The biggest myths about their age group

In 2024, Generation Z workers expected to exceed the number of baby boomers into the American job market for the first time. But right now, the youngest generation of workers, the oldest of whom is 27, are treated like a novelty — with everything from their electronic signatures to their salary expectations put under a microscope. CNBC Make It explores what Gen Z is like Really putting their mark on career advice, office culture and more.

Gen Z workers know what their bosses say about them and they would like to have a voice.

Since Generation Z began entering the workforce, many leaders have lamented that today’s 20-somethings are difficult to manage, lack ethics and have poor communication skills. Some executives even go so far as to say they are avoiding hiring Generation Z workers, who are only 27 this year.

In many ways, this is nothing new. “Every generation has something to say about the next generation below them,” says 25-year-old Keely Antonio. She is co-founder of FeelSwell Experiences, which hosts in-person events to foster employee connections.

Despite this, she says the myths that people of her generation are lazy, unreliable, and entitled actually hurt how they present themselves and succeed in the workplace. And that could hurt a company’s longevity, as baby boomers retire and Gen Z also becomes a larger share of the workforce.

“Stereotypes create barriers,” Antonio explains, and “we see these stereotypes hindering intergenerational harmony and bringing people together.”

Here are some of the biggest myths about Gen Z in the workplace that she and other career experts say deserve to be busted.

Although the desire for work-life balance has no generational boundaries, younger workers are particularly enthusiastic about pursuing it.

Some reduce this mentality by thinking that Generation Z doesn’t want to work at all. In reality, young professionals simply want to work differently, explains Ziad Ahmed.

The 25-year-old is the co-founder of JUV Consulting, a Gen Z company that has worked with Fortune 500 companies and was acquired by United Talent Agency in 2024.

Generation Z “wants to work in different conditions,” explains Ahmed. This might mean working from home a few days a week or a non-traditional schedule.

Young people recognize that work is necessary to achieve their goals, even if it requires more work for less reward. Most recent college graduates say they simply want job stability, and 53% of Gen Z workers say they have a side hustle to make ends meet, more than any other generation.

Ahmed says bosses should be careful not to confuse Gen Z’s questions about office policies and procedures with their complete refusal to work. Young workers and newcomers to an organization come with a new perspective on how to innovate with old practices, which is different from not wanting to contribute at all, he says.

Antonio sometimes hears executives say that Gen Z’s salary expectations are too high compared to what they bring to the workplace.

The friction is due to a mismatch in expectations between bosses and younger workers, and how each party communicates them, Antonio explains.

“What leaders have told us is that Gen Z just wants a raise if they run,” she says. “On the other hand, we hear Gen Z saying, ‘I just want to live my life and I’m not getting paid enough to do it.'”

Often, it comes down to young professionals not feeling fulfilled in the work they do or feeling pressured to work more hours than expected, and so they seek value through higher pay, Antonio explains.

Additionally, stagnant wage growth and rising costs of living mean that young people are earning more but are unable to afford major expenses like paying off debt or saving to buy a home. The highest-paid graduates in the Class of 2024 expect to earn an average salary of $77,000 per year, and recent graduates consider $82,000 per year a “high” salary.

As for finding compromise in the workplace, Antonio says both parties have a role to play. She advises leaders to “go to Gen Z and say, ‘What’s happening? How can we help you create a better experience at this company and achieve what you hope to achieve here? The Gen Z employee can then express, “I love working for your company; how can we achieve some of my goals together? »

Many leaders believe that Gen Z is entitled not only to their earning capacity, but also to what they want from work in general. If there’s one myth Ahmed would like to see expunged from the discourse, it’s Gen Z workers’ expectations of where, when and how work gets done. demand too much from what a professional environment can provide them.

Research suggests that Gen Z is particularly excited about flexible work styles and the opportunity to make a difference. They expect benefits that support their whole being, like time off and mental health resources. They also express their desire for transparency in the workplace, whether it’s a company’s stance on sociopolitical issues, how it creates an inclusive work culture, or when it comes to salary and compensation.

“It’s fair to say that what Gen Z is asking for is a challenge, but it does a disservice to all of us to believe that what Gen Z is asking for is the wrong thing to ask for,” Ahmed says.

“Each younger generation has come out into the world and into the workforce and asked tough questions to reimagine what the world can look like,” says Ahmed. Today, that means reinventing how work gets done, how people value their careers, and what they’re not willing to give up for it.

Ultimately, corporate resistance to change is “a cop-out,” Ahmed says. “It’s bad business practice to say that if something is difficult, it’s not worth it.”

It’s long been true that early-career professionals are more likely than seasoned workers to change jobs quickly. Much depends on life stage and responsibilities.

Antonio notes that there are some Gen Z-specific factors that might make it easier to stop working, but they don’t relate to company loyalty.

With the help of gig work platforms and social media, there have never been more visible options for making money outside of a 9-5 job. “We’re a generation of gig workers; we’re ready to walk away” from a bad work experience, Antonio says.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worth involving younger workers, Antonio says. With Gen Z expected to make up 30% of the workforce by 2030, she says, “you don’t want to look at your organization in a few years and wonder, ‘Where are our employees?’ »

As a young founder, former CEO and now director of United Talent Agency, Ahmed says it is difficult to manage his peers. But it’s not unlike managing people of all ages, he says.

Gen Z is an easy target for being labeled difficult because they’re “probably a more outspoken and demanding group, and that can be laborious,” Ahmed says.

Additionally, the pandemic has ushered in an era where managers are expected to manage the well-being of their employees in addition to traditional work and career-related tasks.

“Managing people today requires a lot of emotional labor, and many managers are not prepared to do this emotional labor,” Ahmed says. “But there’s this idea that Gen Z is the first generation to have these concerns that require emotional labor, and I don’t think that’s true. But I think in previous generations, people have been more responsive to ignore it.”

Workers of all ages have always had concerns that require attention. conversations, he said, but didn’t necessarily have the space to do so.

“Now we’re putting them out in the open,” he says, which can help workers thrive.

The oldest Gen Z will be 27 this year, but workers in this age group say they are still often seen as entry-level professionals who don’t know how to behave at work, let alone lead projects. ambitious.

Ahmed says many Gen Z workers are disillusioned with the traditional career ladder, where younger workers pay their dues and can wait decades for leadership opportunities at work. They’ve seen millennials before them get to work, only to be burned out by their own ambitions.

“Historically, you’ve been told that you learn for 20 years, lead and work for someone else for another 50 years, and then, if you’re lucky, you live another 10 years at home. end,” he said. “And Gen Z and others are looking around and saying, ‘That’s not a good deal.'”

Instead, Ahmed says, “we want to live, lead and learn simultaneously.”

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