Gen Z Has Basically Zero Patience For 6 Workplace Norms Older Generations Just Accept
Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock While baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials all contributed tremendously in their own ways to important changes in workplace culture, Gen Z is set on taking things much further.
Gen Z sees many of the workplace norms that people in older generations simply accepted as the way things are as completely and utterly unacceptable. Because their mental health is so important to them, they usually have no patience for anything that will cause them too much stress or take away from their quality of life, no matter how normal they're told by their elders those things are supposed to be.
Gen Z has basically zero patience for 6 workplace norms older generations accept:
1. Rigid schedules
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Rigid schedules are something Gen Z cannot accept at work. A 9-to-5 workday used to be the expectation, so most people in older generations wouldn’t complain about a set schedule like that. Almost every worker back when they were younger simply followed along.
But for Gen Z, flexibility is crucially important. They still want to be able to live their lives without spending every waking hour working. They grew up during the rise of remote work, and they’ve seen the benefits of having a job that lets you do what you want as long as you’re getting assignments done on time. They want that kind of flexibility even at a job where they have to be in the office in person, and they don't have the patience to deal with a strict 9-to-5 schedule.
2. Jobs taking over their personal life
Rigid schedules aren’t the only thing Gen Z is concerned about when it comes to their working hours. They also won’t accept a job that takes up the majority of their life. Being overworked wouldn’t give them the work-life balance they want.
To Gen Z, having a life outside of work is really important. They know being overworked can really affect someone’s mental health. It usually causes people to become burnt out and more stressed. But it’s not just that it’s adding something negative. It’s also taking away from the positive things they have going on.
They want work-life balance so they can spend time with their friends or practice their creative hobbies. Those are the things that make life worth living, and they won’t be able to accept giving those up, unlike some workers in the older generations.
3. In-person meetings as the standard
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Having an in-person meeting now and again isn’t a major problem for Gen Z. The issue arises if that’s the only way their bosses communicate with their employees. Those meetings can really take away from the time they have to complete their tasks.
Too many in-person meetings may cause them to have to do work at home, taking away from their work-life balance. Many companies also hold in-person meetings that don’t accomplish much. Most of the information could probably be sent over email. Reading an email would also take a lot less time out of their day.
Older generations didn’t always communicate through email because that kind of messaging didn’t exist when they were younger. Even when it did, the workplace norm of in-person meetings continued. Gen Z is beyond used to it, so they don’t see in-person meetings as necessary, and they have no patience for them.
4. Strict hierarchies
Older generations were typically raised by more authoritative parents, so they were used to this kind of structure. They didn’t see a problem with workplaces having hierarchies because it's what they were used to growing up. Gen Z was raised differently.
Their parents went for a more collaborative relationship, and that’s what they want at work. Gen Z places a lot of value on a healthy work environment. They want a company to be more of a democracy than a dictatorship so workers can communicate their issues with people in higher positions. That way they know they’ll be treated fairly, and that's also pretty important to them. Gen Z also sees everyone as having value. They don’t think that just because someone has a lower position means their opinions are less important.
5. Expectations of loyalty
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When older generations started working, loyalty was important. Most companies hired from within. They wanted people with a deep understanding of how the business worked and where it needed to improve.
Now, companies often don't do that. Gen Z was taught that staying at a company for a long time would actually hurt their chances of promotion. They learned to leverage their current job to get a better one at another company. If an employer expects them to stay there for years, they won’t be able to do that. They won’t have the patience to wait around for something to happen. They’d prefer to seek out opportunities for themselves.
6. Being expected to dress up for work
Dressing up for work was expected for workers in the older generations. Typically, men wore blazers and ties, while women might wear a nice blouse and a formal skirt. It was almost like they believed that by looking more professional, people would act that way too.
Gen Z workers have no patience for a job that expects them to dress that way. They don’t think clothes are important when it comes to doing a good job at work. They’d rather their work speak for itself than have their clothes reflect their drive or intelligence. They also think uncomfortable clothes make them less productive. If they’re comfortable, they’ll be less likely to want to go home throughout their workday.
Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.
