Organisations must start with building a culture of psychological safety, allowing the potential of intergenerational diversity to drive learning, inclusion and innovation
Amid a tight labour market and widespread layoffs, the employment situation for today’s young workers is much more precarious than that of previous generations.
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The first decade of an employee’s career path used to be relatively straightforward: Enter a company as an individual contributor and gradually work your way up to a managerial position. But climbing the traditional corporate ladder is no longer the default – or necessarily desired – path for many young workers, according to a recent survey by British recruitment firm Robert Walters.
The results suggest a growing disdain for people management and disillusion with mid-level management roles among Gen Z professionals. According to the poll, 72 percent of those surveyed favoured an individual route to career progression over managing others, while more than half did not harbour middle-management ambitions. Additionally, 69 percent perceived mid-level management roles as being high stress and low reward.
These insights reflect wider industry trends, as many young workers are exploring alternative pathways to attain both professional and personal fulfilment. Why is this happening? And, under such circumstances, what can companies do to encourage and prepare young talent to take up management roles in the future?
A commonly cited factor behind Gen Z’s distaste for ascending the corporate hierarchy is the upheaval caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. This compelled many employees to re-evaluate what was truly important to them. Young workers could thus be choosing to prioritise their mental health and preserve work-life balance over securing an impressive job title, and may be unwilling to put in the long, stressful hours often required to attain management positions and thrive in them.
Another factor could be the growing appeal and accessibility of portfolio careers, where people shun conventional career progression in favour of a patchwork of roles that typically include short-term, contract and freelance work. Today’s workers can pick and choose from a far greater array of options to design their professional journeys on their own terms – and without compromising success, fulfilment or financial rewards.
[This article is republished courtesy of INSEAD Knowledge, the portal to the latest business insights and views of The Business School of the World. Copyright INSEAD 2025]