11 Ways Gen Z Employees ‘Cheat’ The Workplace That Older Generations Wouldn’t Dream Of Doing On The Clock
Gen Zers are finding quite a few work-related work-arounds.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock Gen Z employees are frequently finding ways to "cheat" the workplace and do less actual work. It’s become so prevalent, in fact, a recent study of Gen Zers and young millennials performed by PapersOwl found that 95% of respondents thought it was “acceptable.”
Here are 11 ways Gen Z employees ‘cheat’ the workplace:
1. Career catfishing
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PapersOwl’s survey found that 29% of their respondents have taken part in this new workplace trend. Fortune reporter Chloe Berger defined this phenomenon as when “a successful candidate [accepts] a job and then never [shows] up.”
Some believe this is a response to hiring managers ghosting job candidates by not responding to them after they submit an application or complete an interview.
This is a difficult situation. While getting ghosted by a hiring manager is never OK, it’s also not a great idea to catfish a company. It’s certainly not a good look and lends nothing to your reliability.
2. Quiet vacationing
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“Every second respondent quiet vacationed at least once during the last year,” PapersOwl reported. This means that every other survey participant took time when they were on the clock to travel or take care of personal matters, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Quiet vacationing is particularly problematic for remote companies where someone can clock in and give the appearance of working when they actually aren’t. Older generations likely would never even consider quiet vacationing, while young people seem to view it as the latest bandwagon to hop on.
3. Coffee badging
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The workplace is truly full of new trends. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say, new ways for younger people to take advantage of their jobs. One such method is coffee badging.
Benzinga defined this as “when employees visit the office just long enough to prove their presence. After saying hello to some co-workers, getting a coffee, and swiping their badge, they return home to finish work."
If a company has a rule in place about how frequently employees must be in the office, they can get around that by coffee badging — and according to the PapersOwl survey, 36% of respondents did just that at least 10 times in the last year.
4. Clocking out early
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Who says the weekend can’t start a little early? Not Gen Z, apparently. Thirty-four percent of participants in the survey admitted to clocking out earlier than their technical working hours.
Some believe Gen Zers take their quest for work-life balance and flexibility a bit too far. However, a study of nearly 2,000 full-time office workers found that most employees only actually work for less than 3 hours a day — even if they sit at their desks for all 8. So, perhaps Gen Z is not the only generation doing less work, they're just more brazen about it.
5. Taking unnecessary sick days
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Nearly a third — 27% — of PapersOwl’s survey participants admitted to “calling in sick when not actually ill to take an unplanned day off.”
While some employers have a policy against asking why workers need a sick day, others require an excuse. According to Aegis Law Firm, this is a legal right employers have.
If you truly aren’t sick, and your employer asks why you are taking time off, that means the only option is to lie, which is certainly not good. However, most Gen Zers believe it is none of their employer's business why they aren't at work.
6. Quiet quitting
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Quiet quitting means doing the absolute minimum needed to keep your job, Investopedia explained. Going the extra mile is completely out of the question. Some workers do this in an effort to get fired, but more often than not, it is simply born from a lack of interest and initiative.
Sixteen percent of PapersOwl’s respondents said they had participated in quiet quitting; however, according to research from Gallup, the real number is far higher. In 2022, they asserted that 50% of the current workforce are quiet quitters.
7. Starting work late
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Research showed a stark difference between Gen Zers and baby boomers on this particular issue. PapersOwl found that 18% of their survey participants would clock in late “without notice” and see no issue doing so.
Boomers; however, believe that this is wrong because they are being paid for their time. According to a survey conducted by Meeting Canary, and reported on by Fast Company, only 20% of boomers reported being forgiving toward late co-workers. A majority of boomers — 70% — believe that "being right on time is actually late."
8. Napping on the clock
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It might sound unbelievable, but 11% of those surveyed actually admitted to napping while they were clocked in. This is another thing that is much easier to do when working remotely — someone will probably notice if you’re asleep in an office, after all.
Some argue that this practice is not as bad as it seems on the surface. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 20 to 30-minute mid-day nap offers an array of benefits, including more alertness, better mood, improved performance, and better memory.
Nevertheless, napping without explicit permission is not professional, and older generations would likely agree that it is not a good business practice.
9. Using AI
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Using artificial intelligence is fine in some cases. In fact, some companies encourage it. Integrating it into day-to-day work and life has become the norm for many.
However, some companies still require employees to do their work sans AI. Cisco’s 2024 Privacy Benchmark Study uncovered that 27% of organizations have banned the use of generative AI completely, while many others have “limited” it.
In spite of this, 14% of those surveyed by PaperOwl used AI to complete work — something many older workers wouldn't think to do.
10. Using company resources for personal matters
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Whether you have a company car, computer, phone, or sticky notes, it can be difficult to determine where to draw the line on utilizing these things for personal use. Some boundaries are clear, and others are a little harder to see. For example, you probably shouldn’t use the company car for your next vacation, but what about the laptop for some freelance work?
A tenth of respondents said they did indeed use resources in this way. Yet, according to Feldman & Feldman law firm, "even the smallest misuse of company property is ill-advised and could be considered theft."
11. Saying they worked longer than they did
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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 78.7 million workers are paid an hourly wage. Those workers lying about how long they’ve been on the clock is a serious offense. Yet, being salaried doesn’t make it OK either — at least older workers don't think so.
Some Gen Zers, on the other hand, disagree — 11% reported logging more hours than actually worked.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.