A new Deloitte study reveals that nearly 70% of Generation Z in Latin America say a company’s values directly influence their decision to work there. This is not a minor statistic, but a clear signal to organizations that still consider corporate culture a secondary concern.
Technology—and particularly AI—is reshaping roles, reducing team sizes, and raising questions about the relevance of human talent. While large-scale displacement may not be immediate, a sense of vulnerability has already taken hold across the workforce.
As Fernando Gaspar Barros, founder of Brands like Bands, explains, “creativity within companies is often hidden, but it can be one of the most powerful forces of connection.” It is precisely this connection that erodes when employees feel their organization lacks a clear sense of purpose.
The lesson from major transformations
With Twitter’s transformation into X, employees witnessed shifts in policies, leadership philosophy, and the culture that once attracted them. “Collective creativity is the only refuge of authenticity that companies have left,” Gaspar Barros notes.
Generation Z is projected to represent nearly 35% of the Latin American workforce by 2030. They are often labeled as “difficult to motivate,” but that perception says more about organizational rigidity than about the cohort itself.
Deloitte’s survey confirms that many young workers have turned down job offers due to a lack of alignment in values. They also express growing concern about how AI will reshape their careers.
For Rajat Mishra, founder and CEO of Prezent, “GenAI can be applied to certain tasks and functions, such as repetitive processes that rely on text and data and don’t require extensive, expensive digital transformation.”
“The first wave of AI adoption concentrated on low-hanging fruit, allowing companies to reap immediate efficiency gains from the technology,” Mishra added.
Building identity in a time of technology
As institutional identity is tested under geopolitical and technological pressure, superficial responses are no longer sufficient. Slogans and outdated surveys are easily recognized for what they are: evasions.
Identity must be visible in difficult decisions—how layoffs are handled, how the arrival of AI is framed, and how values are upheld when compromises are required. As Fernando Gaspar Barros puts it, “culture is a business asset.”
Institutions once competed with religion, nation, and community as pillars of identity. Today, they compete with algorithms and digital communities that reinforce belonging on an hourly basis.
“… As we transition from automation to autonomy, the industry is awakening to a critical reality: autonomy without authority is dangerous,” says Bernd Bube, founder and CEO of ADvendio, in a LinkedIn post.
Generation Z is not destabilizing the workplace; it is exposing where institutions have failed to define who they are under pressure. And for those willing to listen, that lesson may be more valuable than any traditional retention strategy.
