The Problem with Gen Z at Work

Gen Z, the youngest generation in the workplace, is drawing criticism after a couple surveys reveal truths that put young people's perspective at odds with their older bosses.

Specifically, a majority of business leaders said working with Gen Z is difficult most or all of the time. Also, in another survey, Gen Z expressed an interest in working overnight, rather than traditional hours, more interest in job hopping, and a desire to leave employees who fail to provide tools that allow them to work more efficiently. 

What's Happening with Gen Z at Work? 

Here are the details of each survey: 

From Resume Builder survey of 1,300-plus managers and business leaders

• 49% of business leaders reported working with Gen Z most or all of the time
• 4% said it was never difficult to manage Gen Z

From Adobe survey, Future of Time

• More Gen Z workers reported being most productive between 6 p.m. and 3 a.m. (26%) than any other generation
• More than half of Gen Z and Millennial workers plan to pursue a new job in the next year
• 70% of Gen Z employees reported they would switch jobs for access to better tools to help them work more producively

WATCH: Beyond the Stereotypes: Misperceptions about Millennials and Gen Z

How Gen Z Is Different But the Same

Born roughly between 1996 and 2010, Gen Z began entering the workforce during the pandemic. Their arrival came at a time when everyone began shifting priorities, working from home became pervasive, and the world forever changed. 

Since 2020, Gen Z influencers, particularly those on TikTok, have repackaged and rebranded some old animosity of workers. Listen to Dolly Parton's hit song, "9 to 5" and quickly realize this is all old news! Now, people are just calling those concepts quiet quitting, rage applying, bare minimum Mondays, and more. They make videos about them that go viral on TikTok.

Many older people considered some of these tactics, which indicate low employee engagement and less productivity, a sign of laziness and disinterest in paying dues or pursuing the organization's mission. Younger people argue that they simply want to redefine work-life balance and reflect fairness and flexibility in employment. 

HR Exchange Network would be remiss by not reminding readers that employers said the same things about Millennials when they started entering the workforce. Remember that Millennials earned labels like "entitled," "selfish," and "anti-work." Surely, the same was said about Gen X, also known as "slackers," and Boomers, many of whom earned the moniker "hippie," before them.

This kind of criticism, backlash, and tension is typical when a younger generation comes of age and joins the ranks at work. There's a great chance that Gen Z will pour these labels onto Generation Alpha coming up behind it, too. 

However, these surveys about generations in the workplace provide context for planning transformation. What will the future of work look like? While older generations are creating blueprints that redefine work and respond to employee needs for flexibility, higher pay, and better benefits, they must consider Gen Z's position.

Gen Z's Future

After all, Gen Z, along with Millennials, are the future of work. Many of the younger people at work feel marginalized and somewhat defensive as evidenced by the writing from a reporter covering one of the recent surveys. 

"Some might tell you that being a Gen Z whisperer is about saying 'slay' or using a stale meme, but young employees aren’t some extraterrestrial creatures dropped from Mars. We want what all workers want: the same flexibility, fair wages, and good company culture—we just might be more proactive about it," writes Chloe Berger in a Fortune article published by Yahoo! Finance. But because only the oldest of us are in the workplace, managers are still trying to figure out how to work with us—something that happens every time a new generation falls into the limelight."

In other words, this is an old story dressed anew. With a labor shortage brought on by a demographic change interrupting innovation and productivity, employees have gained leverage. Therefore, older generations are probably going to shift priorities and better align themselves with the ways of Gen Z. There is a distinct tension as transformation is already underway in many industries.

The fact is that Gen Z will eventually take over and make its mark - not to mention its complaints about those who are younger. The point is change is inevitable. So, what position will you take? 

Don't miss our conversation with Workplace Influencers and Thought Leaders Jessie DaSilva and Iwo Szapar when we talk about the misperceptions of Millennials and Gen Z in the workplace. Bring your questions, comments, and stories. All opinions on this subject are welcome - and it's free! 

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