Leading the Next Generation: Rethinking How We Engage Talent

Written by Michael Huff on 6/26/25

The workforce isn’t just changing; it’s getting louder about what it wants, particularly among the next generation of talent. Organizations that listen will learn something critical: compensation and benefits are just part of the equation. Younger workers are seeking purpose, opportunities for growth, fairness, and workplaces that support their well-being, not just their output.

At Double E Workplace Solutions, we’ve seen this firsthand. In our leadership training sessions with frontline supervisors, participants often arrive excited but are unsure of how to lead, motivate, and effectively engage with their teams. Today’s workforce is more diverse than ever, with up to five generations working side by side. Each group brings unique expectations, motivations, and needs, making effective leadership more challenging than ever before.

However, several truths remain clear across all generations: people stay where leaders see them, support them, and challenge them. If those conditions aren’t present, employees start looking for the door, or worse, disengage silently while continuing to stay on the payroll.

Inside the Minds of a Multigenerational Workforce

Conversations about generational shifts in the workplace have gone on for decades. My generation, Generation X, wore the label of slackers, just as Millennials were later called entitled, and Gen Z now faces their own set of assumptions.

Nearly two decades ago, 60 Minutes warned us that “the Millennials are coming.” The panic in corporate America was almost comical. But beneath the headlines and sweeping generalizations, there’s something important we often forget: people are more than their birth year.

Millennials and Gen Z  now represent the majority of the workforce, and by 2035, along with the emerging Gen Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024), will comprise 80% of the workforce. It’s a significant shift and it’s also complicated. Generational boundaries vary by source, and many people, especially those on the edges, identify as “cuspers” rather than fitting neatly into one category.

“My advice to anyone feeling uncertain or uncomfortable about working with different generations is to get to know them as individuals and genuinely appreciate their unique approach and give them credit for their ideas.”
— Taylor Wagner, Millennial team member at Double E Workplace Solutions

Compared to Gen X and Baby Boomers, these younger generations grew up with less certainty and fewer workplace safety nets. Pensions are mostly gone, and lifetime employment is no longer the norm. So yes, the younger generations may appear more self-focused, but can you blame them?

Many watched their parents stay loyal to companies that didn’t return the favor. Layoffs used to be rare, something companies did as a last resort during a crisis. Today, they’re a routine business strategy, often deployed even when profits are substantial. That shift didn’t go unnoticed. It taught a generation that job security isn’t a given and that loyalty doesn’t always pay off.

We’ve all had a dream job at some point. For some, it was becoming a firefighter, an artist, or an astronaut. So, when someone from the next generation pursues their dream job, whether it’s remote design work or launching a start-up, it shouldn’t be dismissed as naive or self-serving. It’s human. It’s hopeful. And honestly, it’s refreshing.

What we sometimes label as “job hopping” might be a form of self-preservation. What appears to be boundary-setting might be a conscious choice to avoid living at work the way their parents did. And that so-called entitlement? Perhaps it’s simply a matter of confidence or an unwillingness to settle for anything less than meaningful work.

Gen Z, especially, has never known a world without instant information, digital tools, and constant feedback. They’re fast, outspoken, and they’re paying close attention to whether leaders say what they mean.

Still, let’s be honest: the stereotypes are unfair, hard to shake, and can generate conflict in the workplace. Millennials are labeled as too soft. Gen Z is said to lack grit. They’re called lazy, entitled, and impossible to manage. Except… they’re not. At least not all of them. Unconscious bias manifests in the workplace just as it does elsewhere. We put people in boxes before we truly get to know them.

We saw this generational bias firsthand. One of our clients recently hired a young Gen Z employee. When we checked in to see how she was doing, the training coordinator said, “She’s amazing—she’s not like the rest of them.” That response, while intended as praise, revealed something deeper: how easily generational assumptions can cloud our judgment.

You can see how bias plays out in small moments. A manager sighs when a younger employee asks for feedback. HR makes assumptions based on someone’s age instead of their ability. Leaders get frustrated when new hires don’t “just do it” like they once did, or when those new hires question if there’s a better way. But here’s the thing: the world of work has changed—and so have the rules.

Talent Is Tight and Top Performers Are Leaving

The data backs this up. Workday’s Global Workforce Report shows that voluntary turnover among high-potential employees is rising in 75% of industries. These are the people you most want to keep engaged, capable, and motivated, or they will leave.

Why? Fair pay and benefits matter. But so does clarity, meaningful work, and opportunity. When those don’t show up, people start looking elsewhere.

At the same time, SHRM’s Global Worker Project found that while over 80% of global workers rated aspects such as fair treatment, job security, and flexibility as “very important,” only 40–60% reported being satisfied in these areas. The gap is evident. The consequences are even clearer.

As Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace notes, disengagement isn’t just a cultural problem; it’s a costly one. The global drop in engagement last year, the second one in the past 12 years, equated to an estimated $438 billion in lost productivity. That’s not a statistic. That’s a signal.

Leadership Can’t Be Outsourced

You can’t solve these problems with perks. You solve them by equipping the people who directly influence daily work: frontline leaders.

Unfortunately, that’s also where most companies are falling short.

At Double E Workplace solutions, we’ve trained hundreds of frontline leaders across manufacturing and logistics, and most of them share a common trait: they were promoted because they were great individual performers, but they never received training on how to lead others. They’re figuring it out as they go.

We find that more than 75% of attendees of our Leadership Fundamentals program, despite already holding leadership positions, are attending leadership training for the first time. The other 25%? It’s either been a long time or they received leadership training in the military, both of which may present challenges in handling the “people stuff” of today’s workforce.

That “people stuff” is the job. And when companies neglect it by not equipping their leaders, they’re effectively leaving culture, retention, and performance up to chance.

Engagement Starts with Meaning

One of the most underappreciated insights from the Workday report is that employees who believe they are doing meaningful work feel 37% more accomplished, even when their workload is challenging.

That aligns with what we see in the field. When leaders can connect day-to-day tasks to the bigger picture—and take the time to explain the “why”—people show up differently. They ask better questions. They take more initiative. They care. We refer to this as connecting the head and the heart.

But here’s the thing: that doesn’t just happen. Leaders must learn how to coach, communicate clearly, and foster psychological safety. When they do, culture shifts. Performance follows.

Don’t Mistake Compliance for Commitment

Another major theme we see in our training programs is that many supervisors assume silence equals agreement. It doesn’t.

Just because someone nods in a meeting doesn’t mean they’re on board. And just because they don’t speak up in a one-on-one doesn’t mean they’re fine. Often, it means they’re checking out.

That’s why training leaders on leading with values, building trust, and communication is essential. These soft skills provide supervisors with a structure and confidence to tackle tough conversations they might otherwise avoid—and they give employees clarity on what is expected, what is possible, and how they’re performing.

From Reports to Reality

The big reports make it clear: the workforce is sending a clear signal. If leaders don’t learn how to interpret and respond to them, they’ll continue to lose people.

Here are a few standout takeaways from recent research:

• Gallup found that manager engagement is in steep decline, especially among younger managers and women. And when managers are disengaged, teams follow. Training and support aren’t just professional development; they’re risk management.
• SHRM emphasized that job satisfaction is closely tied to mental health outcomes. Workers who rate their job quality as low are three times more likely to be actively job hunting.
• Workday pointed out that companies are raising hiring standards while internal mobility remains underutilized. High performers want growth. If they can’t find it internally, they’ll look for it elsewhere.

These aren’t abstract ideas. They’re action items.

Workforce Focus: A Strategic Priority

During a recent visit to the DHL Innovation Center, I saw firsthand how one of the world’s most forward-thinking logistics companies is prioritizing “Workforce Focus” on its Logistics Trend Radar 7.0. It was listed as a high-impact, near-term trend and on the same level as Gen AI and computer vision.

The companies that win in the next five years will be those that invest in people just as intentionally as they invest in technology. When I spoke to Dr. Klaus Dohrmann, VP of Trend Research at DHL, he stated, “Even with all this technology we have to consider, the workforce is aging, talent is tight, and safety and quality of life matter more now than ever.”

This trend isn’t around the corner; it’s already starting to take hold. The workforce is shifting. The real question is whether leadership will move in step or get left behind.

Final Thought: The Best Investment You Can Make

If your frontline leaders aren’t equipped to coach, communicate, and build trust, your business is vulnerable, regardless of how robust your systems or tech stack may be.

Better leaders drive better teams. They build cultures rooted in ownership, growth, and respect. And in an environment where talent is scarce and trust is fragile, that’s not a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have.

The next generation isn’t waiting, and neither should you. Let Double E Workplace Solutions help your leaders meet them where they are. Contact us today and explore additional leadership resources below.

Navigating the Pitfalls of Frontline Leadership: The Missing Link in Manufacturing Success

Creating a Culture of Accountability Starts at the Frontline