Most UK workplaces now bring together people from four generations, whose careers began in very different economic, technological and social conditions. Those conditions can influence how people approach communication, flexibility, leadership, development and financial security. They say nothing reliable about any one individual.
Generational Differences, Attitudes and Motivations in the Workplace profiles Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers: the attitudes research commonly associates with each group, the circumstances behind them, and the strengths and challenges employers often report. It is written for employers and managers building teams across career stages, including FM teams where apprentices, engineers, coordinators and senior leaders work side by side.
The guide is clear that these are tendencies, not rules. It shows you how to use the research to widen your thinking, then make every decision person by person, on evidence rather than age.
What's inside
The guide starts with how to use generational research responsibly, profiles each generation, then turns the findings into practical steps for managing, recruiting and retaining people.
- How to Use Generational Research Responsibly: Why generational labels are shorthand, not science: approximate birth-year conventions, why life stage and circumstances often explain more than birth year, and why age must never drive decisions.
- Generation Z: The tendencies research commonly associates with the youngest generation at work, such as valuing flexibility, purpose, wellbeing and learning, the strengths and challenges employers report, and ways to build in-person confidence.
- Millennials: What research suggests Millennials often look for, including purpose, regular feedback, progression and belonging, the financial pressures many have faced, and the strengths and challenges employers most often report.
- Generation X: The tendencies research links to Generation X, including independence and a focus on results, the pension uncertainty many have faced, and why explaining the full benefits package early matters when recruiting.
- Baby Boomers: The tendencies research links to Baby Boomers, including depth of experience and strong communication skills, their varied financial positions, and why FM teams should capture long-serving colleagues' knowledge early.
- Managing a Multigenerational Workforce: Practical guidance on communication channels, two-way mentoring, benefits and leadership style, built around offering choice rather than managing by age.
- Applying This in Recruitment and Retention: A checklist for age-neutral hiring and retention, from removing age-coded language in adverts to structured interviews and stay conversations, plus answers on lawfulness and tailoring your offer.
- Building Teams That Work Across Generations: A recap of the strengths each generation tends to bring, a reminder that all of them appear in people of every age, and the practices that make mixed teams work.
What the data says
Five figures from the guide on flexibility, wellbeing and retention across today's workforce, each linked to its source.
- 1.1 million: Around 1.1 million UK workers say they left a job in the last year because of a lack of flexible working. Source: CIPD, Flexible and hybrid working practices in 2025
- 25%: 25% of UK employees say their work has a negative or very negative impact on their mental health. Source: CIPD Good Work Index 2025
- 34%: Average annual churn among UK workers is 34%: 27.4% move to a new employer and 6.6% are not working a year later. Source: CIPD, Benchmarking employee turnover: What are the latest trends and insights?, 2024
- 35%: The most common employer-brand action by UK organisations was increasing flexible working opportunities (35%). Source: CIPD, Resourcing and talent planning report 2024
- 95%: 95% of candidates placed by Maxwell Stephens remain in role one year after appointment. Source: Maxwell Stephens, 2026
Sources checked in September 2026. Maxwell Stephens figures are drawn from our own published vacancies and placement records.
See it in practice
Senior Facilities Manager Recruitment for Toyota GB
Toyota GB appointed Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Senior Facilities Manager after the existing postholder announced their retirement. The role covered the Burgh Heath head office and the Burnaston Academy, with responsibility for outsourced providers, significant budgets, health and safety, projects and sustainability. We ran a full search and assessed candidates on their ability to provide continuity while bringing new thinking, with cultural alignment weighted as heavily as technical experience. The appointment delivered a managed succession, and Toyota GB went on to recommend us to its FM service provider, Dalkia.
It shows how a well-run succession balances the knowledge of a long-serving leader with fresh thinking, a challenge every multigenerational team faces.
Read the full case study or browse all case studies.
Related reading
- Understanding Generation Z in the Workplace
- Employee Retention Strategies for 2026: How to Keep Your Best People
- How to Identify and Reduce Recruitment Bias
More from Maxwell Stephens Insights
Our Insights library covers FM hiring, leadership and careers in more depth. Continue with:
- Workplace Experience and Employee Retention
- How to Retain Top Facilities Management Talent
- The Psychology of High-Performing Teams
Browse the full Insights library.
Who this guide is for
Employers, HR and people teams, hiring managers, and FM, estates and workplace leaders managing teams across career stages, who want to understand what different people may value and recruit, manage and retain fairly without making assumptions about age.
Talk to Maxwell Stephens
Maxwell Stephens is a specialist Facilities Management recruitment consultancy. If you are planning an FM, estates or workplace appointment, contact us for a confidential conversation, or read our case studies to see how comparable searches were run.