# Story 2: Gen Z and Millennials are ready to move on

- **Episode:** [142](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/142.md) (2024-11-05)
- **Type:** news-roundup
- **Tags:** gen-z, millennials, job-hopping, retention
- **Time:** 8:19–11:17 (start 499s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/142?t=499](https://truthliesandwork.com/142?t=499)

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[8:19] Al Elliott: Well, a little article on HR News caught my eye. Uh, we talk quite a lot about the generational difference But a recent research project from Oak Engaged uncovered some pretty surprising findings. Almost 60% of Gen Z say they plan to leave their job in the next 12 months, and over 50% of millennials are planning to do the same. According to a study by Deloitte, the average workplace in the US is about 46% millennial and Gen Z, and in the UK it's even higher, with combined Gen Z and millennials meaning there are over 55% 25% of your workforce. That means a quarter of your team are planning to leave in the next 12 months. Kind of a scary thought. The article goes on to cite a well-known business psychologist and professional broadcaster. Let me just read this so I can get this right. The name is Leanne Elliott, business psychologist and co-host of Truth, Lies and Work, the UK's number one business podcast. Leanne, this is you
[9:16] Leanne Elliott: It's me
[9:18] Al Elliott: It's you. Do you remember? If I start you off with a quote I've written down here, do you reckon you could finish it?
[9:24] Leanne Elliott: No
[9:26] Al Elliott: Well, he hadn't said managers need to adapt their leadership style to cater to both millennials and Gen Z, recognizing it's not a one-size-fits-all approach. While millennials—
[9:38] Leanne Elliott: But the good news is—
[9:39] Al Elliott: Go on
[9:40] Leanne Elliott: The good news is training, managing, thinking Things like compassion, emotional intelligence will have a positive impact across generations. It's really just about making sure that you're individualizing your approach as a manager when it's necessary, including to generational differences
[9:57] Al Elliott: That's really impressive. That's really—
[10:00] Leanne Elliott: Or something along those lines
[10:02] Al Elliott: That was exactly it. I am going to link to the article because it's definitely worth reading. And also the OakEngage research is really, really interesting. It does sound like you know what you're talking about, Leanne. The article is also packed with some great stats— well, not so great if you're a leader or a manager— and loads more thoughts from our Leanne, including the idea that millennials can often feel pressured to be always on, and cross-generational mentoring isn't just for millennials and Gen Z. Gen X and boomers can benefit just as much. It's definitely worth a read, not just because it's written by my beautiful wife and co-host, but also because it's a really good article and a really good study by Oki Engage. And I will leave a link, well, in the show notes. Leanne, do you stand by these comments? Can I get all like Jeremy Paxman on you? Do you stand by these comments?
[10:49] Leanne Elliott: You know what, Alastair, I do stand by those comments. I do. And if you do one thing, train your managers. No, honestly, it was such a fun project to work on with the guys at Oak Engage. Big shout out to all the team there that made it, made it such a fun experience. And I think we are going to create some more content around this as well. A really interesting study, an interesting Interesting. A fairly large sample of, of people surveyed as well, so definitely worth, worth checking out. And thank you to HR News for picking that up and reporting on it