Only old people quit, Generation Z just doesn’t do it anymore

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 10. 03. 10:23

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One of Hungary’s leading HR service providers, WHC Group, is calling for a revolutionary change in the way generations are managed. At a sold-out panel discussion at the 10th anniversary HR Fest, Lilla Sáfrány, head of WHC People and Culture, and Krisztián Steigervald, generation researcher, jointly explained that the key to effective, multi-generational workplaces is not labeling, but understanding individual motivations and life situations. According to experts, the “Gen Z identity” or “Gen X work ethic” type boxes do more harm than good in recruitment, retention and leadership development.

Sáfrány Lilla

The HR profession has been struggling with the challenges posed by generational differences for years, while the public discourse has been overwhelmed by stereotypes about generations Z, Y, X and Baby Boomer. These prejudices and the justification for the categorization were questioned at the 10th Budapest HR Fest by Lilla Sáfrány, head of WHC People and Culture, and generation expert Krisztián Steigervald. In their discussion titled “Generation bullshit, or does it really matter? – Baby Boomer, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z… STOP!”, they made it clear: the employer sector should focus on deeper human factors instead of superficial labels.

During the discussion, Krisztián Steigervald pointed out that the differences between different age groups are real, but their root is not the year of birth, but rather the changed socialization environment, the technological environment and shared social experiences. He explained that there is basically no such thing as a “Gen Z identity”, but there are examples that clearly characterize the behavior of younger generations.

“A real generational difference and not an age characteristic is, for example, that a Generation Z person simply does not come to the interview or does not show up on the first day of work. The situation can be similar when it comes to leaving, these days it is the old people who usually give notice, while young people often simply do not go to the workplace anymore. An extreme example, which is also clearly linked to a generational attitude, is that it was not the fired colleague who went to the exit interview, but the parent. These phenomena should not be understood as meaning that the employee is not normal, but rather that we should learn that there are new normalities. The main question is whether HR or strategy will have an answer to this”

– emphasized the generation researcher.

Steigervald Krisztian

Lilla Sáfrány confirmed what she had heard from the side of everyday HR practice. She said that at WHC they experience that the secret to successful recruitment and long-term employee retention is flexibility and personalized attention. Instead of thinking in terms of generations, they focus on training individuals and creating a culture of open dialogue.

“In practice, simple yet effective tools such as two-way mentoring work. This mutual learning process breaks down prejudices and creates real dialogue between colleagues, regardless of age. We need to build people and teams, not generational gaps. At the end of the day, colleagues join a company, but usually they leave because of their direct managers, so we need to create the best dialogue between them”

– said Lilla Sáfrány, Head of WHC People and Culture, at the discussion.

The conclusion of the discussion was clear: the key to success in 21st century workplaces is not the application of generational recipes, but an empathetic and supportive corporate culture that values individual It builds on strengths, continuous development and human connection.