How to onboard Gen Z so they stay: explain the unwritten rules

Alastair Greener FPSA Generational communication expert, author and President of the PSA UK and Ireland 2026 Published 7 October 2026 · 5 min read

The first months decide whether a new starter stays. In our Generations in the Workplace Study 2023, 51% of HR managers found retention easiest to manage among 41 to 60 year olds and only 10% among under-25s. Alastair Greener sets out how to onboard Gen Z so they stay: explain the unwritten rules, check in often, agree a feedback rhythm and talk about growth early.

If you want Gen Z to stay, win them in the first few months. That is when a new starter decides whether the role and the organisation are a good fit, and it is often when the rest of us are too busy to notice. When our Generations in the Workplace Study asked more than 100 HR managers in Britain in 2023, 51% found retention easiest to manage among 41 to 60 year olds, against 10% for under-25s.

Every September brings a new intake of graduates, apprentices and school leavers into work, and most of them are Gen Z. What happens in their first few months goes a long way to deciding how many are still with you the following September.

Why do the first months decide whether people stay?

Turnover is high and it is expensive. When the CIPD analysed ONS survey data for 2022 and 2023, it put average annual turnover among UK workers at 34%: 27.4% moved to a new employer and 6.6% were not working a year later. Every departure costs money in recruitment, training and lost productivity.

The early months are when Gen Z weigh up whether the role and the company are right for them. A lot of this comes down to effective onboarding, which I see as an investment in future loyalty and engagement, and first impressions count.

10%of HR managers find retention easiest to manage among under-25s (51% for 41 to 60 year olds)Generations in the Workplace Study 2023

34%average annual turnover among UK workers, 2022 to 2023CIPD, June 2024

45%of Gen Z workers prefer weekly performance feedbackCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

41%of UK workers receive less feedback than they wantCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

What are the unwritten rules nobody explains?

In April 2026 I spoke to Paddy Crump, then a 21-year-old campaigns director at Flip Gen, in Gen Z, digital wellbeing and entering the workplace. He went into work straight from school, and his story is one that leaders need to hear.

On day one, the hard part for Paddy was decoding the invisible rules. Do you ask to go to the toilet? When is it acceptable to leave at 5pm? Do you make drinks for others or just yourself?

None of that is in any onboarding manual, yet it shapes whether someone feels they belong. One moment you are in a structured school environment; the next you are expected to "just know" how a workplace works. Older generations often see confidence gaps, while younger employees are often experiencing clarity gaps, and that is a very different problem. We need to explain what we assume is obvious, because for them it may not be.

How should you onboard a Gen Z new starter?

Before day one

Send a clear schedule for the first weeks, with daily tasks and goals, so they know what is coming. Put the essential documents online and use short videos and visuals instead of long presentations. If you can, shape it around how that person likes to learn.

Day one

Explain the unwritten rules out loud: breaks, hours, who makes the tea, what people wear, how to ask for help. Better still, write them down. Give them a named person to ask the questions they feel silly asking their manager.

The first few weeks

Keep in touch constantly. I have suggested daily check-ins in the early days, face to face or by video, to see how they are doing and deal with any concerns while they are small.

The first month

Agree a feedback rhythm. In our Communication Habits and Preferences 2024 survey, 45% of Gen Z workers prefer weekly performance feedback, and 41% of UK workers receive less feedback than they want. Feedback is a two-way street, so ask them how onboarding is going too, and be ready to change it. Our article on how often Gen Z want feedback sets out the numbers.

The first three months

Talk about career goals and growth early. Gen Z value development and want to know how they can move forward in the organisation. Mentoring, stretch tasks and a visible route to learning new skills all help.

What keeps Gen Z beyond the first year?

Onboarding opens the door, and the rest of the employee experience decides whether they stay. For Gen Z, pay matters, and so do authenticity, purpose and transparency. It is not enough to talk about your values when you are hiring, because people notice whether actions match words once they are inside. If your organisation makes a difference in the world, keep saying so, and show new starters how their work connects to it.

Keep the conversation going. Make it easy to raise a concern and deal with it early, before it grows. Flexibility over where and when people work, and sensible use of tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack, helps too. Patrick Quinton-Smith, a coach and early-careers specialist, talked about why relationships drive retention, and how trust is lost when a job turns out different from the one described at recruitment, in Gen Z at work, retention, engagement and the real cost of ignoring it.

And remember that every new starter is an individual. Ask each one how they like to communicate rather than assuming by age; our guide to managing five generations at work has more on doing that across a whole team.

So here is my question for you: what is one unwritten rule in your workplace that a new starter might struggle with?

Frequently asked questions

How do you onboard Gen Z employees?

Send a clear schedule before day one, explain the unwritten rules on the first day, check in often in the first weeks, agree how often to give feedback within the first month, and talk about career goals in the first three months. Ask new starters for feedback on the onboarding itself, and adapt it to the person.

Is it harder to retain younger employees?

HR managers think so. In our Generations in the Workplace Study 2023, more than 100 HR managers in Britain were asked which age groups they found easier to manage. 51% chose 41 to 60 year olds for retention and 52% for commitment, against 10% and 13% for under-25s.

What are the unwritten rules at work?

They are the norms nobody writes down: when it is acceptable to leave, whether you ask before a break, who makes the drinks, how quickly to reply to messages. People who have worked for years stop noticing them, but a new starter straight from school or university has to guess. Explaining them early can spare a new starter a lot of anxiety.

How often should managers check in with a Gen Z new starter?

Often in the early weeks; daily check-ins are worth considering at first. After that, agree a rhythm with each person. In our 2024 survey, 45% of Gen Z workers prefer weekly performance feedback, and 41% of UK workers receive less feedback than they want.

Read more about Alastair's book, Generationally Speaking: How to bridge the generation gap and communicate with confidence (Right Book Press, 2025).

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