Videos of Gen Z and Millennials complaining about traditional 9-to-5 jobs have spread like wildfire on social media platforms, sparking a debate about the work ethic, or lack thereof, of younger generations.
A recent survey found that some employers are avoiding hiring Gen Z, with 58% believing they are not ready for the workforce.
Some experts say Gen Z isn't lazy to complain about corporate job structures, it just means they have fundamentally different priorities than previous generations. He claims that there is only one.
“Gen Z is not a lazy generation, but they are an entitled generation because they have a wider range of decision-making freedom than older generations with more financial obligations. They are different,” says workforce expert John. Frese told FOX News Digital.
Frese, senior managing director and head of global labor strategy at consulting firm Ankrah, explained how data shows that young adults are not getting married or having children as much as previous generations.
He said more than half of young people live at home with their parents, but less than half say they are members of an organized religion.
He argued that because many Gen Zers don't have mortgages or families to support, they have more financial freedom and are able to make different life choices.
Gen Z also wants work to fit their lifestyle, rather than the other way around.
This makes young people more likely to work in the gig economy or change jobs frequently rather than stay in a work environment they don't like.
“This is very troubling for employers,” Frese said.
His research found that Gen Z is less likely to ask for a promotion because they don't want to work overtime and take on additional responsibilities that can impact their lifestyle.
These various motives are fundamentally misunderstood by some older employers, he said.
Author and cultural expert Jessica Kriegel believes older and younger generations are more similar than they think.
But she says social media is increasing misunderstandings and generational conflicts.
“I think we're more similar than different. But what you're seeing, for example, is an increase in social media activity by young people, and that's what baby boomers are This further reinforces the perception that Gen Z is a certain way because of what they have and what they see on social media, which they don't see from the baby boomers. And that leads to generational conflict. It connects. And it's like an “us versus them” mentality that people dig deep into. And that causes a lot of misunderstandings,” she explained to FOX News Digital.
She argued that job hopping is not a new phenomenon for Gen Z.
The data shows that on average, employees in their 20s and 30s stay at a company for just three years, compared to 10 years for those in their 50s and 60s, compared to 60 years ago. She said there was the same loyalty gap between the two generations. It cites figures from the Employee Welfare Research Institute.
“So this is really more of a life stage issue than a generational issue,” she said.
“I think what's actually happening is that young people try one career, don't really like it, and try another career. Whereas older people, after going through that journey, They're figuring out where they want to be, where they want to stay, and they're getting closer to retirement, so they have a greater financial incentive to stay there,” Kriegel said.
The authors also said that “new norms of behavior and social interaction are making things uncomfortable for older employers dealing with Gen Z workers.”
“There's a stigma that those people are bad people. So we don't want to work with people like that, and I think that's unfortunate,” Kriegel said.
She argued that if employers approach interviews with such biases, young people are bound to stick to something that is “unprofessional”.
In a December 2023 survey of 800 U.S. employers and recruiters conducted by Intelligent.com, more than half of employers believe Gen Z is not ready for the workforce and are reluctant to interview. It was revealed that the company believes that some of the employees displayed an unprofessional attitude.
The most common criticism from employers about Gen Z's behavior during interviews was an inability to maintain eye contact.
Half of those surveyed said they had asked for unfair compensation, and 47% said they had been dressed inappropriately.
One in five employers even say they ask candidates to bring their parents along for a job interview.
Kriegel believes workplaces can benefit from abandoning generational stereotypes, which she discusses in her book, Wrongly Labeled.
The authors encourage employers to work on overcoming biases against Gen Z in order to overcome the “us versus them mentality.”
If young Millennials and Gen Z want to succeed in traditional jobs, she suggested, they can support themselves by “showing up the way corporate America wants them to behave.”
“Now, does that mean you can be your real authentic self? No, it's not. That in itself can be difficult. Many people get so frustrated with this that they quit their jobs and 9 Working in the gig economy instead of a 3-5 job. But if you want to play the game at corporate America, 9-5 jobs, you have to play that game. So, You need to adjust your look to make the best impression,” she advised.
