SINGAPORE – “Why do we GenZers tend to have poor work ethic?” a 26-year-old Gen Z asked other Gen Zs online, noting that younger members of the generation seem not to put as much effort into their work as those on the older end of the generation.
Excluding herself, as she claims she never slacks at work, given that she has one full-time job, two side jobs, and up to two online businesses, she said she noticed this among at least a few teens between the ages of 16 and 19.
She added that where she lives, many teens are privileged and do not need to work for financial reasons, but more because their parents push them to get a job to do something.
“Is it due to having no experience?” she asked, saying that as a farmer, she personally finds it difficult to “half-do” any job.
“Maybe it’s different for those in labour vs those behind a screen or a cash register?” she further wrote on r/GenZ, as she explained she was simply trying to understand younger Gen Zs and was not trying to generalise an entire generation, adding, “but I seem to notice it with younger folks more so.”
Some Gen Z commenters reasoned that they are only doing the bare minimum because they are getting paid the bare minimum.
One said, “If I’m paid under my market value, why should I work hard? If I’m paid at my market value, why shouldn’t I give them the market amount of effort? Pay me above the typical market value? Ok, then I will talk about company loyalty. We just don’t live, even in white-collar jobs, in the times of our forefathers who were ‘company men’.”
Another shared a similar view, saying, “They act as if we don’t matter, so in that same regard, I guess the quality of my work doesn’t matter. Businesses need to realise and prioritise employees that want to go beyond but aren’t incentivised to do so.”
Meanwhile, a third commenter wrote, “Every generation has its share of hard workers and its share of slackers. Affluent parents can easily mess up their kids if not careful.”
She added that there’s even a colloquial expression older generations often use — “kids these days.”
“The youth have always taken a little time to learn where and how best to apply themselves. Think about what must have been said about hippies in the 60s. Nearly all of them ended up being productive members of society.”
However, a fourth suggested that maybe a lot of people just tend to notice the unexpected: “If there is an older slacker you are used to it but a newer slacker you aren’t used to them slacking.” /TISG
Read also: Gen Z discussion: Are young workers entitled — or just discouraged?
