News summary produced by Claude AI
Brittany Harris-Nelson, 32, secured a mid-level administrative position at Wake Forest University after working at six different universities over the past decade, holding 10 distinct roles. She characterized her career progression as moving across lily pads, with each position providing specialized skills and experience that advanced her toward her goal. While her salary growth remained modest, she gained increased benefits including additional paid leave and enhanced pension contributions.
This career strategy reflects a broader pattern among Generation Z workers, termed “lily padding,” in which young professionals move between jobs to accelerate skill development and career advancement rather than remaining with a single employer. Industry data supports this shift: Generation Z employees stay in their first five years of work for an average of 1.1 years compared with 1.8 years for millennials and nearly three years for older generations, according to a 2024 Randstad survey. A 2025 UK study found that workers who changed jobs four or more times over a decade earned approximately 31 percent more than those who remained stable.
Adam Smiley Poswolsky, a 42-year-old public speaker and author, exemplifies this approach. Over 15 years, he worked as a project leader for Peace Corps, an English teacher at Harvard University, a location scout for Warner Bros, and in roles on a presidential campaign and at a think tank. He sought meaning and purpose through varied work experiences, eventually building a career as a paid speaker and author while matching the $70,000 salary he earned decades earlier.
Business leaders acknowledge this shift. Nicola Grant, chief people officer at Hiscox insurance, noted that younger workers increasingly prefer building diverse skill sets over linear career paths, with greater willingness to move when development slows. Lucy Kemp, an employee experience specialist at La Fosse, views lily padding as the future of work, driven by younger workers’ recognition that loyalty alone doesn’t guarantee advancement and their desire to develop skills relevant in an evolving job market.