With 46% of Gen Z prioritizing flexible schedules (per recent EY insights), the workplace is undergoing quite a noticeable shift as this digital-native generation demands work that fits their lives—not the other way around.
The Techronicler team tapped into the expertise of top HR leaders and business innovators to explore a burning question:
With 46% of Gen Z prioritizing flexible schedules, how is your organization adapting to meet this demand? What flexible work policies or tools have you implemented, and how do you balance Gen Z’s needs with other generations and business goals? Share your strategies and challenges!
Their candid insights reveal a bold new era of work—where adaptability meets ambition—and offer a roadmap for thriving in a multigenerational workforce.
Read on!
Margaret Buj
Principal Recruiter, Mixmax
Margaret Buj – Mixmax
At Mixmax, we’ve always embraced flexibility – we’re a fully remote company, with contractors and employees working across Europe, LATAM, the USA, and even the Philippines. That flexibility isn’t just about location, though. It’s also about trusting people to work when they’re most productive.
We don’t have rigid 9–5 expectations. Instead, we focus on outcomes. We use async tools like Notion, Slack, and Loom to enable collaboration across time zones, and we encourage autonomy. For Gen Z, who often value freedom and balance, this is a huge draw. But it’s not only about them-we’ve found this model works across generations.
The challenge? Keeping connection and culture alive without physical offices. That’s why we’ve invested in intentional rituals: regular all-hands, remote-friendly team events, and async onboarding tools that make people feel welcome. It’s about balancing flexibility with clarity and structure.
Steven Rothberg
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, College Recruiter
Steven Rothberg – College Recruiter
I’ve heard it said that when it came to work, Baby Boomers wanted to make as much money as possible, Gen Xers like me wanted to make enough money to have balance between work and pleasure, Millennials wanted to figure out how others were making so much more money, and Gen Z wanted to figure out what money was as they didn’t have any.
If you agree that this statement isn’t entirely in jest, what it probably says to you is that Gen Z understands that its opportunity to make a lot of money from work isn’t nearly as good as the opportunities faced by previous generations, and so it is only natural that Gen Z will then prioritize other facets related to work, such as flexible work schedules.
One way that the company that I founded, College Recruiter job search site, adapted to meet this demand for more flexible work schedules was to shift to an entirely remote workforce way back in 1997. We require all of our employees globally to work roughly the same hours, but we don’t really care if someone starts at 8am or 10am our time, as long as most of their work hours overlap with those of the rest of our team.
Andrew Peluso – What Kind Of Bug Is This
We offer fully remote work with flexible daily schedules, as long as the job is completed and clients are satisfied.
That’s our baseline.
For Gen Z, we’ve found they value autonomy, but still want structure, so we anchor the week with two mandatory team calls and clear deliverables.
The challenge is syncing that flexibility with client deadlines and cross-generational teammates who may prefer traditional hours.
We use tools like ClickUp and Loom to manage asynchronous communication, which lets everyone contribute on schedule without dropping the ball.
It’s not perfect, but our productivity hasn’t dipped, and our team churn is near zero.
Hasan Hanif
Director, CEO, & Accountant, Colour Vistas
Hasan Hanif – Colour Vistas
Over at Colour Vistas, we are aware that there’s a flexibility boom, particularly from the Gen Z, the sole future workforce, and this has compelled us to offer flexible working hours and remote working.
This is because we have discovered that work-life balance is a prerequisite for almost all Gen Z.
We have also put in place all processes of digital communication and collaboration via Slack, Zoom, etc. to ensure that everyone in the organization is reached no matter where they live.
The main important thing in this is trust-trust for each employee to plan their schedule with regard to deadlines and quality of work. And that is an effective change for an encouraged and engaged team that can spend their time freely both personally and professionally.
But finding one’s balance between what Gen Z needs and what the rest of the generations seek isn’t easy. A few of our employees, especially some long-time ones, are not exactly what you would call flexible.
Therefore, from our point of view, we have clear communication upfront, set expectations, and attempt to operate beyond that line. In addition to open communication, we make sure that our entire team understands the benefits of flexibility among work locations that apply to the collective whole, but some degree of importance is attached to teamwork and collaboration.
Finding that place in the middle where flexibility is accepted but not to the exclusion of productivity or teamwork has been something that has worked fairly well but is always fine-tuning because we have to expand and learn more about what each generation wants.
Oryna Shestakova
Head of Communications, PapersOwl
Oryna Shestakova – PapersOwl
Our research at PapersOwl reveals that 95% of Gen Z and young Millennials find certain workplace behaviors – such as career catfishing, quiet vacationing, and coffee badging, as well as clocking out earlier, napping during working hours, and using corporate software for personal matters – acceptable. Many admitted to having done at least one of the 15 shortcuts we asked about.
These behaviors underscore Gen Z’s demand for greater autonomy in the workplace.
Lucy, one of the respondents, mentioned, ‘Why stay in a job that doesn’t respect me when I can freelance or find something better?’
Josh, another survey participant answered, ‘As long as I deliver on time, does it matter if I work from Bali beach?’
Desire for flexibility in the workday (66%); preference for working in a different location (41%) – These are the top two reasons why Gen Zers clock in and then go work somewhere else.
Organizations aiming to retain Gen Z talent must adapt by offering flexible schedules, prioritizing mental health, and fostering an environment of trust and open communication to balance generational expectations and overall business goals – or they risk having employees who would skip work occasionally due to mental strain(46%) or “just because they can.”
Amy Mayer – Shawood
To support Gen Z’s flexible work desires, we employed a hybrid work environment and integrated Asana and Zoom for async collaboration.
Productivity occurs via expectations and an outcome-based review system.
We’ve found success with choice versus compulsion—it transcends generations. Some people want direction; others want the freedom to determine what’s best for them.
That’s where we falter from a cultural and connective standpoint, but we’ve created many in-person team days to combat this issue.
Grace Savage
Brand & AI Specialist, Tradie Agency
Grace Savage – Tradie Agency
We don’t manage Gen Z by the hour. We manage them by outcomes.
Gen Z is the first fully internet-native generation; they are aware of their rights, their worth, and their options. They’ve grown up in a world of Uber, Fiverr, and YouTube monetization. Flexibility isn’t a perk to them – it’s the baseline.
So here’s how we’ve adapted:
Outcomes Over Hours: We’ve moved away from traditional 9-5 structures. Instead, we define clear KPIs, deliverables, or quotas and measure team members against those. If someone delivers what’s required, how or when they do it is secondary.
They might produce a website, write a launch email sequence, or complete a marketing rollout, and whether that happens at 10am or 10pm is up to them. We pay for the result, not the presence.
“Uber Model” for Knowledge Work: For many roles, especially in creative, support, or digital ops, we’ve adopted a drop-in model. Team members can log in when they’re ready to work, complete specific tasks or shifts, and log off. We don’t require fixed daily hours unless the role specifically demands it.
Some work casually. Some work like full-timers. It’s opt-in productivity.
Structured Touchpoints, Not Structured Days: We do keep a handful of fixed, team-wide syncs each week. But otherwise, they’re free to structure their time. This hybrid setup keeps alignment without micromanagement.
How We Balance Generational Needs
Not everyone wants complete flexibility; some prefer predictability. So, we keep one rule in place: clarity and fairness around expectations. If someone thrives with a 9-5 rhythm, that’s respected too. We don’t impose freedom; we offer it.
The core principle is mutual respect:
The Challenges
The biggest challenge is the mindset shift. Leaders must move from managing time to managing trust. It’s uncomfortable at first, but once you see how Gen Z responds, it becomes second nature.
They’re not chasing gold watches at retirement. They’re chasing purpose, autonomy, and meaningful work. And if you can offer that, they’ll show up, deliver, and stick around.
Flexible work isn’t a “Gen Z” policy. It’s the new standard for high-output teams. The sooner you structure your business around outcomes instead of hours, the faster you’ll attract (and retain) the best talent across every generation.
Andres Bernot
Founder, Wow! Shirts
Andres Bernot – Wow! Shirts
We recognize that in the ways that flexibility is a major driver, one would probably say, for Gen-Z talent. The company has moved into flexible schedules and works remotely, especially on roles that allow such as Marketing and Design.
For example, the Design team’s work is hybrid, having aspects of in-office work and a requirement to work remotely. This way, they will be working outside their normal hours, tapping their creative juices without being as much pushed for productivity, yet ensuring job satisfaction.
We also employ Slack, Asana, and other online-created communities in keeping voices and projects going, ensuring that people at different places are aligned.
It is not always easy to balance the flexibility demanded by Gen Z workers with that needed by others from different generations and the business objectives. Luckily, we have learned that when given choices suiting different preferences, everyone thrives.
For instance, some of our team members from other generations prefer more structured hours, so we accommodate these by giving them the freedom to work within a specific framework of when and how long they can work. This keeps the whole team engaged, productive, and set up to meet the business goals.
The challenge comes with different kinds of expectations and keeping people connected, but open communication and some clear guidelines always really seem to help us find a nice middle ground.
Richard Dukas
Chairman & CEO, Dukas Linden Public Relations (DLPR)
Richard Dukas – DLPR
DLPR moved to a hybrid model in 2020, and it remains a core asset of our culture today. In a recent survey, our team members across generations highlighted flexibility as one of the things they appreciate most about the agency.
Anecdotally, our Gen Z employees value the collaboration and learning experiences fostered by their time in the office, so we work to make sure it’s a welcoming and productive environment.
When teammates are trusted to get their work done, whether that’s in the office, at home, or in a remote location, they are motivated to deliver their best thinking and highest quality results.
One particularly well-received policy allows all employees based in our New York City headquarters to work fully remotely for up to four weeks per year. From California to Ireland to the U.S. Virgin Islands, our team has enthusiastically embraced this opportunity, and productivity has remained consistently strong.
Jackie Churchwell
Co-Founder & CEO, Gratia
Jackie Churchwell – Gratia
At Gratia, flexibility isn’t just a perk—it’s foundational to our model.
With Gen Z prioritizing autonomy and purpose, we’ve architected a managed marketplace that offers these analysts remote, project-based opportunities tailored to their skill level, career aspirations and schedule.
Using AI to scope and match talent, our platform enables analysts—regardless of geography—to work asynchronously, choose engagements aligned with their strengths, and earn more as they upskill.
We believe this structure accommodates Gen Z’s preference for flexible work without compromising on quality.
For clients, it ensures continuity and output through structured mentorship and real-time oversight. Balancing generational needs is easier when flexibility is baked into the platform, not bolted on.
The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.
Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?
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