Generation Y, Generation Z and Their Perception of Work Life

On the basis of the assumptions in the literature on Generation Y and Generation Z, in this article, we tried to find for both Generation Y and Generation Z, what “working” means, why they work and what they expect from work life, work place, leaders and leadership. Because that for generation Y and Z perception of work and expectations from work differs, we wanted to compare both generations. These two generations will constitute the majority of employees in organizations in the near future. And we also wanted to clarify whether all of the assumptions about Generation Y and Generation Z are valid for our culture as well. For these purposes, five people from generation Y and five people from generation Z were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were carried out. In these interviews, individuals were asked questions about their perceptions of business life, expectations from business life and leaders, and leadership needs. Descriptive and inductive analysis were used in the analyses. In our research, it was observed that the satisfaction of low-level needs still ranked first for both generations. However, it was also observed that the need for achievement retains its importance in work life. It was concluded that there are different views between the two generations on issues such as workplace relationships and socialization, belonging, autonomy and freedom. The results showed that while some of the assumptions about generations are valid, some of them are not found in our culture.