Key findings:
- Gen Z workers are less enthusiastic about their roles at work compared with older workers, but show a greater desire for autonomy and connection
- Gen Z workers are more open to talking about politics in the workplace
- Workers yearn for more remote work opportunities, despite declining rates of remote work
- One in three (32%) Americans think its a worse time to start their own business, compared to the previous year
- Our Workforce Happiness Index remains steady, with a slight increase to 72 out of 100 since December 2023
- 86% of workers are satisfied with their job (85% in December)
- 73% say they are well-paid (72% in May)
- 91% say their work is meaningful to them (90% in December)
- 73% say morale at their company is excellent or good (71% in December)
Gen Z workers are less enthusiastic about their roles at work compared with older workers, but show a greater desire for autonomy and connection
Nearly half (47%) of Gen Z workers say they are “coasting” at work, surpassing the percentage of those who say they are “thriving” (40%) or “struggling” (11%). This contrasts with older generations where a higher proportion report “thriving” in their roles. Younger workers are also more likely to say they are “just here for the paycheck” (42%), while older workers are more likely to be “fired up about work”. Gen Z workers are also less likely than older generations to report:
- Less autonomy at work - 77% of Gen Z workers say they have a lot or some control over the type and timing of tasks at work, compared to 83% of Millennials, and 87% of Gen X workers.
- Less meaningful work - 85% of Gen Z workers say their work is ‘very or somewhat meaningful, compared to 90% of Millennials, and 94% of Gen X workers.
- Higher rates of wanting to quit their job within the last three months (42% vs. 38% of Millennial workers and 34% of Gen X workers).
Gen Z workers, however, remain ambitious, with an overwhelming majority saying that it is important for them to do work that is engaging at their jobs (92% vs. 93% of Millennial and 95% of Gen X employees). When it comes to improving engagement, Gen Z workers are not just motivated by higher pay, but also a longing for autonomy and connection.
- One in four Gen Z workers cite greater autonomy (24%) and increased opportunities to connect with coworkers (25%) as leading workplace changes that can make work more engaging for them, higher than for millennials (15% and 17% respectively), and Gen X workers (18% and 13%).
Overall, higher pay and improved benefits top employee wishlists for what employers can do to make their jobs more engaging.
- 61% of workers cite higher pay as a primary means of making work more engaging
- 38% cite better benefits
- 32% cite training and development
- 28% cite a clearer path for advancement
- 21% want improved manager training
- 18% desire more autonomy and trust
- 17% seek more opportunities to connect with coworkers
- 15% want more hybrid or remote work opportunities
- 12% say there is nothing their workplace can do to make work more engaging for them
Gen Z workers are more open to talking about politics in the workplace
Politics is a no-go: half of workers (47%) overall choose politics as the single topic they would ban from being discussed at work, four times higher than pop culture (12%), AI (10%), and sports 9%. Younger workers, however, show less hesitancy toward political discussions: 41% of Gen Z workers would choose to bar any political discussions at work, lower than 46% of Millennial workers, 52% of Gen X workers, and 49% of Boomers. Pop culture, AI, and sports see similar levels of aversion from Gen Z (12% across all three topics) and Millennial workers (11% for pop culture and AI, and 10% for sports), while Gen X and Boomer workers show the least amount of interest in pop culture discussions (12% and 13%, respectively).
Workers yearn for more remote work opportunities, despite declining rates of remote work
A majority of workers (82%) work fully or mostly in person, an increase from 78% in May 2022. The percentage of workers who have primarily remote roles dips from 20% to 16% in the same time frame. While a majority of workers (82%) currently work in person, only 70% say they prefer to be on-site, revealing a gap between current arrangements and worker preferences for remote opportunities. Nearly three in ten (28%) say they prefer mostly or fully remote work, higher than the 16% who are currently remote in any capacity. Among workers who work mostly or fully in person, 18% say they prefer working mostly or fully remote
One in three (32%) Americans think its a worse time to start their own business, compared to the previous year
A third of Americans (32%) view the current climate as less favorable for starting a business compared to the previous year, nearly double the percentage who say now is a better time to start their own business (17%). Opinions are split on entrepreneurship: 50% of Americans say they would be happier running their own businesses, while 44% would prefer working a normal day job.
- Men are more likely than women to say they would be happier running their own business (54% vs. 46%)
- Black Americans are much more likely than other ethnic group to prefer running their own business (65% vs. 54% for Hispanic, 47% for Asian, and 46% for white)
- Americans who have recently considered quitting their job in the last three months are more likely than those who haven’t to believe they would be happier running a business (58% vs. 46%)
More Americans cite pursuing their passion as the main reason for starting their own businesses than any other factor: 31% say they would start with own businesses to pursue their own passion, ahead of being their own boss (19%), making more money (18%), deciding their own schedule (13%), and finding more meaning in work if they ran their own business (11%). Among those who think they would be happier running their own business:
- 36% cite being able to pursue their passion
- 22% cite being their own boss
- 17% cite making more money
- 12% cite deciding their own schedule
- 11% cite more meaningful work
Our Workforce Happiness Index remains steady, with a slight increase from 71 to 72 out of 100 since December 2023.
Key indicators are steady as well, with little to no change in the employee engagement and workplace satisfaction questions.
- 86% of workers are satisfied with their job (on par with 85% in December)
- 73% say they are well-paid (on par from 72% in December)
- 91% say their work is meaningful to them (steady from 90% in December)
- 35% say they’ve seriously considered quitting their job in the last three months (similar to 36% in December)
- 73% rate morale at their company as excellent or good (up from 71% in December)
