Ut oh, here we go again – another article slamming Gen Z. Don’t worry, Millennials got the same treatment as every other generation before as well. In any case, it still may be interesting to see what are some of the cultural aspects of this coming generation.
Working with GenZs is not easy – so they say. It is the first generation born and raised on the internet. And the frustration, the struggle, and the memes of older generations trying to manage them are only beginning. All of this comes from just the handful of GenZs old enough to work today, but they are 30% of the population and will become 30% of the workforce in a couple of years. See this in the chart below.
But the Millenials trying to manage them, we often forget how much GenXs and Boomers hated us. We were entitled and lazy. We quit easily. Right? So why does each generation struggle so much to deal with the next one? How true is it that Millennials work less and that GenZs are even worse?
But each generation has been forced to adapt and navigate the reality of eventually replacing the older ones. It’s not a simple nut to crack – but check out the video below in an effort to understand more about this subject.
Some American business owners and managers hold a dismal view of Gen Z workers, shocking new research has revealed. ResumeBuilder surveyed 1,344 people in managerial positions across different industries in the US earlier this month, asking them about their experiences working with those born in 1997 or later.
Almost half (49%) of respondents declared it difficult to work with Gen Z “all or most of the time,” while a staggering 79% said they find them the most difficult generation to have in the workplace. Of that majority, 59% said that they’ve had to fire a Gen Z employee, and 20% even claimed to have axed one of the young workers within a week of their start date. See below the top complaints of managers toward Gen Zers and learn more here.
Among those who consider GenZ the most challenging generation to work with, 34% would instead work with Millennials.
More and more young workers have been reporting feelings of burnout. A 2021 survey from jobs website Indeed showed millennials and Gen Z workers were reporting the highest rates of burnout, at 59% and 58%, respectively. Reporting rates among Gen Z were increasing fastest; in 2021, 47% of Gen Z said they were burnt out, compared to 53% of millennials.
Were Millenials any better than Gen Zers when they were younger?
Additionally, a 2022 survey by US-based work-management platform Asana showed more Gen Z workers were reporting feelings of burnout than other age groups, while a 2021 survey of British workers showed 80% of Gen Z respondents reported feeling more burned out since the pandemic, compared to an average of 73% across all age groups. See below the percentage of workers by the generation that are feeling burnout.
Do the Gen Zers have a point – life is too tough for them, and they need us to cut them some slack? Before we critique them too much, just ask yourself – who raised them? So, are Gen Zers getting a bad rap? Or are they just plain difficult and lazy – on a continuing ramp of a cultural slide downward, like many late-stage empires societies have done in the past?
Certainly, not all Gen Zers can be described in a negative way. And how do Gen Zers stack up against Millenials? Give us your take in the comment section below on the Gen Z workforce phenomenon.
By Tom Williams
