreationally],” said Adam Grant, organization psychologist, author, and Glassdoor’s chief worklife expert. “And it’s summer; there’s a lot more to do. The desire to relax is amplified. Sun’s out. It’s warm. People are excited to do activities.”

As a way to embrace this, HR can offer shortened workweeks or more flexibility in the summer. Some 59% of people leaders have already provided additional flexibility or time off this summer compared to the rest of the year, according to a recent 

Grant told HR Brew that US workers might be picking up on a “summer holiday” culture favored by many in Europe, where it’s common for employees to take several weeks off in the summer. “A lot of us have fond memories of summer in childhood, going to camp, being on the water, and there’s a desire to recapture that a little bit,” he added.

Decreased productivity during the summer doesn’t necessarily mean employees are less dedicated or loyal to their roles, Grant cautioned. Instead, it’s a reflection of a trend towards a “seasonality” to how work gets done, he said.

“It’s not something we ever saw people talk about when I started in this field, and now it’s a pretty common refrain,” Grant said. “‘I’m going to be as productive as I can during the winter, and then in summer, I’m going to embrace the fact that it’s a different season.’ There’s more freedom and flexibility to have fun and relax.’”

Palm trees and a pool emerging from a computer screen 

Employees work less in the summer. Workplace expert Adam Grant wants HR to get used to it

Automatic reply: Hello! I’ll be slow to reply to emails from now until Labor Day. I’ll respond to your email as soon as I’m more productive this fall. Thanks!

Another Gen Z-inspired work trend has entered the chat.

As many employees return to the office, some have started “task masking,” or pretending to be busy, Fortune 

. Some tactics include typing loudly, rushing around the office, or joining a (nonexistent) virtual meeting.

Employees are likely task masking due to RTO mandates, said Jennifer Moss, workplace strategist and 

Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants

“[Employers are] putting people back into the office [and] a lot of it has to do with control, and this idea that, if you’re present, that means you’re productive,” Moss told HR Brew. “So, it’s all about just the visibility of people, which is a false metric for us to measure productivity.”

 If employees task mask, Moss said, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re avoiding work. It could mean they’ve completed their tasks and are “either bored or they don’t have other work to be doing.”

“Right now, it’s all about hours worked versus goals, and the reason why people are likely task masking is because they aren’t given the right kind of work,” she said.

In the pre-pandemic workplace, employees with extra time might socialize with their coworkers in the breakroom or around the water cooler, Moss said. But many employers aren’t encouraging this time for connection, instead pushing for “toxic productivity.”

“[If] demonstrating productivity is some sort of heroic thing that’s going to make you a high performer, you’re going to see a lot of people have to pretend so it doesn’t impact their compensation structure,” she said.

 As a remedy, Moss said, HR pros can help managers rethink how they measure productivity. Instead of measuring hours worked, for example, measure the goals achieved.

“As leaders, really analyze what everyone’s job is, what they’re doing, are they working to their strengths, are we making sure they’re upskilling, so our organization can be future ready?” she said. When employees finish their goals, Moss says to reward them, adding the “idea of hustle culture and the 60-hour workweek are completely antiquated ways of thinking about motivation and achievement.”

One reward, Moss suggested, could be letting workers go home early if they’ve completed their goals for the day. This can help avoid the task-masking trend.

“This is a manager failing, and it’s also just a system failing. If we were just giving people really productive, and relevant, and meaningful goals, people would work towards that,” she said. “Instead of it just being like, I need to check off boxes every hour and make sure my light’s on, so that you think that I’m working.”

What HR needs to know about the ‘task masking’ trend

Plus, how to prevent your workforce from doing it.

An illustration of a photo of HR Brew reporter Paige McGlauflin.

Paige McGlauflin

There’s arguably no drama more juicy right now than that between the different generations in the workplace.

 who came before them, and baby boomers are too stuck in their ways—no wonder they’re at each other's throats. (Gen Xers, the forever latchkey kids that they are, 

And it’s become enough of a problem for HR to have to step in.

In 2025, some HR leaders want employers to stop fixating on the differences that divide generations, and start embracing strategies that support workers of all ages, such as job flexibility and new mentorship models.

Stop fixating on generational stereotypes. 

“We should shift away from making HR decisions based on generational labels like millennials or Gen Z. Instead of broadly generalizing by age, employers must focus on understanding employees through their life experiences and milestones. For example, whether someone is 27 or 42, they might be going through similar life events—such as becoming a parent—that influence their needs and priorities at work. By concentrating on these meaningful moments rather than relying on generational stereotypes, we can develop more thoughtful and personalized HR policies that truly support our people at different stages of their lives.”—Cyril Boisard, Director of People, Workleap

“Anyone else getting generational deja vu? In 2024, it seemed like there were new articles everyday about how Gen Z is ‘ruining the workforce,’ ‘acting entitled,’ or ‘doesn’t want to work’...The rhetoric around Gen Z employees is only a hair away from that in the 2010s when millennials were entering the workforce. As a millennial, I remember getting a little chip on my shoulder reading about how my generation ‘didn’t want to work hard,’ focused too much on themselves, and too interested in social media/tech.

Blaming generational attitudes overlooks the structural issues that affect everyone, regardless of age…The problem isn't about age—it’s about a failure to adapt to evolving employee expectations like flexibility, meaningful work, and career development. By focusing on these areas, companies can create a workplace that engages all generations, not just the youngest.”—Heather Walker, senior data scientist, Culture Amp

Embrace Gen Z’s desire for flexibility. 

“The generational story is a familiar headline in the media. Each year, conversations emerge about the newest generation entering the workforce which often focuses on the challenges and perceived barriers they bring. One workplace challenge we must address is the cultural divide that exists between generations, particularly in understanding flexibility, workplace demands, and skill expectations.

This year, there was a hot focus on viewing Generation Z’s desire for flexibility as entitlement, but I see it as a natural evolution in workplace culture. This generation has grown up in a world where flexibility is the norm and so their expectations simply reflect what they’ve come to value. Rather than negatively labeling these differences, managers must adopt a curious and open-minded approach by asking questions to understand each generation’s perspective. Recognizing these unique expectations as strengths rather than obstacles helps create a culture where each generation—whether seasoned employees or new grads—brings their skills to the table and are learning from one another. Building a cohesive, resilient team means bridging these differences with respect and a shared commitment to understanding rather than relying on outdated assumptions. This shift moves us beyond “us vs. them” and fosters a workplace where generational diversity drives growth and collaboration.”—Shanna Milford, US HR Lead, IRIS Software Group

“Much of the dialogue we currently see in the HR space is focused on Gen Z and emerging talent; yet, one in four US workers is 

. In 2025, I’d like to see more companies adopt a multigenerational workplace approach. Instead of focusing only on new talent, we can make space for everyone. We’ve realized this approach at 

 with our employee resource group, EMERGE, which stands for Empowering and Mentoring Emerging Professionals for Growth and Excellence. The group's goal is to work toward the betterment of individuals and innovation throughout our enterprise at any age. One of the focal points of that group is bridging the gap in generations and evolving the workplace through collaboration and perspective. EMERGE engages meaningful panel discussions from leaders that support knowledge retention; fosters an inclusive environment where everyone is valued, encouraging open communication; and leverages the strengths of the people on our teams, regardless of age.”—Salena Coachman, VP of talent sustainability and acquisition, Armstrong World Industries

man and woman sitting on illustration of thought bubble 

HR wants to break up the generational fight in the workplace

HR leaders want to embrace strategies that support all workers, regardless of their age.

HR leaders want to put generational differences to bed in 2025

Contrary to popular belief, younger workers don’t want to work from home (sometimes).

Almost all workers between 18 and 34 years old said in-person experiences, like holiday parties, boost engagement (95%), and team offsites positively impact their overall employee experience (91%), according to a recent 

. While younger workers continue to be the 

 of flexible work, they’re craving some face time.

“You have this really large percentage of young workers that…don’t even have [office] experience, or if they’re maybe older Gen Z, younger millennials, they got a couple of years of the taste of that, and the pandemic hit, and it was taken away,” Gabrielle Davis, a career trends expert at Indeed, told HR Brew.

While younger workers want in-person experiences, Davis said HR pros should remember that they want it in tandem with flexible work options.

 Whether it’s a yearly holiday party, quarterly team offsites, or weekly hybrid workflows, Davis said Gen Z workers have “perfected the craft of wanting to have their cake and eat it too.” They want in-person experiences without sacrificing flexibility.

HR pros will need to pay attention to this shift, she added, as Gen Z workers rise into management, and younger millennials rise into senior leadership. They’ll have to balance providing in-person experiences and building connections and communities, all while remaining competitive with flexible work opportunities.

“Something that I personally can’t wait to see unfold is that…they’re going to start becoming the decision makers as well,” she said. “And seeing what they decide to do based on their own experiences and the knowledge that they have…and how the workplace will shift as a result.”