Gen Z are not the problem. Maybe your leadership model is?
I do not often write strong opinion pieces. But this is one area where I think the industry is getting it fundamentally wrong.
Gen Z are not difficult.
They are not disloyal.
And they are not the reason your staff are leaving.
They are simply the first generation in the property industry who are refusing to tolerate what previous generations quietly accepted.
And that is making a lot of businesses very uncomfortable.
What I see every single day
As a property industry specialist recruiter, I speak to candidates and clients across the UK daily. There is a consistent narrative emerging.
“Gen Z don’t stay.”
“They lack commitment.”
“They always want more.”
But when you dig deeper, the reality looks very different.
They are leaving because they do not understand what success looks like in their role. They have had little or no structured onboarding. Their manager has never been trained to lead. Progression is vague or non-existent. Their earnings feel unpredictable. And feedback is inconsistent, or worse, absent entirely.
This is not a generational problem.
It is a leadership and structure problem.
The industry has not caught up
Gen Z are broadly those born between 1997 and 2012. The older end of that cohort is already in your workforce. Some are becoming senior negotiators. A handful are in management. The younger end are choosing their first career right now, and they are choosing it with their eyes open in a way no previous generation has.
They have grown up watching their parents’ generation work long hours for employers who made promises about loyalty and progression that were not always kept. They navigated a pandemic at a formative age. They have seen housing become genuinely unaffordable. They carry more financial anxiety than any generation before them.
So when a property agency still operates on these models:
– Learn on the job instead of structured training
– Promotion based on billing, not leadership capability
– Commission-heavy roles with little financial stability
– Minimal onboarding, then immediate pressure to perform
Gen Z do not stay and suffer. They leave.
And then the agency calls them difficult.
£30,000 — The average cost of replacing a Gen Z employee when accounting for recruitment, onboarding and lost productivity. CIPD, 2026.
What Gen Z actually want. And why it is not unreasonable.
The research on this is consistent and has been for several years.
Gen Z want four things from an employer.
Clarity. Fair pay that reflects what it actually costs to live. Transparent structures so they understand exactly what they are earning and why.
Structure. Defined progression pathways, not “we’ll see how you get on.” Real, mapped-out steps with timelines and clear expectations.
Development. Not a one-day induction and an annual review. Consistent, forward-looking feedback and genuine investment in their growth.
Leadership they can respect. Managers who coach rather than simply instruct. Who give recognition as readily as correction.
None of that is unreasonable. All of it is achievable.
The commission-heavy, low basic model that built estate agency was designed for a different era. A young negotiator on near-minimum wage basics who needs a car to do their job is already losing money every month before they have earned a penny in commission. That is not a motivating structure. That is a financial trap dressed up as an opportunity.
Retention does not start with perks
Pizza, socials and ping pong tables are not retention strategies.
They are distractions.
The businesses I see retaining and genuinely developing Gen Z talent are doing five things differently.
1. Structured onboarding
Not a few shadowing days. A real, mapped-out process that builds confidence and competence before the pressure arrives.
2. Clear progression pathways
Not a vague verbal promise. Defined steps, timelines, and explicit criteria for what it takes to move forward.
3. Trained managers
Being a top biller does not make you a good leader. In most property businesses, the gap between management and leadership is exactly where people are being lost.
4. Consistent feedback
Not just when something goes wrong. Regular, constructive, forward-looking conversations that make people feel seen and developed.
5. Financial clarity
Uncapped commission is meaningless if people do not understand how to achieve it. Transparency about earnings structures is not a nice-to-have. For Gen Z, it is a baseline expectation.
The uncomfortable truth
30% — Gen Z now make up approximately 30% of the UK workforce and that proportion is growing every year.
Gen Z are not breaking your business.
They are holding up a mirror to it.
Previous generations stayed longer, often out of necessity. Gen Z will not. And instead of asking “why are they leaving?” the far more useful question is “why would they stay?”
Because the weaknesses Gen Z are exposing did not appear overnight. They were always there. Previous generations simply absorbed them quietly
The opportunity for the industry
For the businesses that get this right, the opportunity is significant.
While others are struggling with revolving-door recruitment and rising replacement costs, the agencies modernising their leadership model are building something more durable. Stronger, more stable teams. Future leaders developed earlier. A genuine reputation as an employer of choice. And meaningfully lower recruitment costs over time.
This is not about accommodating a generation.
It is about modernising an industry.
The talent pipeline for property is already narrowing. Entry-level hiring slowed over the past year and the pipeline of one to two year experienced candidates is shrinking as a result. The agencies investing in developing Gen Z now are the ones that will have the experienced teams they need in three years time. The ones defending the old model will be competing for an ever-smaller pool of experienced people they did not build themselves.
Five honest questions for every property agency owner and branch manager
Is your basic salary genuinely liveable for a young person in your area, accounting for what it actually costs to run a car to do the job?
Is your progression pathway written down and visible to everyone in the team, or does it exist only as a verbal promise?
Do your managers know how to give feedback that develops people, not just corrects behaviour?
Do young staff know their contribution is seen and valued beyond their sales figures?
And are you asking Gen Z what they actually need, or are you telling them what worked for previous generations and wondering why it is not landing?
Gen Z are not the problem. They are the signal. The question is whether the property industry is willing to listen.
If this raised a question about your team, your culture or how you are attracting and retaining younger talent, I am always happy to have that conversation.
Sally Asling
Founder, ProFind Property Recruitment
📞 0204 583 4941 · 📱 07760 787026 · 📧 sally@profindrecruitment.co.uk · 🌐 www.profindpropertyrecruitment.co.uk
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