12 Valid Reasons Gen Z Doesn’t Work As Hard As Gen X
They're struggling with more than just motivation at work.
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com With the current state of the job market, economy, and sociopolitical climate, there are several valid reasons Gen Z doesn’t work as hard as Gen X. While they might be misunderstood and often misconstrued in debate, they’re self-preserving mechanisms for Gen Z as they craft their adult lives, future goals, and general emotional well-being.
Nearly 40% of Gen Z workers feel a sense of exhaustion or negative emotion in their current professional roles, according to a survey from Deloitte, but there’s not necessarily one specific reason to blame. While they might be incomprehensible situations for older generations of workers, who were sold and often achieved the dream of financial comfort through their career endeavors and hard work, Gen Z is struggling to realize the same American Dream that equates hard work to success.
Here are 12 valid reasons Gen Z doesn’t work as hard as Gen X
1. They’re making less money
wichayada suwanachun | Shutterstock.com
According to a Handshake survey, 70% of Gen Zers name compensation and a higher salary as a top determinant of their career decisions and aspirations, with salary transparency and growth being an innate expectation in their positions.
Despite yearning for financial stability and prioritizing it in their careers, they’re struggling more financially compared to other generations like Gen X.
Another study by TransUnion argues that Gen Z has been more affected by rising costs and inflation — including necessities like groceries and rent — than other age groups, and is using more credit early in their lives than their older counterparts did at the same age.
While they’re motivated towards financial stability, and more specifically, financial comfort, they’re less likely to sacrifice their personal well-being for an employer that’s only compensating them in maintaining a paycheck-to-paycheck reality.
2. They’re not motivated by long-term financial goals
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock.com
According to an IPX 1031 survey, nearly 63% of Americans can’t afford to buy a home, with a staggering 87% of those being Gen Zers.
While also living paycheck-to-paycheck, budgeting to buy their groceries or pay their rent every month, the feasibility of saving for larger long-term financial goals like purchasing a home or buying a car is low.
Despite holding the same, if not more, experience than their Gen X counterparts did at the same age, they’re struggling more financially to keep up with rising costs — leaving little money left for savings, retirement, and emergency accounts.
While sacrifice for long-term financial goals might’ve been motivating for Gen Xers at the beginning of their careers, Gen Zers struggle to harness a similar mindset, especially in jobs they’re not passionate about and don’t feel respected in.
3. They’re committed to their work-life balance
Ground Picture | Shutterstock.com
While the majority of Gen Z workers are willing to work long hours and put in extra time for a job they’re passionate about, most are quick to set clear work-life boundaries with their employers to prioritize their own mental health, well-being, and personal time.
Especially for those still struggling financially, despite working a full-time job, they’re less motivated to sacrifice their own time for the benefit of their company.
According to a survey from Deloitte, 25% of Gen Zers name work-life balance as their top priority when looking for a new job, with over 14% claiming they’ve recently left a job due to concerns with burnout and overbearing employers.
Growing up in homes where work life boundaries were often vague, they’re more likely to prioritize them in their own lives to combat similar consequential reactions.
4. They prioritize their mental health
JLco Julia Amaral | Shutterstock.com
According to the American Psychological Organization, Gen Z is more likely to report mental health concerns than Gen X and other demographic groups.
Despite both growing up in uniquely different versions of “hustle culture,” many Gen Z workers are more committed to prioritizing their mental health than climbing the corporate ladder.
Along with the greater mental health awareness among Gen Zers, they’ve also interlinked their emotional well-being with other avenues of their life — from their social life to their professional career and even their purchasing habits.
Data from YPulse even suggests that 71% of Gen Zers prefer when brands they purchase from and support integrate mental health concerns into their brand image and advertising.
5. They find community in other areas of their lives
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
As technological accessibility and online community spaces flourish, especially among people in younger generations, there’s less of a need for Gen Z to make friends and relationships with their co-workers.
Combined with a greater push for more flexible working options, like remote and hybrid workplaces, many Gen Zers also feel indifferent to prioritizing work relationships in their personal lives.
Combating overbearing work expectations and a healthier work life balance, they’d rather separate their personal relationships and lives from their professional career.
According to a 2022 Gallup poll, nearly 55% of Gen Zers, a slightly higher percentage than other generations like Gen X, are also less engaged at work, as they are less focused on their workloads than making connections or bonding with their teams.
6. They’re seeking meaningful work
Dean Drobot | Shutterstock.com
According to experts from Haworth, Gen Z is more motivated professionally by meaningful work opportunities that connect with their values, passions, and goals.
Their productivity not only soars when they’re in a position they’re passionate about, they’re generally more engaged and content to do better work for more than a paycheck in these roles.
7. They have higher expectations for their employers
insta_photos | Shutterstock.com
Experts from INOP say that 87% of Gen Z are more likely to leave their current role if there’s both a mismatch in values and toxicity in their daily lives in the workplace.
Watching older generations like Gen X experience the consequences of burnout in toxic professional environments, they’re more committed to acknowledging the shortcomings of their employers in prioritizing their own wellbeing.
If they don’t feel like their employers are looking out for their best interests or operating in a healthy manner, their productivity isn’t the only thing that suffers, they’re also less engaged and more likely to search for another role.
8. They feel less respected at work
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
Coupled with the toxic online discourse about Gen Z’s “entitlement” — advocating for work life balance, fair pay, and clear professional boundaries — and their radical ideas about revolutionizing Corporate America, the tension in many workplaces for younger employees is difficult to ignore.
According to a Resume Builder survey, nearly 40% of Gen Z workers experienced bullying or harassment from their peers since returning to the office post-pandemic, with 30% arguing the general company culture has taken a more toxic turn with a more rigid schedule.
With perceptions of incompetence and ignorance on the rise, many Gen Zers feel pressured to simply prove their worth in their current roles, rather than being celebrated or supported in their success.
9. They feel discouraged by the job market
Pressmaster | Shutterstock.com
Many Gen Zers lack motivation in their jobs because they’re not passionate about them, but there’s more nuance to this discussion of meaningful work than many people are willing to acknowledge.
Many Gen Zers even struggle to find an entry level position after entering the workforce, despite being more educated and experienced than older generations like Gen X were at the same age.
In fact, the majority of entry-level jobs on the market require between 2 to 4 years of experience, according to a Linkedin analysis.
With over-saturation concerns in increasingly desired industries like marketing, advertising, and technology, many Gen Zers are forced to opt for a bridge job to pay their bills — more specifically, their heightened student loan payments and rising rent costs.
Facing both financial and emotional struggles in a society that places extreme emphasis on the integration of a person’s identity with their professional success, Gen Z is feeling discouraged, and their productivity and engagement often reflects that.
10. They’re battling overwhelming stress
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
According to research from the American Psychological Association, the majority of Gen Z workers are grappling with an “overwhelming” sense of stress in their daily lives, partly due to their professional careers, but also largely influenced by worldly events, cultural traumas, social media, and financial pressures and strain.
Nearly 70% of Gen Z respondents also feel alone in their struggles, believing nobody truly understands the stress they face every day.
Another 67% of surveyed Gen Zers argued their overwhelming stress levels were impacting their productivity and ability to focus, especially in their professional lives.
Coupled with the loneliness epidemic they’ve experienced with a disintegration of community spaces, technology, and meaningful work relationships, this kind of isolating stress is greatly impacting their wellbeing and productivity in intense ways.
11. They’re not receiving constructive feedback
Fizkes | Shutterstock.com
Having grown up in a culture of instant gratification, many Gen Zers have much higher expectations for their workplace experience, including receiving feedback from their peers and leadership team.
According to a Culture Monkey analysis, this idea of instant feedback and recognition for their professional accomplishments doesn’t mesh well in corporate spaces founded on long-term hustle, enduring dedication, and a laddered approach to growth.
Without the motivation of praise, recognition, and constructive feedback to guide their workplace success, many Gen Zers feel less engaged and productive in their professional roles.
12. They have less professional mentorship
Look Studio | Shutterstock.com
Despite 83% of Gen Z workers arguing that mentorship is crucial for their professional development, according to an Adobe survey, only 52% have successfully acquired one in their current roles.
Largely impacted by the flexible working environments Gen Z yearns for, alongside technological accessibility and the rise of Zoom meetings and offline chats, there’s a mentorship gap that prevents many entry-level employees from getting the mentorship they need to succeed.
Considering most entry-level jobs require a standard of experience, partially to offset their lack of formal training resources and mentorship, many new Gen Z workers are forced to sink or swim, an isolating and frustrating experience that can encourage lacking motivated, disengagement, and even burnout amongst their generation.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.