If TikTok is anything to go by, then the average Gen Z worker is a fan of leaving the office bang-on 5pm, loves to come up with a laid-back email signature, and will drop a job like that if it's not their vibe, with no concern for job loyalty.
They're the generation who have pioneered the ‘quiet quitting’ trend – a.k.a. doing the bare minimum at work, instead of going above and beyond – and consequently, ‘resenteeism’ (a rising feeling of resentment amongst those left in jobs they are unhappy in).
On the surface, it might sound a little bleak – but actually, Gen Z workers are breaking boundaries in the workplace by striving for better job satisfaction and work-life balance. This has led to a concept called ‘the great resignation’, which is seeing more and more young people leave their jobs within short periods of time.
According to Deloitte's Global 2022 Gen-Z and Millennial Survey, only 23% of Gen Z-ers plan to stay in their current jobs beyond five years, and 40% want to leave within two years – suggesting dissatisfaction is high.
TikTok content
TikToker @danisha.carter puts across her points pretty succinctly with her viral video on the attitudes of Gen Z workers – and the criticism aimed at younger generations for not settling in their jobs.
“Jobs don't care about you… treat them as stepping stones to where you want to be in life,” she says. "Quit as often as necessary and definitely don't sacrifice your mental health for them unless you feel it's an absolute must. Baby boomers' loyalty and logic has created so many unhealthy standards in our society – working at a job that mistreats you and that you hate until you're 65, being one of them.
“The point of ‘the game’ is getting ahead, and you should do anything you can – besides hurting others – to do that. And if that means quitting ten to twenty jobs a year, they're just going to have to deal with that.”
‘Resenteeism’ is the idea of staying in a job you’re fundamentally unhappy in.
She adds a disclaimer: “Yes having a job for over a year on your resumé looks better, and I'm assuming you're smart enough to lie about that.” Judging by the comments, many other Gen Z-ers concur.
According to Sarah Stein Lubrano, who has contributed to The School of Life’s new guide, The Career Workbook, Gen Z are finding that the benefits of staying in jobs for longer are smaller, hence why they’re moving around quicker.
“Workers are facing a different set of trade-offs about work than, say, their parents,” Sarah explains. “While the parents of Gen Z people might have chosen a stable job that involved a lot of control over their life (such as a long commute, long office hours-but a retirement plan or pension) Gen Z are conscious that work is unlikely to be able to offer them the same kind of benefits and stability. As a result, they are likely to choose increasing amounts of variety and autonomy instead.”
You can never be too careful in today's society.
Rhiannon Bates, a business mentor and founder of Garnet PR, says that the pandemic has changed how Gen Z looks at work and jobs, and they are now opting to go with companies who offer a more flexible approach.
“[The pandemic] proved that lots of service-based businesses could operate from home. However, if lots of workplaces aren't continuing to still offer this hybrid working model, the younger generation is more likely to look elsewhere for a career,” she explains.
“I noticed that in my previous role, before I was self-employed, that the younger generation weren't picking their job based on salary but on the perks or benefits that go with it. They want flexibility, they want to be able to work at the times that are more suitable for them and they want a better culture.”
Sarah adds that young people are “easily dissatisfied” with “how boring early career work can be, or wish that they could progress more quickly. “I encourage people to think about this big structural problem too, and the way that an economy that cannot offer stability is likely to mean that employees choose autonomy instead,” she says.
What do Gen Zs want from their jobs?
“One thing that I think is undervalued by most employees (Gen Z and otherwise) and employers is the ability to learn on the job,” Sarah explains.
“Often problems that we have with workplaces could be at least improved if there were more thoughtful moments of teaching and learning at work,” she continues. “This doesn't have to look like boring stuffy formal training, it might mean informal mentorship or skill shares over lunch. I think opportunities like this make people much more likely to feel that they are getting something out of investing time and brain space at work, something they might not be able to find if they simply switch jobs again.”
“Businesses need to provide CSR (corporate social responsibility) opportunities such as giving back via charity work, showing appreciation through time back in lieu if you've worked extra hard on a project, or even just being allowed to nip out for a couple of hours to go to a doctors appointment, rather than take a days holiday,” Rhiannon says. “It's about give and take, and most of all being human.”
Men are praised and rewarded for their ambitions, but women are more likely to be penalised for acting on theirs.
“There's an immense body of psychological literature devoted to the positive effects of personal autonomy at work and in life,” Sarah says. “It leads to better long-term learning for employees and employers and also improves their wellbeing and gives them a sense of direction. As the saying goes, we don't leave jobs but managers – so companies should seek to manage lightly where they can, and thoughtfully and well.”
“Gen z setting firm boundaries [in the workplace] is definitely a positive but it's also a huge shift in the way things have been previously done,” Rhiannon explains.
“In a world where we are always on and always connected, having those parameters set are more important than ever. Because people don't necessarily work the standard 9-5 anymore, emails pinging at all hours with instant access to team members, mental health is suffering and we saw this reach a peak over the past few months as a result of burnout and the economic crisis.
“That's why it's even more necessary to make sure that you are having switch-off time to protect your own energy and mental wellbeing, and it's great that this seems to be becoming more accepted.”
Last but never least, Gen Z wants more money. As Sarah says: “Yes to higher pay in a cost of living crisis, please!”
