Study: Younger Workers More Willing to Leave Over Lack of Wellness Support

New research suggests that more than half of millennials and Gen Z-age employees would be willing to leave their current employer if they felt their personal wellness went unsupported in the workplace.

A recent study from Mather Institute sought to assess the views of “Gen Z, millennial, Gen X and baby boomer generations’ workplace satisfaction, loneliness, wellness, stereotypes and trends,” according to the institute, which serves as the research arm of Mather, a Evanston, Ill.-based non-profit focused on helping older adults age well.

The survey of roughly 4,000 employees across these four generations found 61% of millennials and 59% of Gen Z-age workers saying they would change jobs if they felt their employer was not supportive of their personal wellness. In comparison, 41% of Gen Xers and 26% of boomers said the same.

The study also found younger workers feeling more strained at work. When asked to rate their current level of work-related stress, 29% of millennials said they were very or extremely stressed, with 24% of Gen Zers indicating as much. More than half of Gen Z employees (52%) reported feeling somewhat stressed, as did 48% of millennials.

Gen X respondents—22% of whom said their jobs have them feeling very or extremely stressed—are in a unique position to understand the demands placed on younger workers as well as the career transitions facing their boomer colleagues, according to the researchers.

As such, Gen X employees could be “strong mediators in facilitating discussions on workload and stress management,” the researchers wrote. The study authors also offered a number of actionable steps employers can take to better support and retain Gen Xers, who could in turn help organizations retain talent across other age groups.

For example, the researchers suggested making fair and transparent advancement opportunities available to Gen X employees, and supporting their “sandwich generation” life stage needs.

“The study shows how Gen X is uniquely able to understand workplace dynamics across all generations – and how younger and older employees are more alike than stereotypes suggest,” said Mather Chief People Officer Dominice LaPorte, in a statement.

“Employers should recognize the value of this unique generation, which has successfully adapted to rapid social and technological changes and brings untapped potential to the workplace.”