Overview

• Twenty-eight percent of Generation Z employees report clashes with older colleagues and one in four of those affected say the strain is severe.
• DAK data show under-30s had a 4.7 percent sick-leave rate last year—13 percent below the overall workforce rate—while submitting 42 percent more certificates and taking shorter absences.
• Post-pandemic caution persists as 54 percent of Gen Z say they now act more carefully around infections and 25 percent call in sick at the first signs of a cold.
• More than a quarter of employees under 30 disclosed depressive symptoms within a two-week period, yet 65 percent admitted to working while ill in the past year.
• DAK board chair Andreas Storm and experts are urging companies to forge generational bridges with age-mixed teams and tailored support for young staff.