A labor shortage will not be solved by recruitment alone, but by open and honest dialogue within teams.
On the very same day, I came across two stories. A middle-aged employee decided to leave her job because she did not want to learn a new cash register system. Meanwhile, a medical student changed her career plans after her first internship, having encountered a family doctor’s information system so illogical that she could not imagine working with it in the future.
One gave up on a new experience, the other on a long-held dream. Both stories illustrate just how different expectations of working life can be—and how easily we end up talking past one another.
Is the problem with young people—or with us?
In the media and in leadership discussions, we often ask why young people are reluctant to take responsibility. But we should first look in the mirror: are we, the experienced employees and managers, clinging too tightly to outdated practices that no longer work? We persist with authoritarian leadership styles and “champagne method” information sharing, even though the world is increasingly demanding empathy and authenticity.
Generation Z does not come to work merely to grow the owner’s capital. They want to feel that their work truly matters and that their opinions count. When company values look one way on the website but another in daily life, they will point it out directly. Not because they are difficult, but because they cannot stand hypocrisy. Corporate sugarcoating feels meaningless to them. If “the house is on fire,” they expect leaders to acknowledge it openly and honestly, rather than pretending everything is fine.
Economic uncertainty and environmental concerns also shape the restlessness of young people in the labor market. As parents, many of us once promised that hard work and a good education would open all doors. Today’s job market does not deliver on that promise.
Generalizations, however, are a slippery slope. Basic human needs—security, meaning, and growth—have not disappeared. The difference lies in how various generations define and prioritize them in the workplace. From the perspective of more than 30 years in working life, I can say: employee expectations have never been as diverse as they are today.
Why do we need young people?
The truth is that young people bring fresh perspectives and the courage to ask “why.” And it is precisely those questions that spark the innovations every organization needs. Progress comes from challenging established solutions.
For today’s entrants to the labor market, AI is an everyday tool—sometimes even a companion. Yet in the workplace, AI often has to be used discreetly, as corporate risks remain unassessed and organizations prefer to stick with familiar methods.
At the same time, when presenting our management software to companies, we still occasionally hear: “A mobile app won’t work here, because our employees don´t use smartphones.” Yet many of these same employees share photos with their grandchildren daily and handle their banking on those very devices.
Fast forward twenty years: many of today’s teams will be retired. Involving young people is therefore no longer optional—it is a matter of survival.
Initiate the discussion and opt for change.
If we want to retain young employees without losing experienced ones, a safe contract and a bonus package are no longer enough. Real change happens when we listen carefully, measure what employees actually need, and demonstrate how their feedback is used. An employee’s year of birth or tenure alone does not reveal the full picture of expectations.
Our experience mapping employee needs through Moticheck shows that when we truly ask people what motivates them, the answers are often surprising. One team values sports compensation, another health insurance. Some enjoy coming to the office, while others require more flexibility. The younger the employee, the more they value opportunities to contribute to a better world and belong to a meaningful team.
Stereotypes fail—but listening to real people’s expectations works. Data helps us identify common ground and enables leaders to make deliberate choices. Perhaps as soon as tomorrow, a manager should ask their team: “What is our biggest obstacle right now?” or “What would make you put in even more effort?” Or maybe even: “What last brought you joy at work?”
Our users’ experience proves that employees can generate hundreds of improvement ideas—if they are asked. Open conversations can lead to deeper insights and more effective action plans. In the end, we face a simple choice: keep talking about labor shortages, or create workplaces that people truly want to join—and stay in.
Pille Parind- Nisula, August 2025
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