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Why Are We Mad at Gen Z’s Expectations at Work?
Perspective of a Millennial Who Also Annoyed Older Generations
The internet feed is overflowing with short videos depicting something along these lines:
Take one: a Gen X individual — born between 1965 and 1979.
She is in formal attire visibly very sick at work, telling her boss that she will work through the illness but might be unable to work over time.
Take two: a Millennial — born between 1980 and 1994.
She is wearing a sweatshirt or some other comfortable clothing at home. She is visibly sick, but not as much as the person in the previous take. While on her laptop, she sends her boss an e-mail to let her know she will work slowly that day and might have to sign off early.
I admit I squarely fall into this one and am a millennial.
Take three: a Gen Zer —born between 1995 and 2009.
She has a slight cough but is otherwise healthy. She uses Slack to tell colleagues she will be out of the office that day. On another take, she is nowhere to be seen near her laptop.
These videos evoke a sense of annoyance toward this perceived “unwillingness to work” or “detachment” from work. When I first saw these videos, I thought:
