Introduction

By 2025, Generation Z is expected to make up 50% of the workforce, according to Holiworking’s white paper. Born from 2010 onwards, the current generation — known as Alpha — will start entering the job market by 2030.

2025 is now, 2030 is just around the corner. That gives a sense of how urgent this topic really is.

This new generation is already shaping future expectations: digital culture, immediacy, and even a strong sensitivity to value alignment.

But fundamentally, is it even useful to speak of a “generation”? Markers evolve, contexts change, and behind the labels are individuals — each with their own experiences, values, and motivations.

Here are some thoughts shared by two numaH experts:

Arnaud Tribout, Senior Consultant, talent management expert, certified coach, and specialist in the industrial sector. His approach blends business insight, human perspective, and practical experience. He regularly supports managers.

Nadja Pentz, Executive Search Consultant and member of Generation Z. Working internationally, she navigates cultural differences daily and offers insight into how best to connect and build relationships in the workplace.

Together, they invite you to explore the (future) dynamics of intergenerational collaboration in business, and to consider how management practices need to evolve.

Generation Alpha — Rethinking Generational Labels

Should we still be talking about generations? Yes? No?

Even before discussing Alpha, a word of caution is needed. Today, generational labels should be used carefully.

In sociology, the idea of generational categories is still debated. Sociologist Gilles Rouet’s work highlights that while the concept of a generation can help us understand shifts in values over time, it mustn’t hide the diversity of individuals. In an article in Hermès, La Revue (2019), he warns against the risks of stigmatising through overly uniform interpretations of generations, pointing out that so-called “generational” expectations are often shared across age groups.

Arnaud agrees: “There are generational factors, of course, but also cultural, educational, personality-driven, motivational or value-based ones. These all overlap or blend together.”

And what’s true for Gen Z often applies just as much to Gen Alpha.

Who Are the Alphas, and Why Should HR Already Be Interested?

Generation Alpha includes children born from 2010 onwards. By 2030, they’ll be turning 20. Soon, they’ll be doing their first internships. They’re growing up in a post-COVID world — unstable and overloaded with information. That sets the tone.

Hyperconnected yet looking for meaningful connection, ultra-responsive but driven by purpose — Gen Alpha is anything but straightforward.

And the weak signals they’re giving off are already strong signs for businesses.

Here are five key traits often associated with this generation, drawn from Jérémy Lamri’s “REPORT — Generation alpha: what’s changing?”, an expert in HR innovation and the future of work, co-founder of Tomorrow Theory and the Lab RH:

1. They’re the first “true” digital natives
Unlike Gen Z, who grew up with smartphones, the Alphas were born with them. Using digital tools comes as naturally to them as handwriting did to earlier generations.

“It won’t be a question of tools anymore. Digital will just be a given. What will really matter is how human-centred things are.” — Nadja

2. Their social lives will be mostly virtual
Online interactions are just as real and meaningful to them as face-to-face conversations. This shifts the social dynamic. But it also raises questions about how they’ll integrate into in-person group settings — at work, for instance.

“The ones who stand out will be those who manage to build real connections, stay human, and not isolate themselves. That’s what will make the difference in a world full of connections, but lacking relationships.” — Arnaud

3. AI will be second nature
Automation will be seen as standard. Indeed, Generation Alpha will expect machines to handle repetitive tasks. They won’t question AI — they’ll use it instinctively. The challenge will be learning to work with AI intelligently, without becoming dependent on it.

4. They don’t have time
Endless scrolling, constant swiping, nonstop stimulation — Gen Alpha moves fast. So yes, they may struggle with slowness, waiting, or even boredom. Should we worry, knowing that these are often the seeds of creativity?

5. A stronger demand for meaning and authenticity
If Generation Z opened the door, Generation Alpha is set to go further: positive impact, ethics, and authenticity.

In Hervé Haubolt’s excellent podcast “Future of Work: Generation Alpha Takes the Mic”, children express their views on work. These include a clear rejection of the old ways and a desire to do things differently.

“My parents’ jobs look hard — they’re always tired.”

“I’d rather do something different.”

“Work is too long — I want to enjoy life.”

“When you’re at work, you’re never with your children.”

“My parents don’t have time for me.”

“If you don’t enjoy your job, you won’t be happy.”

(Podcast excerpts)

Psychologist and psychotherapist Claire Dahan, also featured in the episode, notes this generation’s strong ecological awareness, especially eco-anxiety, concern for collective wellbeing, and a desire from a young age to “save the planet”.

This trend strengthens what many HR professionals — including Arnaud and Nadja — are already seeing:

The search for meaning won’t be a bonus. It will be a baseline expectation.

Yesterday’s weak signals are tomorrow’s warning signs.

“How consistent a company is between what it says and what it does won’t be a ‘nice to have’. It’ll be expected. If a company doesn’t keep its promises, people won’t complain — they’ll just leave.” — Arnaud

Gen Z vs Gen Alpha: Continuity or a Break?

For Nadja, herself part of Gen Z, Generation Alpha won’t be a break — more an amplification. Gen Z’s foundations will be pushed further by the Alphas.

More digital. More demand for coherence. More potential volatility.

So, How Can Companies, HR, and Managers Prepare for Generation Alpha Without Falling Into Stereotypes?

How can we plan for Generation Alpha without losing sight of the intergenerational dimension?

Preparing for Generation Alpha doesn’t mean starting from scratch. It means building on existing change. It also means learning to accommodate different visions of work, different time frames, and different ways of being.

And for businesses, it’s a golden opportunity to shape a real HR strategy based on adaptability, personalisation, and knowledge-sharing.

Here are three key levers to start working on, according to Nadja and Arnaud:

(Re)thinking Company Culture to Attract and Engage

First, it’s about making people want to be there in person. Arnaud saw this firsthand with a campus designed as a place of meaning and community: local involvement, clear causes, genuine CSR efforts, active inclusion, a sense of belonging.

“People connect with both the work itself and the environment they do it in.” — Arnaud

For HR and recruitment teams, this means adjusting their approach from the first contact: showcasing the company culture, being clear about the working environment, and focusing on real engagement drivers.

Arnaud also advocates a manager-as-coach approach. Feedback, listening, shared vision, and responsibility — management will need to become more horizontal, more individualised, more adaptable to retain a generation that values meaning and autonomy.

A More Hands-On, Experience-Based Learning Approach

Training must evolve to include more interactivity, clearer steps, speed, and personalisation. The old top-down model won’t cut it anymore.

Gamification, real-life scenarios, role-playing, immersion — we’re entering the era of “training differently.” Perhaps even à la carte learning. The experience must reflect each person’s preferences — personalisation is key.

“Recruiting or training an Alpha will mean offering a journey that’s smooth, consistent, and authentic.” — Nadja

Strengthening the Link Between Generations

For Arnaud, intergenerational collaboration isn’t a problem to fix — it’s a resource to activate. Rather than pushing for uniformity, he recommends encouraging diverse perspectives and experiences. In his work with companies, he uses facilitation techniques to support this.

“Co-development is ideal for this: the aim isn’t consensus, it’s variety. It’s through respectful clashes of perspective that value is created.” – Arnaud

The real priority is to create spaces for dialogue, where people across all levels, ages, and departments of the company can talk and compare their practices.

This kind of collective momentum can only exist if there’s attention given to the individual.

“Ten people born in 2010 won’t all be driven by the same things. What matters is what motivates them. Performance across generations depends on our ability to combine collective dynamics with individualisation.” – Nadja

So, an intergenerational approach can’t be reduced to age brackets: it relies on understanding what truly drives each individual. That’s where the manager-coach mindset becomes essential.

And it’s possible by relying on tools like Dilts’ pyramid, a model used at numaH in coaching and management to explore the six levels that influence an individual’s behaviour:

• Environment (where and when?)
• Behaviour (what?)
• Capabilities (how?)
• Beliefs (why?)
• Identity (who am I?)
• Purpose (what for?)

By combining collective effort, personalisation, and support, companies and HR teams can align all generations around a shared purpose.

Managing in an Intergenerational (and Post-Generational) World

The arrival of Generation Alpha in the workplace represents a kind of acceleration of the changes already begun by earlier generations. They want companies that “say what they do and do what they say.”
But then again, don’t we all?

As Élodie Gentina and Jérémy Lamri remind us in their book “The Challenge of Intergenerational Management”:

While each generation brings its own vision and skills, it can also carry stereotypes that may hinder collaboration.

So moving beyond clichés is a must to build real intergenerational intelligence.

In this context, managers and HR professionals need to be able to understand and respond to the individual motivations of each employee, while still fostering team cohesion.
This is the foundation of successful intergenerational management.

It’s a big challenge, for sure — but one that companies don’t have to face alone.

This is where the expertise of numaH consultants, like Arnaud Tribout and Nadja Pentz, is so valuable — especially in helping businesses adapt their management approaches to the changing expectations of different generations.

The goal? To build a management culture based on active listening, a coaching attitude, and adaptability.
To embrace the diversity of company populations and turn cohabitation into productive collaboration.