Not every generation thinks leadership has failed it—and the available surveys do not establish that any age group speaks with one voice. But research does point to a mismatch between what workers need from employers and what they experience: fair treatment, clear communication, credible paths to advancement, and work that leaves room for life outside the job. Those concerns can show up in generational terms even when they cross age groups.
Does every age group think leadership is failing?
No. “Every age group” is too sweeping: surveys describe the people sampled, not every worker in a generation, and they do not prove that age itself causes a person’s view. The studies also differ in location, sample, and the way they define age groups, so their results should not be combined into a single generational ranking.
A more useful question is whether workers in different age groups are responding to some of the same workplace problems—and where their experiences or expectations may differ.
What concerns appear across age groups?
Daily treatment and workplace culture
In EY’s 2025 survey of 5,000 full-time white-collar employees at US organizations with at least 5,000 employees, 94% said workplace culture affects their intent to stay; 60% said it affects that intent “a great deal” or “a lot.” Asked what workplace culture meant, 29% overall chose “how people treat each other” as their single largest response. That answer appeared across all four generations reported: 28% of Gen Z respondents, 26% of millennials, 32% of Gen X, and 34% of baby boomers. These figures describe that large-company US sample, not all workers. EY’s 2025 US Generation Survey
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The finding makes everyday conduct a practical place to look before assuming a conflict is about age. Respect, inclusion, and how colleagues and managers treat one another can shape whether people want to stay, even when they differ in career stage or personal priorities.
Pay, advancement, and leadership that feels uncaring
McKinsey’s analysis compares age brackets rather than the conventional four-generation categories. It identifies inadequate compensation, limited career development or advancement, and uncaring leadership among recurring reasons workers consider leaving. The analysis also finds that worker preferences are often more alike than different, particularly among people considering leaving. That is evidence of shared concerns in the age groups examined, not proof that each person values the same things. McKinsey: “Gen what? Debunking age-based myths about worker preferences”
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For a personal-finance lens, compensation and advancement are not abstract workplace issues: they affect current income and the ability to plan for future needs. A vague promise of opportunity is less useful to an employee than clear criteria for pay decisions, promotions, and access to development.
Are younger workers less interested in leadership?
The available evidence does not support treating younger workers as uniformly uninterested. Deloitte’s 2026 global survey included more than 22,500 Gen Z and millennial respondents across 44 countries. Among those respondents, 76% of Gen Z and 67% of millennials said they were interested in pursuing senior leadership roles. The survey does not provide a comparison with older workers, so these percentages cannot establish how leadership interest differs across all generations. Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey 2026
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Interest can coexist with hesitation about the job as it is currently designed. In the same survey, commonly cited barriers included stress and burnout (50% of Gen Z and 49% of millennial respondents), excessive responsibility (50% and 48%), and work-life balance concerns (41% and 46%). These are reported barriers among the surveyed groups, not evidence that younger people reject leadership itself. A worker may want to lead while questioning whether the role’s demands are sustainable.
What do different generations value at work?
There is no single answer that can be applied to every person in a generation. Some studies report differences in expectations or how workers interpret one another, but those patterns are best treated as prompts for questions—not personality rules. O.C. Tanner’s 2026 report discusses differing expectations and generational dynamics; the summarized findings also describe associations between communication or collaboration problems and burnout odds. An association does not establish that generational conflict causes burnout. O.C. Tanner: The State of Generations at Work Report 2026
Other findings emphasize common ground. A 2022 Egon Zehnder and Kearney survey of more than 8,000 respondents in eight countries reported shared concerns about well-being and work-life balance, as well as common desired leadership traits. Because the source is a press release about a survey, it is most useful as an indication of reported commonality rather than a definitive account of every workforce. Egon Zehnder and Kearney: “Different Generations, Same Ideals”
The Center for Creative Leadership’s research listing similarly summarizes a study of US Boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials that found more similarity than difference in views of effective leadership. The listing provides limited methodological detail, so it supports the broad caution against stereotyping, not precise claims about what each group wants. Center for Creative Leadership: “What Makes a Leader Effective?”
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Best Value
- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
What makes a leader effective when workers disagree?
When employees describe leadership as failing, the useful next step is to identify the underlying practice rather than assign a generational label. The Institute of Leadership & Management’s report summary says 31% of managers reported that trust in their own organization had fallen over the previous five years, while 15% said it had risen. The summary recommends addressing trust through openness, communicating goals and strategy, and explaining decisions. The figures are managers’ reported perceptions; they do not measure all workers or prove why trust changed. Institute of Leadership & Management: report on trust across generations
- Make decisions legible. Explain priorities, strategy, and the reasons behind consequential changes.
- Clarify pay and advancement. Show employees how compensation and promotion decisions are made and what development or results can move them forward.
- Examine everyday treatment. Ask whether people experience respect and fairness across teams, not just whether a values statement exists.
- Design leadership roles sustainably. Review responsibility, workload, and work-life expectations rather than assuming reluctance means a lack of ambition.
- Ask individuals, not stereotypes. Invite workers to state what feedback, flexibility, or growth opportunities help them do their best work.
These practices address issues appearing across the cited research without assuming that one age group needs a particular management style. They also make it easier to distinguish a genuine cohort pattern from a problem affecting people of different ages in the same organization.
How should workers assess whether leadership is the problem?
For an employee deciding whether to stay, seek a new role, or raise a concern, replace the broad question “Does leadership understand my generation?” with questions tied to observable conditions:
- Are pay, promotion, and development criteria clear enough to plan around?
- Do managers explain decisions that affect the work or employees’ prospects?
- Are workload and responsibility compatible with a sustainable life?
- Is poor treatment an isolated incident, or a pattern that management recognizes and addresses?
- Is there a credible route to the next role, or only a general promise of future opportunity?
Answers will vary by workplace and individual. The cited surveys can help identify issues worth checking, but none can determine whether a particular employer will improve or whether an employee should stay. The point is to evaluate the practices shaping work and income, rather than treating a generation label as an explanation by itself.
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