As Gen Z steadily becomes the dominant demographic in workplaces worldwide, organisations are confronting a powerful imperative: adapt or risk becoming irrelevant. Born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, Gen Z is not just reshaping work—they are demanding that work be fundamentally reimagined. Their expectations, forged in an age of digital fluency, climate urgency, and socio-political consciousness, diverge sharply from their predecessors.

For employers, meeting these expectations goes far beyond revising benefits or offering remote work. It requires a rethinking of the entire organisational ecosystem—from learning and leadership to purpose and mental health.

To explore how a global organisation is responding to this generational inflection point, People Matters spoke with Arti Dua, Partner & National Talent Leader at EY. With Gen Z now comprising 40% of its workforce in India, EY has become a laboratory for building a workplace that is not only future-ready, but future-co-created.

At the heart of Gen Z’s expectations is a powerful shift from transactional employment to value alignment. Dua notes that today’s young professionals seek employers who don’t just speak the language of impact and inclusivity, but actively embed these values into daily operations.

“They want to know that their work contributes meaningfully to society, not just to a bottom line,” she explains. “That’s why we’re seeing a stronger push toward workplaces that prioritise sustainability, DE&I, and social purpose as fundamental principles.”

For EY, this has meant turning purpose from a vision statement into a lived experience. Programmes like EY Ripples enable employees to contribute to causes that resonate personally—whether through mentoring underserved youth, advancing environmental sustainability, or supporting social entrepreneurs. These are not peripheral CSR activities, but essential expressions of the firm’s mission to “build a better working world”.

This is especially important for Gen Z, who place immense value on authenticity. As Dua puts it, “Authenticity is the currency of trust for this generation. They want to see that what we say externally is reinforced by what we do internally.”

Technology as an enabler of belonging

It’s not just values Gen Z expects; it’s also seamless technology. Having grown up as digital natives, they view intuitive, real-time systems as a given—not a bonus. Their benchmarks are not internal HR platforms but the design elegance of consumer-grade apps.

EY has embraced this mindset by investing in digital infrastructure that supports hyper-personalisation. Their learning architecture includes over 17,000 courses and 900+ learning journeys, which are algorithmically curated to reflect emerging skill needs and personal aspirations. Initiatives like AI Varsity and EY Badges allow employees to earn micro-credentials in high-demand areas such as blockchain, AI, data analytics, and sustainability.

“Our goal is to make learning not only accessible, but dynamic,” Dua says. “It’s not a one-time onboarding effort. It’s a continuum that evolves with each individual.”

This personalisation extends even to onboarding. EY’s induction journey spans six months and includes 250+ modules, delivered in a flexible format that allows new hires to engage at their own pace. It reflects a broader trend: the end of standardised learning in favour of adaptable, user-driven development.

Personalisation as culture, not perk

If there’s one message that comes through consistently in Dua’s perspective, it is that personalisation is not just a delivery mechanism—it’s a cultural philosophy. Gen Z, she argues, doesn’t want the illusion of choice; they want genuine autonomy.

EY’s flexible work policies exemplify this. The firm offers a hybrid model that empowers employees to choose where they work, backed by supportive systems such as 'workcations' (10 days of work from anywhere without consuming leave), shared leave pools, and sabbaticals for caregiving or personal development.

But flexibility, in EY’s framing, is not an HR concession—it’s a productivity strategy. “We don’t see flexibility and productivity as opposites,” Dua stresses. “We see flexibility as the route to productivity. When people feel trusted and supported, they deliver their best work.”

This trust is underpinned by a strong results-oriented ethos. Rather than tracking hours, EY aligns teams around clear outcomes and fosters accountability through collaborative digital tools that offer transparency without micromanagement.

Mental health as a leadership imperative

Perhaps nowhere is Gen Z’s influence more visible than in the growing prominence of mental health. At EY, wellbeing is not just addressed—it is strategically integrated into every layer of the employee experience.

The firm’s ‘EY Cares’ framework takes a four-dimensional approach—covering mental, physical, social, and financial wellbeing. It includes 24/7 counselling for employees and families, psychiatric support, and AI-powered cognitive behavioural tools. Mental health is not treated as a crisis response but as a proactive, preventative priority.

More importantly, this ethos is reinforced through culture. Leaders at EY are trained to model vulnerability, offer empathy, and create safe spaces for dialogue. Townhalls, listening circles, and frequent check-ins are not symbolic—they are designed to make psychological safety a lived reality.

Dua puts it bluntly: “You cannot have a high-performance culture without mental wellbeing. If people are burning out, they’re not delivering sustainable results. If they don’t feel safe to speak up, you’ll never unlock their full potential.”

Leading with emotional intelligence in a digital age

Leadership, as it turns out, is also being redefined by Gen Z expectations. For EY, this means moving beyond competence into character—training managers not only in technical and strategic excellence, but in the soft skills that drive human connection.

“Empathy, creativity, and active listening—these aren’t nice-to-haves anymore. They are core leadership skills,” Dua asserts. “And they’re even more critical when you’re leading a team that spans five generations.”

To this end, EY has introduced initiatives like Counselling Families, where employees from diverse levels and age groups come together to align on team culture, shared goals, and norms of collaboration. It’s a deliberate effort to turn generational differences into complementary assets, rather than sources of friction.

Managers are also empowered to hold structured career conversations—not once a year, but on a rolling basis. These dialogues are less about performance review and more about career mapping, purpose alignment, and growth planning.

For Gen Z, who value real-time feedback and long-term vision, this approach fosters belonging, loyalty, and ambition in equal measure.

If there’s a unifying insight in EY’s approach, it’s this: The organisation is no longer merely an employer. It’s a learning partner, a wellbeing advocate, a values-aligned collaborator, and a co-pilot in personal growth.

The conventional workplace was built for consistency, efficiency, and scale. But the workplace Gen Z is asking for must deliver adaptability, emotional resonance, and individual empowerment. This isn’t a subtle evolution—it’s a systemic redesign.

Dua is clear-eyed about the challenges of this shift, but equally convinced of its necessity. “The question for leaders today is not ‘How do we manage Gen Z?’” she says. “It’s ‘How do we build with Gen Z?’ Because if we don’t, we won’t just lose their loyalty—we’ll lose our relevance.”

Building a gen Z-ready future

For organisations looking to emulate EY’s example, the message is both clear and urgent. First, listen—deeply and frequently. Gen Z wants to be part of the conversation, not the subject of it. Second, design systems that respond in real time, not once a year. Third, embed purpose not in posters, but in practice. And finally, recognise that wellbeing, learning, and leadership are not separate domains—they are interdependent levers in the same engine.

As Gen Z continues to take up more space in the workforce, organisations have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine the contract between employee and employer. Those who embrace this moment with humility, creativity, and courage will not only unlock the best of Gen Z—but will future-proof themselves in the process.