Gen Z employees (those aged 16-26 years old) might be considered the most loyal of the four generations currently making up the UK workforce, according to Censuswide on behalf of Right Management.

Of 2,000 employees and leaders surveyed, Gen Z employees are more likely to be planning to stay in their current roles for more than one year and up to three years (36%).

This was higher than 25% of millennial employees (27-42 years old), 16% of Gen X (43-58 years old) and 22% of baby boomers (59-77 years old).

Another 17% of Gen Z workers are planning to be in their current role for more than three years and up to five, slightly more than millennials (16%), as well as Gen X (12%) and baby boomers (15%).  

At the same time, Gen Z employees also say they are highly likely (85%) to trust their line manager when it comes to being honest when talking about their career aspirations. The number who say they would not trust their line manager with such discussions rises through the generations from 15% (Gen Z) to 20% (millennials), 24% (Gen X), and 26% (baby boomers). 

Meanwhile, 20% of Gen Z employees say that a sense of duty and loyalty to their current employer makes them feel trapped in their current job. This response is less popular with other working generations, with only 14% of millennials choosing loyalty as a reason for feeling trapped and just 11% and 13% of Gen X and baby boomers, respectively.  

Lorraine Mills, Principal Consultant at Right Management, said, “Like generations before, Gen Z has no shortage of stereotypes, but what we’re seeing in our latest survey data is evidence that counters some of the most common assumptions about these younger workers. For example, Gen Z are frequently typecast as being job-hoppers, disengaged and lacking in motivation; but our recent results suggest the opposite, showing them to be more loyal than other generations, that they are thinking long-term about their careers, and have stronger motivations to discuss career aspirations with their line managers.”

 “Leaders and decision-makers must take all of this into account when making plans around the development of their teams and how they work with different generations,” Mills added.