Are younger generations really less loyal at work? Do they care more about purpose than pay? And is hybrid working fundamentally a Gen Z demand?
A new Luxembourg School of Business (LSB) report, conducted by Dr Adam Petersen, suggests the answers are far more nuanced than the headlines imply.
This week on The Lisa Burke Show, I was joined by Dr Adam Petersen, Professor of Management Practice at LSB and host of RTL Today Radio’s Office Hours, to discuss the findings of the Generational Attitudes Study (released 26 January 2026) a Luxembourg-focused survey examining values, work preferences, and career expectations across generations.
Adam started this research because organisations are increasingly asking for training on managing generations, yet much of what circulates online is based on stereotypes rather than evidence.
The study analysed 326 Luxembourg-based respondents, largely drawn from business school students, alumni and professionals connected to LSB; a group broadly aligned with the private-sector talent many employers seek to attract.
One of the most persistent workplace assumptions is that younger generations are less loyal and more prone to job-hopping. The data does show that younger respondents expect shorter tenure in early career roles, but Adam cautions against interpreting this as weaker commitment.
Instead, he points to changed incentives. Earlier generations often benefited from defined-benefit pension schemes and long-term security. Today, salary progression and housing affordability pressures mean moving jobs can be a rational financial strategy rather than a sign of disengagement.
Another widely held belief is that Gen Z and Millennials prioritise purpose over salary. The LSB data challenges this narrative.
When respondents were asked to rank company priorities such as profit, people and planet, and choose between higher pay or working for a socially engaged organisation, younger cohorts were more likely to prioritise salary, while older respondents showed slightly greater emphasis on societal contribution.
In a high-cost country like Luxembourg, Adam suggests this reflects economic reality rather than generational values: younger workers are often focused on achieving financial independence before they can afford to prioritise anything else.
Hybrid working is often framed as a generational battleground. Yet, the report finds no clear evidence that younger generations want to work from home more than older ones.
Overall, respondents across generations favour hybrid models, with preferences shaped more by role and seniority than age. Notably, Generation Z showed the highest preference for online meetings, but the lowest likelihood of reporting higher productivity when working from home.
One of the most revealing questions asked who should decide which days employees come into the office: the manager or the employee. Older generations leaned more towards managerial decision-making, but Adam’s conclusion was pragmatic rather than ideological:
“You cannot manage organisations using simple generational rules. You have to get to know your team.”
The report also uncovered subtle age-related biases. Respondents tended to prefer peers from their own generation, favoured older managers, and preferred to manage younger colleagues, suggesting an ingrained association between age, authority and competence.
Adam warned that these assumptions can quietly influence promotion decisions and performance evaluations, reinforcing the need for data-driven people processes rather than intuition or stereotype.
Perhaps the most important conclusion from the study is this: generational labels are weak predictors of workplace attitudes. Career stage, organisational culture, and incentive structures matter far more.
For leaders, HR teams and policymakers, the message is clear: if we want better engagement, retention and performance, the answer isn’t learning how to ‘handle Gen Z’ but to design systems that recognise how people’s priorities evolve across a working life.
Links:
Generational Attitudes Study (LSB Voices): https://luxsb.lu/lsb-voices/
Office Hours with Adam Petersen (RTL Play): https://play.rtl.lu/shows/en/office-hours/episodes
Adam Petersen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-petersen/
