Gen Z Is Already Tired Of 7 Things At Work That Boomers & Gen X Still Seem To Think Are Normal
DC Studio / Shutterstock Gen Z workers couldn’t be more different from older leaders and managers they interact with on a daily basis. Even though they're really just getting started in their careers, they're already feeling extremely tired of many aspects of professional life that baby boomers and Gen X always considered perfectly normal.
We spend a huge amount of our lives at work, so being happy, or at least not completely miserable, when you're there is pretty important. Gen Z is well aware of this, but their current mindset about many office-life givens doesn't seem to be helping them all that much.
Gen Z workers are already exhausted by several things baby boomers and Gen X think are just normal at work
1. Being pressured to work in an actual office
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Despite what older people may think, most Gen Zers don’t want to work fully remote. They appreciate the sense of community that going to an in-person office brings. However, they do value flexibility and would prefer a hybrid schedule that gives them the freedom to schedule an appointment during the day or go home early on a day when they have plans at home.
It all comes back to protecting their personal time and mental health, both of which they believe are too easily sacrificed by many older people in the name of hard work or company loyalty.
2. Not having enough time off
Many Gen Zers are using sick time casually and for mental health reasons. They’re also using all of their vacation and paid time off instead of saving any and wearing their exhaustion as a badge of honor the way they think older employees do. Even at that, they don't think they have enough time.
To them, using the benefits they’ve worked hard for is a nonnegotiable they have no reason to feel guilty about, while people in older generations may feel more pressure to be at work all the time, whether they’re sick or tired, and think doing that is just the way things are.
3. Being expected to respond to emails and phone calls after work
Many older generations accept evening emails and Saturday phone calls as a part of the job. If they’re going to build loyalty with a company and work hard for them, that means sometimes overstepping their basic boundaries and working when they don’t want to.
However, Gen Zers’ ideas of work-life balance look almost completely different. Not only are they refusing to work outside of their scheduled hours, but they’re also taking more of the time they’re entitled to off and being careful not to say yes to a heavy workload.
4. Too many meetings that should really be emails
Most people, regardless of age, can’t stand when meeting overload takes over. All of a sudden, your entire schedule is filled with meetings talking about projects, with no time to actually work on them. However, with the added pressure that social, face-to-face conversations and meetings bring for young people, of course, they’re more irritable.
They want the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule, but they also prefer texts and emails over phone calls and meetings. They’re tired of being forced to do all their work with an audience, despite being more productive with more flexibility in communication.
5. Strict dress codes
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Gen Z prioritizes their own needs and preferences in the workplace, which is part of why they’re pushing back on traditional, rigid dress codes. They’re also interested in making workplaces more accessible, and for many young people today, buying a whole new wardrobe for work is impossible. They want to be respected for who they are, and while there are certainly some dress code expectations that should be upheld, they believe there should also be room for flexibility.
At the same time, baby boomers and Gen X saw dressing professionally as a rite of passage to be proud of. Getting your first suit was a special experience they cherished. It drew a distinction between your work life and home life that felt natural and consequential. While they understand it's nice to make some room for comfort, like casual Fridays, they miss a time when you dressed for the occasion.
6. Corporate lingo with no real purpose
As relatively new workers stepping into corporate environments for the first time, it’s no surprise that Gen Zers are already tired of corporate lingo. Most of that language just makes conversations more confusing for people who don’t understand it, and it serves little purpose for productivity and clarity.
For young workers with a change-maker attitude trying to make the office more inclusive and accessible for everyone, corporate lingo is one of the first thing they’re hoping to trash.
7. Merit-based anything
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Considering many Gen Zers aren’t interested in climbing the corporate ladder, merit-based promotions don’t appeal to them. They’d like to show up and do the work they’re being paid to do, then go home and enjoy their lives.
However, that also means that merit-based raises and compensation are frustrating for them, because they’re often pressured to work more often and on more projects, without any immediate additional compensation or reward. That’s part of why they job-hop so much. They care about finding meaning and learning new skills, and they don't necessarily feel a need to prove themselves worthy of anything in one job for too long.
Compared to older generations with a much different perspective on company loyalty and work ethic, especially in corporate environments, young workers take a much more flexible approach to their careers.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
