3 things we can learn about Gen Z's approach to work

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I was chatting with a friend this week who works for one of the largest tech businesses in the world. They're about to enter "performance review season."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "You don't just do that once a year, do you?"

"Well, technically, no. We're supposed to have continuous performance management. But everyone knows pay reviews and promotions are decided in Q4."

"Madness," I said. And, honestly, it really is.

The problem with annual reviews

No wonder younger people struggle to make the transition from education to work.

In education, feedback is constant. From grades to teacher comments, every piece of work gets reviewed. But then they enter the workplace, and suddenly they’re expected to perform for a whole year with minimal feedback—until Q4 rolls around, and suddenly everything matters at once.

The issue with this approach is obvious: recency bias takes over.

If your best work was in January or March, by the time the end of the year comes around, it’s long forgotten. That makes it tough for younger employees who are used to having every achievement graded or commented on in real-time.

As Chloe Combi pointed out in this week's podcast (link in the comments below), Gen Z has grown up in a world where feedback is constant.

Whether it’s on social media, in school, or through the apps they use every day, they’re always being graded, reviewed, and rated. So, when they step into the workplace and find out their progress won’t be regularly discussed, it feels like a step back.

Watch more on this here.

So, what can we learn from Gen Z’s experience that will help make work better?

Continuous feedback is critical

You can’t expect a generation that thrives on real-time feedback to thrive in a system built around annual reviews. It’s like telling someone to run a marathon but only checking in with them at mile 26 to see how they’ve done.

But it’s not just about giving feedback. It’s about making sure that feedback is meaningful and tied to growth.

Younger employees need to know how they’re doing in real time so they can make adjustments, improve, and stay motivated. When that’s missing, disengagement follows.

Boundaries matter

Gen Z is redefining workplace boundaries.

They’re not interested in overextending themselves for the sake of it. They set clear lines between work and personal life and are unapologetic about protecting their mental health.

This stands in stark contrast to the old model of the "yes culture" many of us grew up with—where working late and burning out was worn like a badge of honour. Gen Z isn’t buying it. And the truth is, they’ve got it right.

Setting boundaries allows them to stay focused on their work when they’re actually working and to recharge when they’re off the clock. It’s a model that creates sustainable productivity—something that benefits both them and their employers in the long run.

It’s ok to ask why

Flexibility means different things for different people, but typically where and when come into it.

Created by Rachel Carrell

For Gen Z, flexible work isn’t a perk—it’s an expectation. And being forced into a rigid 9-5 in-office schedule feels more like a punishment than a necessity.

They want the flexibility to work when and where they’re most productive. That might mean coming into the office a few days a week or logging in from home when they need to focus. The point is, it’s about results, not time served in a chair.

It’s a matter of '“why?” not “where?”.

So, what can we learn from Gen Z’s approach to work?

1. Feedback should be frequent, not an annual event.
2. Boundaries need to be respected, not tested.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask “why?”.

One big caveat…

There are variations in different parts of the world. Crudely, you can split this by ‘western countries’ and ‘eastern countries’, where younger people in the latter group are less ‘unionised’ around the ideas of more defined boundaries and greater flexibility. Given the trend towards a more global workforce, this will inevitably play out in some companies’ decisions on who to hire where.

But I, for one, see the logic in this approach to work.

The way we work is changing. Gen Z is an important part of it. It’s about time we started listening and learning.