Feds in Gen X and Gen Z Both Want More Work Flexibility, But Often for Different Reasons

Improving retention of federal employees is a long-standing challenge for agencies, but the way to incentivize feds to stay in public service may differ, depending on their age.

Although federal employees in Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, and those in Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, both value flexibility in a workplace, they seek it out for different reasons.

Many Gen Z employees entered the workforce after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, making remote work flexibilities practically essential to them, according to Paul Pietsch, senior manager for federal workforce research at the Partnership for Public Service.