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The clarity the generation seeks is often mistaken for entitlement or reluctance, Kathy Goh notes. In reality, she believes, younger employees may simply be less willing to follow old workplace scripts without questioning whether the trade-off is worthwhile.
There is a familiar criticism often levelled at younger employees: that Gen Zs and younger Millennials do not want to work hard. But for Kathy Goh (pictured above), Leader of Compensation Benefits HR, FUJIFILM Business Innovation Asia Pacific, that view misses the point.
Speaking to Priya Sunil, Goh says the perception is not only unfair, but also too simplistic for a generation navigating a very different world of work.
In fact, she sees many younger employees as being more intentional and self-aware than previous generations.
"I would say that, compared to us, they may be more driven. And with the knowledge that they gain from their education, as well as the exposure they receive – especially if they are educated overseas, I think their [way of] thinking is also different.
"So, they are not just driven, but they are very clear in terms of what they want from their careers."
That clarity, she suggests, is often mistaken for entitlement or reluctance. In reality, younger employees may simply be less willing to follow old workplace scripts without questioning whether the trade-off is worthwhile.
"Earlier generations were often more accustomed to establish career paths and workplace norms. Younger employees today are more likely to articulate their viewpoints, and organisations need to listen and respond thoughtfully."
She adds that the generation has also witnessed many macroeconomic developments and events happening around the world – such as inflation and changes in housing markets, giving them a wider perspective. Additionally, earlier generations, Goh reflects, were often taught to be grateful simply to have a job, and to show that gratitude through hard work and endurance.
Speaking from her own experience, she says she had not thought much about work-life balance in the past, because she had been raised with the belief that being employed was something to be thankful for, and that one should work hard as a result. By contrast, she observes that younger employees today place much greater importance on work-life balance. They are better able to separate their professional and personal lives, have a clearer sense of what they want, and are, in that sense, more purpose-driven.
Moving beyond seniority and hierarchy
This generational shift is particularly relevant in Asia, where seniority and hierarchy continue to shape many workplace decisions. For younger employees who are clear about what they want from their careers, Goh says a purely seniority-based model may no longer be enough.
She observes that seniority- or hierarchy-based systems would eventually have to change, as such structures may not fit the expectations of the younger generation, particularly when it comes to career pathing.
Rather than viewing progression as a straight climb up the corporate ladder, she notes that younger workers are likely to seek broader development opportunities, more challenging assignments, and cross-functional exposure. In her view, companies will need to rethink their structures, career paths, and grade systems to better accommodate these expectations.
This could include creating opportunities for younger employees to gain cross-functional experience, take on challenging short-term project assignments, and be rewarded in ways that are more skills-based rather than tied to a one-size-fits-all grade structure.
That shift, however, is easier to describe than to execute. For organisations with younger workforces, such as technology companies, the need to rethink reward and career systems may feel more urgent – as compared to traditional, more conservative companies, Goh says.
When global policies meet local workforce expectations
The challenge becomes more complex for multinational companies, where policies are largely set by headquarters: how can they adapt policies to local workforce expectations when decision-making sits at the top?
Goh says the answer depends heavily on how much autonomy local or regional teams are given.
"It depends on how strong the governance at headquarters is. If headquarters says that no changes can be made and that you must follow this grade system and salary structure, then I guess it’s up to the region to raise the issue and see whether we can do anything differently."
Where flexibility is limited, regional teams can still bring local workforce insights to headquarters and explore practical options within the broader framework.
One area where adaptation may be possible is benefits. "For example, we can consider whether to offer flexible benefits, as these can be tailored to different demographics based on an individual’s stage of life.” This is an area of enhancement we had implemented in Fujifilm Business Innovation, Goh says.
Where the effort-reward link breaks down
For many younger employees, frustration often begins with performance evaluation. Even when they put in effort, they may not always understand how that effort is assessed, recognised, or rewarded. From Goh’s perspective, this is where business leaders play a critical role. "HR can establish clear frameworks and equip managers with practical guidance, while business leaders play a central role in applying those principles through regular or quarterly employee conversations."
Those check-ins, she adds, do not always have to be formal. In fact, informal conversations may sometimes be more effective in building trust and understanding.
"They do not have to be formal check-ins. They can happen over a meal. Have a chat with the employee and ask them, ‘How are you doing? What are your aspirations? How are you doing in life?’
"Simple chats like that will show that you are interested in and care about the employee's wellbeing, as well as where they aspire to go within an organisation and in their life and career."
This, she stresses, cannot sit with HR alone. "Business leaders have to collaborate with HR, because it's not an HR responsibility."
When asked how HR can respond if business leaders resist these frameworks, Goh is direct: "Leadership accountability is essential. Managers need to make time for their people, understand their aspirations, and work closely with HR to create a supportive employee experience."
HR cannot change systems alone
While HR can design frameworks, recommend changes, and facilitate conversations, Goh says meaningful reform requires senior leadership support. "Of course, HR can only recommend and do so much based on our expertise. But the senior leaders are the ones who will say, ‘yes, okay, go ahead’."
Without that buy-in, even well-designed systems may fail to take root. "If we don't get the support of the senior leadership and business leaders, it may not work. At the end of the day, it is a partnership – people matters can sometimes be viewed primarily as an HR responsibility. Sustainable change, however, requires shared ownership between HR and business leaders."
For Goh, this is not a new challenge. It is a long-running issue in how organisations understand HR’s role. "Honestly, it's been like this for many years. I've been in the HR function for many years, and I have found that building shared ownership takes time. When leaders address employee concerns directly and partner with HR, conversations can be more constructive, consistent, and credible.
"To untangle that and build the right mindset, support has to come from the top."
What needs to change to keep younger talent engaged
Looking across the region, Goh believes several changes are needed if organisations want younger talent to stay engaged and willing to build their careers with them.
The first is regular communication.
The second is the creation of more thoughtful talent programmes, particularly for younger employees who show potential. "That means you really need to identify talent. If the talent is in the younger generation, perhaps consider cross-country exposure to give them opportunities to interact and to learn new things."
Where budgets do not allow for international exposure, Goh says companies can still provide development through local opportunities.
Taken together, her comments point to a broader truth: younger employees are not necessarily rejecting effort. They are questioning systems where effort does not clearly lead to growth, recognition, or reward.
For HR and business leaders in Asia, the challenge is not simply to convince younger workers to work harder. It is to build workplace systems where hard work feels visible, meaningful, and fairly rewarded.
ALSO READ: Beyond the "lazy worker" myth: Are legacy systems failing to reward young talent?
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