Workplace study says age groups follow different unwritten job deals
O.C. Tanner says Boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z bring different expectations to work, shaping trust, loyalty, purpose and belonging.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
A new report from workplace research and recognition firm O.C. Tanner says generational tension at work reflects the labor markets people entered, not just personality clashes. The firm says employers risk losing trust, knowledge and performance if they treat Boomers, Gen X, millennials and Gen Z as if they made the same bargain with work.
O.C. Tanner based its findings on surveys of 5,702 employees in 17 countries conducted in early 2026. Fortune reported that the firm describes those expectations as “generational contracts,” or informal understandings about what workers give employers and what they expect in return.
ADP’s Nela Richardson has said workplaces now include an unusually broad mix of generations at the same time, according to Fortune. O.C. Tanner’s report argues that those groups often misread one another because their assumptions were formed in different economic conditions.
Four age groups, four workplace bargains
O.C. Tanner describes Baby Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, as shaped by an “industrial contract.” The report says many entered work during the later years of postwar prosperity, when long service, hierarchy and loyalty were more likely to be rewarded.
According to O.C. Tanner, Boomers are 59% more likely than other generations to see workplace hierarchies as important. The firm also found they are 45% more likely to say loyalty should lead to job security, fair pay and recognition.
Gen X, born from 1965 to 1980, is described by O.C. Tanner as operating under a “performance contract.” The report says this generation came of age during corporate downsizing in the 1980s and early 1990s, which made self-reliance more valuable than faith in employers.
O.C. Tanner found that 75% of Gen X workers call themselves self-sufficient at work. The firm also says Gen X employees are 21% less likely than other generations to trust their organizations to act properly and 30% less likely to trust senior leaders.
Millennials, born from 1981 to 1996, are tied in the report to a “purpose contract.” O.C. Tanner says this group entered work amid rapid technology change, the 2008 financial crisis and a wider cultural message that a job should connect to identity and values.
The firm found millennials are five times more likely to feel fulfilled and seven times more likely to do strong work when their jobs match their personal values. O.C. Tanner also reported that 80% of millennials say their employer’s ethics matter, while 63% disengage when leaders fail to do the right thing.
Gen Z, born from 1997 to 2013, is described by O.C. Tanner as guided by a “community contract.” The report says 77% of Gen Z employees consider inclusion very important, while 47% have higher odds of saying they cannot find community at work.
O.C. Tanner also found Gen Z workers have 25% higher odds of wanting more friends at work. The firm said 49% of Gen Z respondents feel they must hide their values on the job, compared with 26% of Boomers.
AI may weaken workplace knowledge sharing
O.C. Tanner says companies with stronger cooperation across generations report better results. The firm found organizations that honor all four workplace contracts see 10 times better customer satisfaction, eight times better financial stability and nine times higher odds that employees do strong work.
The report said only 26% of employees currently experience that level of cross-generational cooperation. O.C. Tanner also warned that AI adoption could make the problem worse if younger workers turn less often to experienced colleagues.
According to the firm, 44% of employees said encouragement to use AI has made them seek out human subject matter experts less often. The rate was higher among millennials at 52% and Gen Z at 49%, O.C. Tanner said.
Fortune reported that reader responses to its coverage of generational economics reflected the same divide, with Boomers defending decades of work and millennials describing blocked paths to homeownership and financial security. O.C. Tanner’s conclusion is narrower: employers need to recognize that each generation may be speaking from a different workplace deal.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.