Discover how Gen Z’s need for structure and executives’ demand for flexibility are redefining global mobility and influencing future leadership pipelines.
Why Gen Z values support, and executives value choice
At this year’s WERC Global Workforce Symposium, one theme sparked consistent debate: how generational expectations are reshaping mobility. The conversation often centered on two groups at opposite ends of the career spectrum: Gen Z vs seasoned Executives.
Younger Gen Z professionals, many of whom are taking their first international assignments, are looking for structure, guidance, and reassurance. Senior leaders, by contrast, seek flexibility and efficiency. Both perspectives are logical responses to where these individuals are in their professional journeys.
This distinction mirrors many of the shifts explored in our companion article, Goodbye fixed formulas: The rise of adaptive relocation design, which highlights how employees at different life stages now expect relocation support to reflect their realities rather than a standardised model.
For Gen Z, structure signals trust. Clear guidance, well defined touchpoints, and enhanced support help them navigate complexity and build confidence in unfamiliar environments. In relocation terms, this translates into managed move programs that emphasize human connection- an idea that aligns closely with the employee-centric, adaptive frameworks discussed in our last article.
Executives, on the other hand, often prefer to curate their own mobility experience. Many have managed multiple moves throughout their careers, they know which services they need and which they don’t. Flexible allowances and concierge-style options give them the ability to align relocation choices with personal priorities, family dynamics, and lifestyle expectations.
Interestingly, these generational preferences around support and flexibility align with a deeper workforce trend. While Gen Z values guidance in how they work and move, research shows they are less focused on advancing into traditional leadership roles.
A growing gap for future leaders
The 2025 Deloitte survey ‘Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey: What Young Workers Want Most’ underscores why this distinction matters for long-term talent strategy. While younger workers are deeply invested in growth and development, only 6 percent of Gen Z and millennial respondents said reaching a leadership position was their main career goal. At the same time, 70 percent of Gen Z report developing new skills to advance their careers at least weekly. The insight is clear: emerging talent is eager to learn, but not necessarily to lead in the traditional sense.
For many global organizations, this trend signals a broader concern- a potential gap in the leadership pipeline. If younger employees don’t view progression as a supported and attainable journey, they may disengage before reaching senior roles, leaving fewer experienced leaders ready to step forward when it matters most.
Future-focused design
At first glance, the solution to this challenge may seem counterintuitive. Traditionally, high-touch relocation programs were reserved for executives, while early-career employees received more standardized, budget-focused options. Reversing that model by offering greater structure and support to younger talent and more flexibility to senior leaders, appears to upend convention.
Yet this shift reflects how each group now approaches work.
By re-examining traditional program design, mobility teams can play a direct role in closing the leadership pipeline gap. A tiered or hybrid policy model allows both groups to thrive: managed frameworks for early-career employees that reinforce development and connection, and flexible yet efficient models for executives that prioritize speed and choice.
This perspective also extends the themes in the Goodbye fixed formulas article, showing how adaptive, insight-driven mobility models can support different generations in ways that strengthen long-term leadership continuity.
The future of mobility will depend on how well organizations respond to what their people truly need. When programs balance structure with flexibility, they do more than move employees. They create continuity in growth and leadership, a way to guide emerging talent, support experienced leaders, and ensure that the momentum of leadership development keeps moving forward.
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