Gen Z No Longer Wants To Work For 11 Distinctly Legit Reasons
Nicoleta Ionescu | ShutterstockIt seems every generation looks down on the ones coming after it for being lazy and entitled. Few generations have had it worse than Gen Z, coming of age during a global crisis and reportedly finding the jobs market "dystopian" and corporate life full of despair.
But Gen Z's bad reputation isn't deserved. In fact, they're incredibly hard-working people who no longer want to work in traditional settings, and they have some distinct and legit reasons why.
Gen Z no longer wants to work for 11 distinctly legit reasons
1. They're more invested in their personal lives
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According to Johns Hopkins University, Gen Z adults prioritizing their personal lives, identities, and work-life balance to a higher degree than most of their older peers, setting intentional boundaries like refusing to do work at home and choosing less demanding careers.
It's not that they don't care about work, they're just not willing to consistently sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of an employer. Especially when that doesn't pay them a liveable wage or offer benefits like health insurance or retirement savings.
This generation often has the freedom to make that choice due to the fact that they're more likely to live at home with their parents for longer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing!
If employers and companies want dedicated Gen Z employeers who stay with them for years, they will have to shift to accommodate the new values of young workers in the office.
2. They can't afford basic necessities, even when employed
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Almost half of American workers are struggling to afford basic necessities like housing costs or groceries, according to data from the Urban Institute. Many of these workers are young people entering the workforce and struggling to find their footing amongst their looming student debt and rising costs. While this report was from 2017, the cost of basic necessities has only gone up, while wages have not kept up with the rate of inflation and cost of goods.
For Gen Z, there's hardly an incentive to work hard or do more than the bare minimum for a company that's not giving them any security in return. This is why so many young people have adopted workplace trends like "coffee-badging" and "quiet quitting" to protect the peace they do have control over while on the clock.
3. Even with raises and bonuses, they still won't be able to buy a home
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While baby boomers and Gen X could work hard and climb the corporate ladder to secure a six-figure salary, there are few promises of this for Gen Z. That ability to earn enough to make investments and save for emergencies, starting a family with secure financials, buying a house, etc, is looking almost impossible for most working Gen Z Americans.
That same salary isn't cutting it anymore and that American dream of buying a home for your family is all but evaporatoing unless they can pool funds with family or friends. In many cases, it's just enough for young people to afford living expenses, general purchases, and basic necessities.
So, what's in corporate life for Gen Zers? Why make the choice to sell their soul to a company and work long hours simply to scrape by with a basic living? To give up values like work-life balance, personal well-being, and mental health that they prioritize more in their professional careers than other generations, they'd need to see a lot more up-side.
4. They prioritize their mental health
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Gen X and elder millennials were raised in a hustle culture that encouraged them to dismiss and push through anything, including major mental health issues, but younger generations are far more open about dispelling mental health stigma. That means they are truly looking out for their own well-being, even if it means threats against their upward mobility at work.
Many of the reasons millennials and Gen Z don't care about work have nothing to do with their employers or teams. Despite being occasionally misunderstood by their bosses, the problem lies in their ability to see through the hustle culture message so many young people are sold.
5. They don't buy into the 'we're all family here' office story
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Many Gen Z and millennial workers are open to making casual connections and friendships with their co-workers, and hopefully alleviating loneliness. But when it comes to feeding into the "family-style" office culture many leaders (often, unintentionally) use the phrase "we're a family here!" sentiments to overwork their teams and craft a misguided sense of obligation amongst workers.
Prioritizing work-life balance means choosing to leave work in the office. They're not going out for drinks with their teams after work unless they're authentically motivated, taking on unnecessary obligations to support their "family" in the office, or overworking themselves out of guilt.
6. They're stuck in jobs without purpose
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Many younger generations of workers are craving something that feels purpose-driven and ethical. They're attracted to workplace cultures that align with their values and are more diverse. However, especially with their shifting values compared to more traditional older generations, it's become increasingly difficult for them to find the right fit.
Some even suggest that they're willing to put in more hours and effort in jobs with meaning and purpose, but because they're stuck in jobs without those things, they're labeled as lazy or entitled for doing the bare minimum. When you think about it, that's how every generation feels. You'll work harder for something you truly believe in, something you think will make the world better.
The difference with Gen Z? They'll say it out loud.
7. They don't feel respected
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Gen Z gets a lot of negative press for being lazy or irreverent, immature or overprotected. But according to psychologist and Wharton professor Adam Grant, this isn't necessarily true.
"Every generation tends to complain about the one next to us," he told The Guardian. "Everyone used to hate millennials, and now it’s gen Z."
With everything stacked against them that we've listed above, they're being subjected to a great deal of misguided stereotypes. Managers and older coworkers buy into the hype and their perception becomes overtaken by negativity bias.
In other words, they're told Gen Z is bad, so all the see is the bad. This discourages them from going the extra mile at work and can isolate them from a healthy workplace culture. No wonder this generation doesn't feel indebted to their employer when the workplace isn't giving them much in return.
8. They're struggling with chronic stress
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Data from the American Psychological Association reveals that the majority of young Gen Z workers are dealing with chronic stress, often stemming from their professional aspirations and career. Not only does this stress affect their emotional and physical well-being, it discourages them from pushing harder, even if that means they won't climb that corporate ladder.
Knowing that the economy isn't promising them what it promised previous generations, they'd prefer to set clear work boundaries and expectations than continue to dismiss their mental health. They know the effects of chronic stress on the body, so they'd rather not invest in something they feel will harm them in the long run.
9. They're not receiving an real mentorship
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One of the reasons millennials and Gen Z don't care about work is because they're not being offered constructive feedback on how to grow. When they are given advice or guidance from older leadership teams, it often falls in line with their own traditional values, not the kinds of motivation and clarity young people need to succeed.
Of course, that's the job of a leader: to accommodate, guide, and support their teams in the ways they're most receptive to. Many Gen Z and millennial workers are stuck in this cycle of doing work, having their work ethic misunderstood, and not getting consistently constructive feedback from their bosses to grow.
A survey conducted by Deloitte noted that one key change employers can make if they want to keep Gen Z workers engaged and productive is to allow their supervisors to serve as mentors. They report that this is something Gen Z is craving, and simply not getting enough of.
10. They don't middle-management career aspirations
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The majority of Gen Z and millennial workers are more interested in "descending" the corporate ladder than overworking themselves with little recognition or compensation in return.
According to Yahoo Finance, "Building a pipeline of potential managers is getting more difficult as younger people increasingly aren't interested in leading a team." The same article reports that 50% of respondents to a survey on the topic said they'd like to be considered for a promotion, as long as they don't have to manage others.
The article reports that this has created a "huge gap" in employees seeking managerial positions compared to what's out there. The #1 reason Gen Zers didn't want these positions? Work-life balance, of course. They are wise to the game of giving people a little authority, a small pay bump, and way, way more work.
11. The promise made about success at work have gone unfulfilled
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While baby boomers and Gen X workers were able to find financial comfort and job security by taking the "traditional" route to success with education and dedication to one company or business where they stay loyal and are rewarded in kind. But Gen Z never saw these old-fashioned promises pan out.
Many of those who went to college are grappling with student debt without many job prospects. They're unable to find an entry-level job that pays a livable wage or accepts candidates without years of experience. It's nobody's specific fault, as many older parents encouraged their kids to follow this path because it worked for them.
Sadly, after a few tries to make it work and going nowhere, Gen Z no longer wants to work. hard in the same way older generations did. And who can blame them?
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
