Stages Not Ages: What Workplaces Get Wrong About Generations

These are not personality traits. They are a structural consequence of entering the workforce during the remote work era in which physical distance, inevitably, creates psychological distance.

Myth 2: Mid-career workers prioritize work-life balance
What people assume: The 36-45 group values balance above all (51% believe this).
What’s actually true: They sacrifice balance the most. This group works outside contracted hours, takes on extra tasks, and feels under constant pressure more than any other age group. This has all the hallmarks of the ‘squeezed middle’ segment of the workforce who face greater pressure as they juggle increasing, rapidly changing responsibilities.

But, with job enjoyment among this group remaining high (78%), the picture is more nuanced than simple overload. These behaviours likely reflect a combination of structural pressure and genuine discretionary effort, where people are stretched but also invested. Failure to distinguish between the two risks healthy engagement quietly tipping into burnout.

This group matters more than we realize. As middle managers, they shape the experience of every younger worker entering the organization. Protect their wellbeing, and you protect your culture.

Myth 3: Young people are digital natives, older workers are technophobes 
What people assume: Under-35s are completely at ease with technology (46-62% believe this), while over-46s resist it (only 9-15% seen as comfortable).
What's actually true: Both groups struggle, just differently.

Research from The Prince’s Trust found that 37% of people aged 16-30 worry they lack the digital skills to get a good job. Similarly, Jobs for the Future found that early-career workers are disproportionately feeling AI's impact, yet just one in three say their employer is providing the training or guidance they need to use it effectively.

The assumption of resistance or incompetence among older age groups is equally flawed. Research consistently shows that the difference between younger and older technology users lies not in actual use, but in confidence. Once older workers get over the initial confidence hurdle, they are eager and excited to learn, and they bring the contextual judgement to know when to trust a tool's output and when to question it.

So, the question isn't who is more digitally capable by age, it's whether organisations are building the right kind of digital capability across all groups.

Myth 4: Older workers feel most disrespected
What people assume: Over-56s feel the most misunderstood by other age groups (39% believe this).
What's actually true: The complete opposite. Only 21% of over-56s report feeling disrespected – the lowest of any group. Meanwhile, 40% of under-25s feel this way – nearly double.

This mutual misconception is perhaps the starkest illustration of what happens when generational assumptions go unchallenged. In overestimating the vulnerability and isolation of older workers and underestimating the experience of younger ones, we perpetuate generational stereotypes.

With a workforce that is simultaneously the most age-diverse and fragmented, organisations that leave these misconceptions unchallenged risk actively widening the distance between different groups at a time when connection has never been more difficult to build or necessary to sustain. 

The reality: it’s a lifecycle not a generation

We analysed our benchmark data comprising over 3.5 million responses collected over a two-year period, from employees aged 16 to 66+ across industries, roles and regions, to understand how perceptions of work evolve over time. We didn't find generational differences. We found a progression. 

Stage 1: Entry optimism 
As people enter the workforce, they are supported by a natural sense of optimism and energy, as well as a drive to be financially independent and secure. While this is most likely to be younger people, it is not an exclusive experience. We also see higher optimism towards one’s work in people as they join an organisation, regardless of age. 

Stage 2: The pressure point 
This early optimism eventually gives way to pragmatism as the reality of the job settles in. As careers develop and people take on more responsibility – typically in line with age and experience – pressure increases. This is where we consistently observe a ‘squeezed middle’ population who are more likely to be mid-tenure, in middle-management roles, and balancing more personal and familial responsibilities.  

Stage 3: Selective engagement
Eventually, as employees enter the latter stage of life and work, needs shift and a more selective relationship with work emerges. Employees at this stage are more likely to have lower confidence in leadership, communications and development, particularly if they are not in leadership roles. At the same time, they show greater enjoyment, values alignment and belonging. This often reflects a long-term relationship with the organisation, where commitment to stay is high but so is scepticism and selective disengagement driven by a heightened sense of nostalgia for ‘the old times’, which feeds the narrative that older generations are resistant to change.   

So, while there are differences between age groups at work, it is not a story of generation but one of life stage, influenced by patterns which are repeatable and predictable across the work lifecycle, just experienced several years apart.

What this means for organisations

The findings of our research actually simplify the future workforce agenda.

Yes, things are changing, and organisations will need strategies that can evolve and adapt, but the fact that we see repeated patterns in workplace perception and behaviour means we can be guided by evidence and experience, not assumptions.

Organisations currently looking through a generational lens to inform their future workforce strategy should shift to one that considers both life stage and employee, which serves to enable more targeted, effective action rather than reinforcing stereotypes that drive further disconnect. 

Here are three key actions you can take to facilitate this shift:

The world of work may be changing, but people aren't changing as much as we think.

While AI, hybrid working, economic uncertainty and demographic shifts are real forces that will land differently depending on where someone is in their career and life, the factors that truly drive people at work remain unchanged. 

Our desire for stability and security, meaningful contribution, genuine connection and growth show up in recognisable patterns across every stage of someone’s working life, regardless of generation.

Organisations don’t need a people strategy for a new generation; they need one shaped around the natural human lifecycle that remains aware of, and responsive to, shifting external contexts.

• Read the full Ipsos Generations report

Emily Cooke is Director, Global Employee Experience at Ipsos Karian and Box