Gen Z at Work in Central and Eastern Europe

In an era of rapid transformation in the world of work, Generation Z emerges as a transformative force, reshaping traditional employment models with their distinct preferences and values. As the first fully digital-native generation, they seek flexibility, remote work opportunities, and a healthy work-life balance. This book examines these transformative trends in the context of Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on three diverse and representative countries - Poland, Czechia, and Estonia. Together, these nations illustrate the region's economic diversity and innovation, offering insights into how local labour markets are responding to the expectations of this new workforce. Grounded in original research, including interviews and case studies, the book presents quantitative analysis to explore Gen Z's preferences, attitudes, and aspirations. The findings shed light on demographic variations, such as gender and place of residence, and examine how these factors influence work preferences across the three countries. Beyond identifying trends, the book offers practical recommendations, addressing the challenges and opportunities posed by generational change. The narrative unfolds through three interconnected themes - the socio-economic dynamics of Poland, Czechia, and Estonia, the comparative analysis of survey findings highlighting generational similarities and differences, and broader implications for industries, organizational strategies, and regional economies. Special attention is given to emerging work models such as work-from-anywhere (WFA) and workation hubs in Europe, emphasizing their role in shaping regional development and economic policy. The book bridges the gap between academic research and real-world application, making it an essential resource for scholars, researchers, advanced students, and policymakers. Chapters 6 and 7 of this book are freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license, funded by the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the "Regional Excellence Initiative" Programme.

Elzbieta Wasowicz-Zaborek is an Assistant Professor in the International Business Department, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland. Adam Oleksiuk is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Marketing, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Warsaw, Poland.

Introduction ELZBIETA WASOWICZ-ZABOREK AND ADAM OLEKSIUK 1 From Remote Work to Workation ELZBIETA WASOWICZ-ZABOREK 2 Generation Z in Focus: Behavioral Insights from Emerging and Advanced Markets EMIL VELINOV 3 Poland's Labour Market in the Context of the Prospects of Gen Z PAWEL A. STRZELECKI 4 Czech Labour Market in the Context of the Prospects of Gen Z JAN POSPISIL AND MOJMIR SABOLOVIC 5 Estonian Labour Market in the Context of the Prospects of Generation Z MARI KOOSKORA 6 Methodological Foundations and Descriptive Insights from a Work-From-Anywhere Survey of Generation Z among Students from Poland, Czechia, and Estonia ADAM OLEKSIUK 7 Shaping Tomorrow's Workforce: Advanced Statistical Analysis of Survey Results on Generation Z's Work Preferences in Poland, Czechia, and Estonia ELZBIETA WASOWICZ-ZABOREK AND ADAM OLEKSIUK 8 Legal-administrative Aspects of Workation and Remote Work DOMINIK BOREK 9 Workation Hubs in Europe ELZBIETA WASOWICZ-ZABOREK 10 The Importance of Work-Life Balance in Attracting and Retaining Generation Z Employees: The Case of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry ALEKSANDRA GROBELNA 11 Conclusions ELZBIETA WASOWICZ-ZABOREK AND ADAM OLEKSIUK