A cooling job market may keep employees from quitting, but it won’t buy their loyalty. That’s the warning from the 2025 Generosity by the Generations Report, which breaks down how expectations around flexibility, mental health, and company culture vary dramatically by age group. The takeaway: leaders who assume one-size-fits-all engagement strategies will struggle to retain and motivate their workforce.
Who’s Ready to Walk Out?
The data shows a sharp divide in job-hopping tendencies. Four in ten Gen Z and Millennial workers are actively job hunting, compared to far fewer Gen Xers and Baby Boomers. And when generosity is missing, younger employees don’t hesitate to leave—43% of Gen Z say they’ve already quit a job due to lack of generosity, four times the rate of Boomers.
The Surprising Truth About Flexibility
Flexibility isn’t just for the young. In fact, Baby Boomers rate flexibility higher than any other generation, with 54% calling it the most important expression of generosity. For Gen Z, flexibility matters too—but it shares the spotlight with mental health support, which they rank nearly as highly.
This generational split underscores a workplace challenge: while hybrid schedules may satisfy some, others want concrete resources for wellbeing.
A Trust Gap With Business
Another fault line appears around trust. Nearly half of Boomers still see business as a force for good. Gen Z? Not so much. Two-thirds of younger workers say businesses do “both good and bad things,” and many suspect corporate generosity efforts are more about optics than authentic care. For leaders, that skepticism raises the stakes on transparency.
What Really Fuels Productivity
For younger workers—Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X—flexible schedules remain the No. 1 driver of productivity. But Boomers buck the trend: 37% say better resources (equipment, tech, or training) would boost their output most. Gen Z once again stands apart, ranking mental health support as their second productivity driver—nearly triple the rate of older generations.
Culture: Generosity in Action
All generations agree that accessible leadership is the cornerstone of a generous culture. But the nuances vary: Gen Z values diverse perspectives, Millennials and Boomers prize transparent communication, and Gen X wants to see company values embedded in daily decisions.
Millennials also stand out in community engagement. They’re the most likely to be motivated by corporate volunteerism and charitable contributions—proof that impact beyond the office still matters in shaping loyalty.
Why This Matters
The report, produced by goBeyondProfit, a statewide alliance of 2,100 business leaders, makes one thing clear: employee loyalty in 2025 is powered by generosity, but what “generosity” means depends on who you ask. For executives, the challenge is to tailor strategies—offering flexibility where it matters, investing in mental health, equipping managers to lead with empathy, and backing up community commitments with authentic action.
Ignore these differences, and companies risk watching their youngest (and often most mobile) employees walk out the door, regardless of the job market.
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