Gen Z in corporate: Gen Z officially takes up more than half of India’s current share of corporate employees in 2026. Known for popularising workplace trends like quiet quitting and quiet cracking, Gen Z is always looking for the next best thing. Driven by a rapidly changing workplace culture, they also demand flexibility, mental health support, but most importantly, growth.
Conventionally, a gap in one’s resume could only be logically explained by education. However, Gen Z is rapidly redefining the meaning of career growth, learning, and expansion. According to Naukri’s 2026 Gen Z Work Code Report, 57 per cent of Gen Z define growth as the opportunity to learn a new skill, rather than promotions and salary hikes.
What is ‘still stacking’?
‘Still stacking’ is a workplace trend where employees maintain their primary job while quietly building multiple certifications, the new corporate currency. From AI to bite-sized modules, this habit has become Gen Z’s newfound superpower.
According to Vinayak Jayaram, CHRO, Zurich Kotak General Insurance, “Learning today must be quick, practical, and directly connected to performance,” as per a People Matters report. He added, “This generation expects AI to be integrated into their work and learning processes, not limited.”
Gen Z – the ‘freshers’ in corporate
Redefining career growth, Gen Z is looking at movement as the norm, and not a reward. Echoing the concern, the Naukri report cited that stalled growth became a significant stressor for 31 per cent of Gen Z employees in corporate culture. In fact, the Economic Survey of India 2025-26 acknowledged the algorithmic burnout and integrated it as a major factor for Gen Z professionals, and even gig workers.
At the same time, while this demographic remains ‘new’, Gen Z entering the workforce is a much clearer expectation that goes beyond monetary compensation. It not only includes physiological wellness, mental health, and flexibility, but meaningful work becomes a factor, too. The 2026 Naukri report also found that 1 in 2 Gen Z employees factor in work-life balance as an influential aspect while deciding on a role.
But as micro-certifications become the new currency, hybrid workers are far from relying on formal education. It not only creates a wide talent pool but also enables internal mobility, attracting Gen Z to keep their roles and grow in their careers.