Eve is here. With the outlook for groaning uncertain, it may not be surprising that members of Generation Z don’t show enough respect in the workplace, before we even get to the issue of global environmental degradation. But their openness is genuine. We live in a society where selling labor is a condition of survival for most people. Has COVID-19 and the retirement of baby boomers thinned the workforce sufficiently to have the influence to broadly reconfigure the terms of employment, as happened after the Black Death? That being said, the on-call norm that began with the proliferation of cell phones and the Internet is irrational and unhealthy. Any receding of the widespread Gen Z aversion to hyper-competitive and workplace-centric games would be a hugely beneficial change.
By award-winning multimedia journalist Sonali Kolhatkar. She is the founder, host, and executive producer of “.Rise with Sonali” is a weekly television and radio program broadcast on Free Speech Television and Pacifica stations. Her latest book is Standing Up: The Power of Stories in the Pursuit of Racial Justice (City Lights Books, 2023). she, An economy for everyone Project of the Independent Media Institute and Editor of Racial Justice and Civil Liberties yes! magazine. She is co-director of the nonprofit Solidarity Organization. afghan women mission He is also a co-author of bleeding afghanistan. She is also a member of the Board of Directors. Justice Action Centeran immigrant rights organization. Creator An economy for everyonea project of the Independent Media Institute
My oldest son is a senior in high school, taking his first steps into the competitive and bewildering world of applying to college and his future career. That’s why I was drawn to his recent works. heading Fortune magazine declared, “Bosses are firing Gen Z graduates just months after hiring them. What are they saying needs to change?” The story covers new things study It’s about hiring trends among employers, and what they need to do to attract and retain new graduates: generous pay, great benefits, work-life balance, creativity, and job security. ), it was a slander against new graduates.
Not only do employer They accused young people of “lack of motivation and initiative,” saying they were “frequently late for work and meetings, not wearing office-appropriate attire, and using workplace-appropriate language.” I’m dissatisfied.
Nowhere in the story is there any mention that the 2024 graduates enrolled as freshmen in the year the world shut down. COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown influenced A disproportionate number of young people are involved. They were forced into isolation, albeit for good reason, at a time in their lives when social interaction was as important, if not more important, than schoolwork. But their mental health is suffering, and as a society we have made no systematic effort to address it. Instead, they were left to take care of their mental health and adjust their attitude towards work and career.
Nor is there any acknowledgment in the story that the futures of young people have been sacrificed on the altar of oil company profits. as a world Burn and flood and the face storm and as catastrophic climate predictions As we try to erase Gen Z’s future, society demands that they be nice and act as if nothing is wrong and no major intervention is needed to rectify the situation. are. Instead, Gen Z must face climate change as individuals.
What is luck? story Covering the learning of new graduate employees do Referring to how schools seek to prepare children for jobs in industry, one high school in London said: “We are currently trialling the following classes.” This is shared without any sense of irony over the fact that working hours in a civilized society should not exceed eight hours.
The employer is Apparently We’re looking for people with a “positive attitude and more initiative.” If that seems beside the point, there’s more. One career advisor told Fortune that young hires should “build a reputation for trustworthiness by maintaining a positive attitude, meeting deadlines, and actively participating in projects outside of their direct responsibilities.” he said. In other words, if you want to keep your job, take on more work than you were hired to do.
Long hours and extra work mean employees are sacrificing their lives and well-being for the sake of their bosses, and are dying out from jobs that decades ago might have been paid just enough to live on. It’s part of the ethos of a company’s culture. That capitalist contract has disappeared. a Separate survey for September 2024 Gen Z pay satisfaction found that 87% of those surveyed felt they were underpaid. May 2020 Pew Survey concluded Today’s young people are “on track to become the most educated generation ever.” This naturally raises expectations from employers. However, nearly half of those surveyed in September only earn between $30,000 and $60,000 a year, which is not enough to survive in today’s economic climate. There are good reasons why young workers lack positive attitudes.
pew It also found that “Members of Generation Z are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation.” Over the past year in particular, young Americans have witnessed the unfolding genocide in Gaza, targeting people like them. The genocide, funded by parents’ taxes and university donations, has been laid out in gruesome detail on Instagram and TikTok accounts, alienating them from political pundits who downplay Israel’s responsibility. Their protests and encampments on college campuses have not helped stop US funding to Israel.
No wonder Gen Z is breaking away from older generations by: disproportionately And he is unapologetically pro-Palestinian. No wonder they are fed up with their future in a country where the government actively cheers on the extermination of their fellow Palestinians.
Gen Z is being forced to personally address massive systemic failures such as climate change, pandemics, and genocide. So why are we shocked that they prioritize their physical and mental health? No one else is doing that.
February 2024 stanford report An article about Gen Z workers asks about young people’s values and expectations for employment, noting that they “question everything, including colleagues, parents, and people at work,” and that “they also question why they do what they do. I am not afraid to ask such questions.” Just do it and you’re done. ” They prefer cooperation and agreement over hierarchy, and most importantly, value mental health and work-life balance.
Gen Z workers grew up watching their parents take work home, work overtime, stay overtime without pay, and always be available for calls and emails. In return, they watched older generations suffer mass layoffs, failed union campaigns, and stagnant salaries. If we reject the idea that work life dominates home life, rather than the other way around, it appears that younger workers have much to teach their older colleagues and employers.
Personally, I often encourage my 17-year-old son to focus on getting good grades so he can get into a good college and get a good job that will earn him enough money to live on. But such logic assumes that we live in a merit-based economy where effort is rewarded. Those of us over 40 know firsthand what a lie this is. I find that my sarcastic teenage son hardly humors me when I urge him to prioritize his grades. And I can imagine him doing the same with a future boss who might encourage him to have a “positive attitude” at work.
Mark Beal, professor of public affairs at Rutgers University, is the author of the following books: Generation Z decoding, said Fortune, “Gen On the other hand, “Gen Z works to survive.” They are prioritizing their own mental health over the financial health of Wall Street.
Are they thinking something? Rather than condemning young people who work too hard to prioritize their health, it would be wise to learn from them. Gen Z is changing our collective psyche to normalize bosses asking employees what they owe, rather than the other way around.
