These are the benefits that employees actually want—and the number one spot is the same for every generation

Brit Morse

Good morning!<div class="paywall-selector"></div><div class="paywall">



Managing employees across a <a href="https://fortune.com/2024/12/16/nearly-half-gen-z-want-be-their-own-boss-management-disaster-hr-leaders-side-hustle-gig-work/">four-generation workforce</a> is no easy task, and doing so forces <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/01/13/gen-z-entitled-unprepared-lack-work-ethic-managers-avoid-hiring-study/">HR leaders</a> to <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/04/18/latest-pto-trend-letting-employees-exchange-for-cash-retirement-savings-student-loan-payments/">create policies</a> for people with vastly different priorities and perspectives. But when it comes to benefits, a study found that people of all ages agree on what they value most: <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/05/21/why-executives-need-redefine-what-hustle-culture-means-for-employees/">flexibility</a>.



Alternative work schedules, like four-day work weeks, ranked number one on the list of most important benefits by every generation, according to a new <a href="https://www.mercer.com/assets/us/en_us/shared-assets/global/attachments/pdf-mmb-587006276-2025-health-on-demand-report.pdf">study</a> from Mercer Marsh Benefits, a benefits consultancy, which surveyed 18,384 employees. Millennials prioritized flexible work the most (53%), followed by Gen Z (48%), Gen X (47%), and Boomers (43%).&nbsp;



And while 49% of workers said that flexible work would be helpful to them or their families, only 32% of employees say their companies allow them to adjust the hours or days they work. That means regardless of age, all workers want the autonomy to manage their day-to-day activities&nbsp;



This isn’t all too surprising, as many organizations have been attempting to get people back into the office over the past few years. And some are even choosing to implement hard-line return-to-office mandates. But alternative work schedules also makes it easier for employees to take advantage of the other benefits a company offers, the <a href="https://www.mercer.com/assets/us/en_us/shared-assets/global/attachments/pdf-mmb-587006276-2025-health-on-demand-report.pdf">study</a> points out. This includes the ability to take time off to go to medical appointments or therapy.



The second highest-ranking benefit remains the same for three out of the four generations. Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X all want the ability to work remotely. Boomers, not surprisingly, ranked flexible options in terms of retirement as their second most valued benefit option. That includes the ability to gradually work fewer hours, modify their job responsibilities, and designate time to transfer knowledge to other generations.&nbsp;



From there, benefit priorities vary a bit across age groups. Younger workers like Gen Z want mental health screenings and coverage for doctor visits, Millennials want upskilling opportunities, Gen X is looking towards retirement, and Boomers are focused on preventative care like cancer screenings.&nbsp;



So while it may seem difficult for HR leaders to figure out how to tailor their benefits across generations, it’s helpful to remember that the need for work-life balance isn’t going anywhere, and that allowing employees a little bit of autonomy over how they run their lives can go a long way.



Brit Morse <a href="mailto:brit.morse@fortune.com">brit.morse@fortune.com</a>



CHRO Daily is off Monday, May 26 for the Memorial Day holiday. We’ll be back in your inboxes Tuesday, May 27.<h3>Around the Table</h3>A round-up of the most important HR headlines.
In order to not make an enemy of the president, CEOs of public companies are trying to avoid using certain language. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/business/trump-tariffs-ceos-prices.html">New York Times</a>
Meta is instructing managers to rate more employee performances as “below expectations.” <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/internal-memo-meta-increases-employees-rated-below-expectations-2025-5">Business Insider</a> 
An in-depth look into the vast appeal of multi-level marketing schemes reveals some awkward truths about the nature of American work. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2025/05/the-shadowy-industry-that-shaped-american-work/682862/">The Atlantic</a>
<h3>Watercooler</h3>Everything you need to know from Fortune.
Move to Arkansas! To lure workers, Walmart is <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/05/22/walmart-arkansas-hq-talent-retention-attraction-swanky-office/">upgrading its campus</a> with new benefits, including swimming pools, pickleball courts, and a childcare center. —Emma Burleigh
Combatting tariffs. In times of <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/05/22/small-business-uncle-jerrys-tariffs/">economic uncertainty</a>, small businesses have the opportunity to show resilience. —Ashley Lutz
Reputation troubles. Americans are viewing Tesla in an <a href="https://fortune.com/2025/05/22/elon-musk-axios-harris-poll-tesla-brand-damage/">increasingly negative light</a> due primarily to the actions of Elon Musk. —Christiaan Hetzner</div>

Employees want work-life-balance and that means the ability to manage their own schedules.

Employees across generations want the same benefit: flexible schedules

Young woman holding credit card and using laptop computer. Businesswoman working at home. Online shopping, e-commerce, internet banking, spending money, working from home concept

This is the web version of CHRO Daily, a newsletter focusing on helping HR executives navigate the needs of the workplace. <a href="https://www.fortune.com/newsletters/chro-daily?&itm_source=fortune&itm_medium=nl_article_tout&itm_campaign=chro_daily">Sign up</a> to get it delivered free to your inbox.

P-Newsletter

CHRO Daily

Newsletters

Leadership

Employees across age groups are all looking for the same benefit: autonomy over schedules

Employees across generations want the same benefit: flexible schedules | Fortune

Alicia Adamczyk

Nina Ajemian

New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien on Trump and an industry in crisis

/2025/05/23/new-york-times-ceo-meredith-kopit-levien-on-trump-and-an-industry-in-crisis/

/2025/05/23/these-are-the-benefits-that-employees-actually-want-and-the-number-one-spot-is-the-same-for-every-generation/

Sheryl Estrada

Pharma tech CFO says finance is at the center of AI strategy

/2025/05/23/pharma-tech-cfo-finance-center-ai-strategy-medidata/

Allie Garfinkle

AI M&A signals that the hype cycle is growing up

/2025/05/23/ai-ma-signals-that-the-hype-cycle-is-growing-up/

Andrew Nusca

Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, in Paris, France, on May 22, 2024.(Photo: Benjamin Girette/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

About those two new Anthropic AI models

/2025/05/23/about-those-two-new-anthropic-ai-models/

Diane Brady

How Trump’s ban on international students could affect American companies

/2025/05/23/trump-ban-international-students-affect-us-companies/

Emma Burleigh

Hundreds of billionaires pledged to give away $600 billion to charity—but the Bill Gates and Warren Buffett era of philanthropy may be over

https://fortune.com/2025/05/24/gates-buffett-philanthropy-new-era-of-giving-women-french-gates-mackenzie-scott/?itm_source=parsely-api

Jason Ma

Jerome Powell tells Princeton grads not to take universities for granted and that 'integrity is all we have—guard it carefully'

https://fortune.com/2025/05/25/jerome-powell-princeton-commencement-speech-universities-trump-harvard-integrity-fed-rates/?itm_source=parsely-api

Dairy Queen CEO says he learned from Warren Buffett that being the 'smartest person in the world' isn't the most important attribute for success

https://fortune.com/2025/05/21/dairy-queen-ceo-warren-buffett-advice-job-interview-passion-intelligence/?itm_source=parsely-api

Alan Suderman

The Associated Press

15 years ago, a software developer paid for two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoin. Those pies would be worth $1.1 billion today

https://fortune.com/article/pizza-bitcoin-day-story-laszlo-hanyecz-papa-johns-pizzas-value/?itm_source=parsely-api

Preston Fore

Shark Tank's newest star gives Gen Z grads a reality check—that they need to 'wake up earlier and stay up later' to achieve their dreams

https://fortune.com/2025/05/23/billionaire-kind-founder-daniel-lubetzky-gen-z-college-graduate-advice-shark-tank-boomers/?itm_source=parsely-api

There's a 'buyer's strike' on U.S. assets as foreign investors can't stomach huge deficits anymore, analyst warns

https://fortune.com/2025/05/24/debt-crisis-foreign-buyers-strike-us-assets-deficits-treasury-bonds-dollar-selloff/?itm_source=parsely-api