Surveys find younger workers are disengaged—it’s up to employers to bring them back

Young employees are more checked out at work than a wine mom on her third glass of rosé. Unfortunately, the consequences of having a disengaged workforce are a much bigger headache than a pink wine hangover.

As the generation born between 1997 and 2012 continues to join the workforce and grow professionally, workplace experts believe there are some ways employers can step up to engage them and retain them better.

Zoom in. Young workers have experienced a drop in engagement, according to a January 2023 Gallup poll. In 2020, overall employee engagement dropped four points, to 32% active engagement, with young millennials and Gen Z experiencing a bigger dropoff than older workers. According to the report, this disengagement comes from younger workers feeling less cared about, lacking someone who encourages their development, and feeling as though they have no opportunities to grow at work.

And Gen Z is more likely than older generations to quit their jobs without another lined up, according to a 2023 report from Oliver Wyman Forum, so engaging them effectively is imperative. The study also found that 70% of workers who consider themselves loyal are still actively or passively looking for work elsewhere.

Communication and gratitude. Younger employees don’t have to be in the office to be engaged, Orin Burg, HR manager at Fiverr, told HR Brew. The Gallup poll found that remote, in-person, and hybrid workers all experienced a decrease in engagement. For Fiverr, a company with employees in 10 countries from Israel to India, as well as the US, a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators is key to consistent engagement.

Intrinsic motivators may include a pat on the back or a note to acknowledge a job well done or express how appreciated an employee is. But the extrinsic motivators, Burg says, go further. “Those are gifts and anything that you can touch,” Burg explained. Fiverr’s well-being team sends customized care packages to in-house employees as a way to encourage a deeper connection to the company.

Gen Z also wants to have purpose and be able to see how their work is impacting the organization (or world) at large, according to Insider. “Give them more visibility. Give them a project or initiative that they can own and where they can shine. Think about who could mentor them,” Clare DeNicola, principal at The 10 Company communications firm, told Insider.

Burg said that engaging Gen Z is also an exercise in employer branding, which is where the gifts and care packages again come into play. “It’s all these cool and cute things that I think are Instagrammable, and we have a platform where you can share everything that you receive on an Instagram page,” she said. The well-being team helps establish a positive, friendly work environment, which Burg says is important to engagement. This is especially true for Gen Z, who according to multiple studies, are suffering from more mental health issues than previous generations.

Moves for a lasting impact. HR leaders need to adapt to their workers, and that happens through ongoing communication. Burg said that the workplace has evolved quickly over the last three years, and that will likely continue. “I think a key to retaining and engaging Gen Z—and anyone, for that matter—is being adaptive to what’s going on.” She recommends keeping up-to-date with employees, whether through engagement surveys, one-on-ones, or roundtable discussions, HR leaders should make sure employees have a voice.

“I think the best way to get to a good place is to always be open to change and being able to adapt easily,” Burg emphasized.—KP