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“Entitled” or “poor work ethics” are common labels thrown at Generation Zers by hiring managers. But are they really true?

Increasingly, research tells us that Generation Zers (born between the late 1990s–2010s) can be as productive as their predecessors. The difference? They would rather work smart than slog long hours. And they are concerned about boundaries, work-life balance, and making a real difference through work.

As Generation Zers join the Public Service in growing numbers, it is important to know how best to tap on their talents and support their professional journey. To decipher what drives them, the Institute of Leadership and Organisation Development at Civil Service College conducted in-depth conversations in 2024 with public officers between the ages of 22 and 29 years old.

Here’s what they found and tips for making the workplace Generation Z-friendly:

#1 No, They Are Not Necessarily Looking for More Remote Work

Our young public officers believe in face-to-face interaction because working from the office allows for better collaboration and teamwork. They enjoy building camaraderie with their colleagues and appreciate helping one another. What they want is the flexibility and autonomy to plan their days so that they can reap the benefits of working both from home and in office.

Generation Zers desire work-life balance. To support that, we can transform our workplace to:

• Have clear scheduled in-office days and allow officers the autonomy to determine how they can work best on the other days
• Support collaborative work in the office
• Institutionalise workplace policies that protect time for deep work on work-from-home days.

#2 They Are Looking To Make a Real Difference

Individual expression is important to Generation Z public officers. They are driven by a strong desire to serve the public and they want to make a real, positive impact through work. To them, it is critical to make sense of their role and how their work relates to their agency’s mandate. They want to contribute with their fresh perspectives and innovative ideas, and they want the ability to take their ideas further.

To empower them, we need to:

• Help our young officers understand how their work resonates with their core values
• Give them space to voice their ideas and support them in realising these ideas
• Recognise their contributions.

#3 They Want Opportunities to Learn and Grow

Personal and professional growth is important to Generation Zers. This means they are looking for opportunities to grow in their career, not just to go up the ranks, but also for exposure to different work and types of training.

To support them in their professional journey, we can:

• Recognise their talents and weaknesses and guide them without veering into micromanaging
• Have more transparent conversations on professional development
• Offer more exposure and breadth in their work.

More importantly, don’t “block” their rotations or secondments just because we wish to keep good performers on the team. Rather, recognise their talents and understand they are contributing to the Public Service as a whole, wherever they are deployed.

Related Stories:

• Age is just a number
• What is my Gen Z colleague trying to say?