Written by Benoit Vancauwenberghe, leading expert on Generation Z in Europe
Gen Z doesn’t want to climb; they want to move. Titles don’t impress them. Flexibility does.
They view their careers as ecosystems, not ladders. Traditional growth paths often feel like traps, rather than opportunities. To attract Gen Z, HR must offer choice, not hierarchy. If you don’t provide lily pads, they’ll leap somewhere else.?
The old metaphor was vertical. You start at the bottom, you climb upward. The new metaphor is horizontal, diagonal, and dynamic. Careers are lily pads: places to land, explore, learn, and then move on.
Flexibility over hierarchy: A move into sustainability can matter more than a management title.
Experimentation over permanence: Careers are ecosystems, not single trajectories.
Values over status: Gen Z swims in purpose. Sustainability, equity, mental health—those aren’t perks, they’re the water itself.
This isn’t about flakiness. It’s about ambition redefined. Research shows that only 3 in 10 workers aspire to C-suite roles today (Westover, 2024). For students, balance and learning outrank hierarchy (Lalić et al., 2019). And companies with flexible cultures retain talent better than those dangling promotions (Hendriana et al., 2023).
The career ladder isn’t dead because Gen Z is difficult.
It’s dead because the world it was built for no longer exists.
Boomers and Gen X built their careers on loyalty: stay long enough, and you’d rise.
Millennials cracked the system: they still climbed, but demanded flexibility and purpose.
Gen Z abandoned the ladder: not because they lack ambition, but because they’ve seen the prize at the top isn’t worth the sacrifice.
And the truth is, the ladder doesn’t just fail Gen Z, it fails everyone. Millennials are burning out in middle management. Gen X is rethinking careers post-COVID. Boomers are retiring earlier, often disillusioned. The ladder was designed for stability and linear growth. That world is gone. So the real question for leaders isn’t: “How do we get Gen Z to climb?” It’s: “What structures make sense in a world where three career cultures collide?
This is where HR and leaders feel the tension most.
Boomers and Gen X still measure success in terms of titles, authority, and career advancement.
Millennials want flexibility and recognition, balancing both worlds.
Gen Z defines success by freedom, purpose, and mental health.
The result? One company, three playbooks. And here’s the risk: if you keep designing careers around the old playbook, you’ll lose the new talent silently. As Benoît Vancauweberghe writes, Gen Z doesn’t revolt with strikes. They revolt with silence—ghosting, disengagement, camera-off meetings. HR can’t solve this with one more engagement survey. Leaders can’t solve it by saying “they’ll grow out of it.” They won’t. You can’t bridge three cultures with one broken ladder. You need a new ecosystem.
If you want to keep Gen Z—and unlock their creativity, loyalty, and resilience—you need to build ponds, not ladders.
Design Lattices, Not Ladders
Career frameworks must allow sideways moves, project rotations, and exploration. Lateral moves should carry the same prestige as promotions.
Reimagine Leadership
Few want the grind of traditional management. Experiment with project-based leadership, rotational leadership, and leader-as-coach models—authority without burnout.
Redefine Success Metrics
Stop rewarding only titles. Recognize skill growth, innovation, cultural impact, and mentorship. Tell stories of employees thriving without becoming “Director.”
Invest in Development Without Pressure
Offer rotational programs, short-term “lily pad” projects, and co-created initiatives. Let employees grow without forcing them into a rigid path (Reddy et al., 2024).
Lead With Values
Sustainability, DEI, social impact—these aren’t PR stunts. They’re survival strategies. If careers are lily pads, values are the water. Without it, people hop away.
Myth: Gen Z is lazy. Wrong. Ambition hasn’t disappeared; it’s reframed: impact, balance, freedom (Jayatissa, 2023).
Risk: Hollow pipelines. If leadership roles remain toxic, no one will fill them. Fix the role, not the generation.
Misconception: This is temporary. Global studies show the same story: across Asia, Europe, and the U.S., Gen Z careers = exploration, adaptability, and self-development (Barhate & Dirani, 2021)
This isn’t just a workplace fad. It’s history repeating.
Boomers protested with unions.
Gen X resisted with sarcasm and cynicism.
Millennials demanded flexibility and purpose.
Gen Z disengages silently, digitally, indirectly.
Different signals, same truth: the system no longer fits. With AI, the climate crisis, and global instability, adaptability matters more than vertical status. Gen Z is just the first generation to act on it. Generation Alpha will only accelerate it.
So, HR leaders, here’s your choice: keep polishing the ladder, or start building the pond. If you cling to the old model, don’t be surprised when your “high potentials” ghost you, switch careers, or quietly walk out. If you embrace the lily pad mindset, you’ll design a culture where talent doesn’t just stay; they thrive.
Because ladders belong to the past, Lily pads belong to the future. And if you ignore them, don’t complain when your pond is empty.
Career ladders assume stability, loyalty, and linear growth. Gen Z grew up in uncertain times—financial crises, pandemics, climate disruption—and they prioritize balance, values, and adaptability over hierarchy. This makes non-linear “lily pad” careers more relevant.
Organizations should replace rigid ladders with career lattices—systems that allow sideways moves, project rotations, and flexible leadership opportunities. HR should redefine success beyond titles and reward skills, innovation, and impact.
Not at all. Only 30% aspire to C-suite roles (Westover, 2024), but that doesn’t mean they avoid leadership. They prefer project-based or coaching-style leadership that avoids burnout and aligns with their values.
Traditional leadership pipelines are at risk if companies assume everyone wants to climb. To secure future leaders, HR must redesign career paths that make leadership humane, flexible, and purpose-driven—otherwise, the pipeline dries up.
At 20something. We help HR teams and leaders decode these generational shifts and redesign career paths that actually work.
If you want to retain Gen Z talent, strengthen your leadership pipeline, and build a career ecosystem that bridges three generations, explore our tailored programs and workshops here:
Explore our collection of articles decoding youth culture, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha.
