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For a long time, the fastest way to get a raise was to quit. Companies built that system. Now they’re surprised by the behavior it created. The truth is that when strong employees quit, they usually cite the same reason. It’s not because of the pay, but because they couldn’t see a path forward.
When I was building Prepory, I couldn’t afford to be one of those companies. Running a non-venture-backed startup, I couldn’t offer luxurious office perks, signing bonuses or stock options. What I had was a clear answer to one question every good hire eventually asks: Where does this go for me?
Today, Prepory has a team of nearly 100 people and an all-time high employee retention. This isn’t an accident. It’s what happens when you stop trying to make people comfortable and start giving them something worth staying for.
I’ve spent years building a team and working with thousands of young people entering the workforce. I’ve watched Gen Z get blamed for a retention crisis that was already here before they arrived. They’re called disloyal, entitled and impossible to hold of. I think that’s mostly wrong, and I think leaders who believe it are going to keep losing their best people.
I grew up watching the 2008 financial crisis impact my parents and many of their friends. Good people with decades of experience found themselves unemployed with no warning. Gen Z watched versions of that same story play out in their own homes. Many entered the workforce during or right before the pandemic. They’ve seen “family culture” language dropped mid-layoff announcement. Their skepticism isn’t a character flaw, but showcases their ability to read a situation clearly and act on what’s true rather than what they’re told. Companies shouldn’t ask for critical thinkers and then be surprised when those thinkers think critically about their own careers.
The companies I respect most have stopped asking how to make Gen Z more loyal and instead are asking whether they’ve given them a rational reason to stay. That’s a better question, and it leads somewhere.
Most people don’t leave bad companies — they leave unclear ones
What I’ve noticed building a team from scratch is simple. When someone joins and can’t see where they’re going, they start looking for a place where they can. That reaction usually says more about the clarity of the opportunity than the loyalty of the employee.
People who joined Prepory in our early days weren’t staying for comfort. They were staying because the work meant something and because they could see what their contribution was building.
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