Knowing When to Move On
There was always something attractive about the idea of frequently switching jobs.
By Jonathan Dahl, Chief Content Officer
March 26, 2025
This shirt is a grand old relic With a grand old history…. So old I should replace it But I’m not about to try
~ “This Shirt" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
It wasn’t all that long ago that Gen Z, the up-and-coming generation of the future, thought job-hopping was the ideal approach to their careers. Corporate loyalty, to many of them, was a joke; particularly during the recent Great Resignation era, they saw that switching jobs could easily lead to higher salaries and better roles. Now comes a new, pretty comprehensive study from insurance firm Admiral with a surprising conclusion: Gen Zers feel that the optimal length of time to spend at one firm is about seven years. Seven years! By the standards of the recent past, that’s practically an eternity for them—and twice as long as the ideal tenure cited by other generations.
Of course, as the survey points out, this change is all about stability, which nine in 10 Gen Zers now call their new No. 1 priority. No surprise there: “Gen Zers are seeing friends losing their jobs,” says Nicol Thomson, a Korn Ferry senior client partner and managing director of recruitment process outsourcing in EMEA. They are also maturing with age, and as they face more responsibilities in life, it begins to make sense to stay put and avoid work disruptions.
Or does it? In my view, there was always something attractive about the idea of frequently switching jobs. I cringe slightly at the “employer for life” headlines this study generated. Sure, employers may like the idea of long-tenured workers, since it avoids the cost and hassle of finding and onboarding replacements. But you can’t put a price on the burst of energy and creativity that new workers often bring. For many workers, I’ve noticed that the early years they had at their jobs were their best. They proposed new ideas and new ways of tackling projects. They were fresh and ready. Later on, many started to fade or burned out.
What concerns me most is whether today’s tough job market, as well as work-life goals, might dictate the way all of us, including Gen Z, chart our future. I think Gen Z was onto something when it embraced the job-hopping trend, and that maybe there’s a way to compromise—either by quitting after a reasonable amount of time or making sure you move to a completely new role within your firm.
It’s like the 1989 song I quoted at the top of this column, which describes keeping and wearing a favorite old shirt through “every boring high school dance” or “on a train through Italy.” Over time, it becomes a relic that carries great memories but should be replaced. Sure, the longer you stay in a job, the more memories and friendships you’ll form, and the more you’ll want to stay. But just be sure to change roles—before you hit the stage when you’re “not about to try.”
Photo Credits: sankai/Getty Images
