The arrival of Generation Z in the job market is redefining priorities within companies. According to the latest study on Wellbeing and Workplace Health in Spain, conducted by Edenred and Savia, younger professionals are showing new job demands that go beyond salary and are forcing organizations to rethink wellbeing policies, flexibility, and benefits.
One of the most revealing findings of the study is that nearly one in four young workers (24%) rates a good working environment and team cohesion as the main factor of the so-called “emotional salary” to remain with a company. This data underscores that, for a significant portion of Generation Z, workplace climate has become a true red line when deciding whether to stay with an organization.
A shift in priorities: more flexibility and wellbeing
While salary remains a relevant element for Generation Z, it no longer holds the central place it did for previous generations. In fact, only 41.7% of young people cite it as the main priority for feeling satisfied at their company, making this cohort the one that prioritizes it the least among the generations surveyed.
By contrast, work flexibility is gaining weight among younger professionals. 17.3% identify it as their main priority, higher than in any other generation, confirming that more adaptable work models have become one of the major drawcards for this group.
This trend is also reflected in their actual work reality. Generation Z has the greatest access to flexible work arrangements, with 31% reporting full flexibility and 34.5% working in partially flexible models. Taken together, nearly two-thirds of young workers operate in environments with some degree of flexibility—the highest share among all generations analyzed in the Edenred study.
Moreover, this type of model has a direct impact on their engagement with work. More than half (56.3%) say that flexibility significantly boosts their motivation and performance, reinforcing the role of these policies as tools to improve wellbeing and professional outcomes.
However, the factor that most conditions their work-life balance is the distance to work. 70.1% of young people consider commuting a barrier to their personal life, the highest figure among the generations analyzed. This again highlights the importance that Generation Z attaches to more flexible work models, enabling remote work or allowing more adaptable schedules.
Practical benefits versus long-term incentives
The preferences of this generation also reflect a shift in the type of benefits they expect from employers. Against traditional long-term incentives, young people show a clear preference for benefits linked to daily wellbeing and work-life quality.
Key examples include support for transportation or mobility (34.1%), health insurance coverage (30.1%), and wellbeing services such as yoga, physiotherapy, or nutrition (29.6%). These benefits, increasingly present in flexible compensation programs, such as those promoted by Edenred, respond to demands increasingly tied to daily work life. By contrast, long-term benefits barely register among younger people: only 1.2% consider pension or life insurance aid a priority.
Work-life balance is also among this generation’s priorities. For 49.5% of young people it is a decisive factor when choosing or staying with a company, while for another 43.7% it is important, though not decisive.
In this context, the data point to a generational shift in how employment is understood. For Generation Z, work is no longer measured solely in terms of salary: the work environment, flexibility, wellbeing, and benefits that affect daily life have become decisive factors in deciding where to work and how long to stay.
