I have a saying: You don’t have to be concerned until I’m concerned. Well, I’m concerned. I’m particularly concerned about the youth of today’s work ethic. Now, I could write a novel about what I’ve been witnessing on college campuses over the last couple of months. But I’m not going to go there right now.
What is especially concerning as it relates to today’s youth is what I’ll call a questionable work ethic. Not only because work ethic is the fabric on which this great country was built, but a questionable work ethic can impact our businesses for as far as we can see into the future.
You know, my grandfather worked three jobs to support his family, selling shoes on weekends and working at the post office at night. My dad had a side hustle of purchasing meat from a wholesaler in Brooklyn and delivering it to acquaintances at a profit. I called charts at New York racetracks a couple nights a week. That was in addition to my full-time job—which I somehow fit in between taking 12 credits each semester at Stony Brook. It’s what we did.
So what precipitates this column? It was an article I read this past week in Business Insider. The title of the article was, “Gen-Z employee is ‘shocked’ by the ‘depressing’ 9-to-5 work schedule.” A 23-year-old college graduate lamented in an essay on the tiring expectations of a full-time job. While she noted that her day job at the YMCA was rewarding, she claimed it was “depressing” that it takes up so much of her time. (She had been working full time for only a few months.)
Her entitled words made me cringe: “How can I make sure I’m eating well and seeing my friends and taking time for my hobbies?” she asked. “How am I supposed to fit my whole life into a 9-to-5 work schedule?” Tell you what. I’ll gladly pay for your plane ticket to Gaza or wherever you don’t have to worry about your job being an impediment to visiting with friends.
She explained that she wakes up around 7 a.m. for her 10-to-7 job (doesn’t even have to be at work by 9!), but by the time she gets home, she barely has time to walk her dog and make dinner before it gets dark. Funny how it hasn’t dawned on her that without that get-in-the-way job she wouldn’t be able to afford the trip to Whole Foods to make that dinner.
“Then I have to make sure the coffee pot is ready for the next morning, and I have something to take for lunch the next day,” she wrote. “I’m home for just a few hours before I get ready to go to bed by 11 p.m.” Welcome to reality, princess.
The sad part is she is not the only one. In fact, there is a growing movement that a 40-hour work week is unfair. The girl mentioned the viral video of another Gen Zer who posted a tear-filled rant where she complained about the demands of a 40-hour work week. While some viewers were (astonishingly) sympathetic to her complaints, others believed her sentiments were a larger indication of the weak work ethic and attitude of the younger American generation.
The 23-year-old said it is “wild” how “there’s only time to work and go home to rest before work starts again,” arguing, “That’s not how humans are supposed to live.” Ummmmm.
I don’t know whether this movement started in 2020 when COVID-19 mandates forced people to stay home and work differently. If it did, that may be the worst byproduct of those mandates. Or maybe there was a groundswell of this sentiment before 2020. I don’t know.
I’m hearing a lot about “work/life balance” these days. The thing is I’m hearing it from people under the age of 28. Here’s what I say to them about their work/life balance: graduate from college and work your ass off so you can have a better life. Pay your dues like the rest of us. Not surprising they want us to foot the bill for their college, too.
For years, the corporate path was clear: Work hard and get promoted. Climb the ladder. Make more money. But that’s not the dream of many Gen Zers. “The main thing I’m hearing about doing more work to get promoted is it’s not worth the stress,” career coach Emily Rezkalla said.
This isn’t about working from home; it’s about working less. It’s the reason so many younger people are anti-capitalism and embracing a more equitable, less materialistic society.
The girl who wrote the essay craves a schedule that is “conducive to actually having a life outside of work.” Apparently work weeks and fun weekends are no longer acceptable. I loved this line: “I want to be able to go into the office for a morning meeting, then have lunch at home, and some time to run errands in the afternoon.”
I’m not saying this girl represents the sentiments of every college graduate. What I am saying is way too many share her feelings, and that could impact the labor force, which in turn can impact you as you seek to fill positions in your business.
Food for thought.
