Boomer & Gen X Bosses Get 11 Things Seriously Wrong About The Way Gen Z Works
Vitaly Gariev | Unsplash It's easy for older generations to dismiss the needs and demands of younger workers, without acknowledging that the world is changing. For Gen X and baby boomers, the stereotypes they have about Gen Zers is mostly based in fear and experiencing such a drastic change from the way things worked when they first began their careers.
While older bosses may have a long list of complaints about their Gen Z colleagues, they get many things very wrong about the way these young people work. Gen Z are change-makers, working to carry us into an era where everyone is cared for, no matter what generation they're from.
Boomer and Gen X bosses get these things very wrong about how Gen Z works
1. Thinking job-hopping means Gen Z isn’t dedicated
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Boomers and Gen X entered a workforce that was way more stable than the one Gen Z inherited. Gen Z grew up in the shadow of the Great Recession and its economic ripple effect. To them, having a job doesn't mean they have job security, while older generations stayed at one company for their entire career because they had pensions and benefits.
For Gen Z, job-hopping is the only way to advance, and while boomers and Gen X look down on this, they're missing the point. Job-hopping reflects how inconsistent the economy is, not how inconsistent Gen Z is. In fact, 83% of Gen Z workers self-identify as job-hoppers. They see no need to stay in an entry-level job that doesn’t pay a living wage.
Gen Z wants work environments that meet their standards. They refuse to settle for less than their worth.
2. Asking for flexibility means they don’t want to work
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Older generations inaccurately judging younger generations isn’t a new trend, it’s a tradition. When boomers were young, the Silent Generation called them lazy hippies. When boomers grew older, they called Gen X slackers and millennials selfish. And now, it’s Gen Z’s turn to be judged for expecting flexibility in the workplace.
Boomers and Gen X bosses complain that Gen Z workers don't actually want to work, but that's not true. Gen Z just wants to work on their own terms. According to the World Economic Forum, 73% of young workers want flexible work options to be a permanent feature.
Gen Z prioritizes autonomy and their quality of life, and they refuse to compromise their values. Almost half of Gen Z said they would quit their job if it didn’t allow for work-life balance. They want their jobs to fit their needs, not the other way around.
3. Not understanding how valuable social media is
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Gen Z is constantly criticized for being chronically online, but their digital fluency is an asset, even though older generations disagree. Boomers and Gen X judge Gen Z for their overuse of social media, but they don’t understand how valuable it is on a professional level.
The way people work is changing and Gen Z is primed to keep pace. They know how to pull information from every platform and elevate their experience. Gen Z sees social media as a tool to tear down gatekeeping for good, using it to level up on the job.
This is the first time in history that five generations are working alongside each other. It’s not surprising that there’s friction, but holding this belief isn't useful. Boomers and Gen Xers, especially those in positions of power, have a lot to offer Gen Z as mentors, but Gen Z can guide older generations into the imminent future.
4. Mistaking boundaries for a bad attitude
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When Gen Z sets boundaries for themselves, their older colleagues and bosses think it's just them having a bad attitude. Older employees hold onto the harmful idea that just because they pushed past their limits and made work their life, Gen Z should too.
Gen Z outnumbers boomers in the workforce for the first time ever, and they’re bringing their boundaries with them. They're being asked to take on the jobs of multiple people and exceed expectations, all while making a bare minimum salary. To them, that's no way to live.
5. Thinking Gen Z is disrespectful for challenging the status quo
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Gen Z doesn’t sit back and accept the way the workplace is structured or the outdated norms they experience. They’ve grown up in an time marked by extreme disruption, and they’re not afraid to be disrupters themselves. They question the status quo, which leads boomers and Gen X to label them as disrespectful.
Stanford University research scholar Roberta Katz sees Gen Z as an inquisitive and pragmatic generation. This generation asks difficult questions and holds authority figures accountable, and that makes older generations uncomfortable.
As Katz pointed out, Gen Z “don’t necessarily see elders as experts. They want to understand why something is done in a certain way. When an older person says to them, ‘This is how you should do it,’ they want to check that out for themselves... They don’t believe in hierarchy for hierarchy’s sake. They do believe in hierarchy where it is useful.”
6. Calling them entitled for seeking balance
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One of the most significant differences between Gen Z and older generations is that Gen Z doesn’t let their job define their worth. They don’t live to work, yet they get called entitled for expecting some semblance of balance.
Whether it's taking their full lunch break or having no problem taking sick days when they need it, bosses and management tend to think these are signs of entitlement. Because older people are used to never taking a day off work and rushing through lunch to take care of their workload, they view Gen Z's actions as a negative thing.
7. Focusing too much on the way Gen Z talks
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Boomers and Gen X focus more on the way Gen Z talks at work than the actual work they’re doing. They assume Gen Z has no ambition, but really, they’re just noticing all the ways Gen Z refuses to buy into corporate culture. They misunderstand a core part of who Gen Z is: unfiltered and sincere.
Gen Z gets judged for being unprofessional because they show up to work in the most authentic way possible. Boomers and Gen X assume Gen Z doesn't know what they’re doing because they put emojis in emails and speak casually in meetings. But Gen Z knows exactly what they’re doing. They don't need to use a fake voice or curate a persona. Instead, they want to be themselves.
8. Equating living at home with a lack of ambition
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Gen Z gets judged for living at home, but it’s not accurate to measure their ambition by the kind of shelter they have access to. Gen Z got shut out of the American Dream, which has more to do with their economic reality than how hard they work. The disparity between how much money Gen Z makes and how much housing costs fuels Gen Z’s discontent with the system we all live in.
With rising costs and inflation, along with the inability to afford bare necessities like groceries and rent, living at home gives young workers a chance to save money. When boomers and Gen X were growing up, they had access to affordable housing and debt-free education, while younger generations are stuck in financial limbo.
So, Gen Z doesn’t live at home because they’re lazy, they live at home because they can’t afford anything else.
9. Complaining that Gen Z is soft because they’re emotionally intelligent
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Boomers and Gen X bosses tend to bring their tough love mentality into the workplace, but Gen Z doesn't operate that way. They seek out connection in every area of their life, wanting a sense of psychological safety at work, which only exists when compassion is centered.
Older generations complain that Gen Z is “too soft” to handle the real world, but they overlook how crucial emotional intelligence is to overall survival. As research psychologist Jamil Zaki highlighted, “Empathy is an experience. Kindness is a behavior. Kindness is the things we do for other people.”
Zaki explained that there's a stereotype behind empathy being "too soft and squishy for the work environment." But actually, it's a superpower of sorts, allowing colleagues to connect.
10. Thinking not working overtime is lazy
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Because boomers and Gen X approach work as something to be conquered, leading with a “no pain, no gain” attitude, they push through stress without taking any self-care measures. Gen Z, on the other hand, has a different version of life.
Gen Z watched their parents and grandparents take work home. They were first-hand witnesses to the harm overworking can cause. Gen Z wants complete separation between those two parts of their existence. They want to clock in, clock out, and live for themselves.
Gen Z won’t waste their precious energy on things that don’t serve them. They’re not waiting around for their lives to start and they’re not working overtime.
11. Underestimate how productive Gen Z is
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As bosses, boomers and Gen X see productivity as something that can lead to work-related stress and burnout. They push themselves to the limit to get their work done, even when their body and mind are telling them to slow down. So, when Gen Z chooses to work in a different way, they see it as a challenge to their methods.
Just because older generations over-committed to a 9-to-5 lifestyle, that doesn’t mean Gen Z has to do the same thing. Gen Z are passionate and productive, even if it looks different from what boomers and Gen X are used to.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a writer based in Boston, Massachusetts who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.
