A new survey of employees at large companies found that workers of all ages are taking leaves of absence, but for entirely different reasons.

In its "2026 Leave and Accommodations Employee Experience Report," AbsenceSoft — an employee leave management and accommodations platform — found that more than half of 2,000 workers at companies with 500 or more employees had taken a leave of absence in the past three years; the other half had requested a workplace accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). Collectively, these findings reveal priorities ranging from navigating cancer and caregiving to mental health crises and more.

"Every generation in today's workforce is taking leave, and they are doing it through some of the hardest moments of their lives," said Seth Turner, AbsenceSoft's founder and senior advisor. "When the process fails them, the consequences are real. Compliance violations, lost trust, and employees who don't come back are not edge cases. HR teams deserve better tools, and employees deserve better outcomes."

Varying reasons
While Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and boomers all request a leave of absence at nearly identical rates, the reasons behind those requests could not be more different. Here's a breakdown:

  • Gen Z cites mental health as the top driver (24%). It also is the first generation to cite neurodiversity — including ADHD, autism, and dyslexia — as a significant request driver (11%).
  • Gen X requests are driven by caregiving (23%) and medical procedures (23%).
  • Boomers take leave most often for physical illness recovery (31%) and family caregiving (27%).
  • Pregnancy, childbirth, and parental bonding account for 12% of all leaves, cutting across younger generations.

Meanwhile, the friction is sharpest for mental health and neurodiversity requests: More than one-third (37%) of neurodiversity requesters said the process took too long, and 28% feared retaliation. Mental health requests were not far behind, with 30% experiencing delays and 20% fearing retaliation.

"Gen Z is the first generation to enter the workforce having grown up with IEPs, 504 plans, and formal accommodations as a normal part of their lives," Turner said. "They are not going to leave that expectation at the door. HR teams should expect accommodation requests to continue to increase, driven by requests most programs were not designed to handle."

Flexibility is the most common accommodation request across the workforce, but the needs behind those requests also vary widely by generation.

Gen X and boomers are equally focused on flexibility, but their requests are more often driven by physical conditions, chronic illness, and age-related needs. Specialized equipment requests top the list for boomers (36%) and rank third for Gen X (27%).

Additionally, more than half of all accommodation requests involve schedule and shift changes, making flexibility the single most requested accommodation type across the entire workforce. Remote work accounts for nearly a third of all requests, and modified job duties account for another quarter. Gen Z leads with flexible or reduced schedules (46%) and permanent shift changes (32%). Millennials follow closely with flexible schedules (33%) and remote work (27%).

The rise of return-to-office mandates is adding another layer, driving up requests not only for remote work and flexible schedules, but also for parking, seating, and office equipment from employees being asked to come back on-site, according to AbsenceSoft.

Leave processing failures are widespread, too, with 47% of employees claiming they had issues with paperwork and deadlines; 44% experienced pay and benefits confusion, and 39% said the process was unclear or confusing. More troubling: Nearly one-fifth (16%) of respondents reported lost hours, demotions, lost responsibilities, or terminations during or after a protected leave of absence – all of which are serious indicators of noncompliance under federal law.
What's more, nearly a third of all leaves are managed by frontline supervisors rather than HR, exposing organizations to Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) compliance risk.

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