Gen Z in the workforce - 3 things..

[bjcheung77]

Hmm, I wonder if all Gen Z think like this... or it's the person writing the article thinks this way because they're a Gen Z'er... I sometimes (randomly even) think that way, except for the first point...

1) I don't dream of labor. I will take breaks when I need and want to.
2) I won't be dedicating my whole life to a company and will not hesitate to leave for better opportunities.
3) I'm not trying to be rude or unprofessional by forgoing corporate jargon, I just think it's a waste of time.

I'm a Gen Z who just entered the workforce 2 weeks ago. Here are 3 things I want my future bosses to know about managing me. (msn.com)

[jsd]

I'm not a Gen Z'er, but this is on point. Particularly #2, company loyalty hasn't been valued for decades. If it makes financial sense to a company to let you go at the drop of a hat, they will. And likewise, if you have an offer that makes better financial sense and will improve you and your family's life, you don't owe it to your current employer to turn it down.

[Kire]

Hmm, I wonder if all Gen Z think like this... or it's the person writing the article thinks this way because they're a Gen Z'er... I sometimes (randomly even) think that way, except for the first point...

1) I don't dream of labor. I will take breaks when I need and want to.
2) I won't be dedicating my whole life to a company and will not hesitate to leave for better opportunities.
3) I'm not trying to be rude or unprofessional by forgoing corporate jargon, I just think it's a waste of time.

I'm a Gen Z who just entered the workforce 2 weeks ago. Here are 3 things I want my future bosses to know about managing me. (msn.com)

Poor work ethic, bad attitude or not being a team player are the biggest issues I find with people new to the workforce.

As for loyalty, be loyal to your work team. They will be the ones who help you progress or kill your future prospects. Unless you are new to the area or the profession, I know somebody you worked with in the past. Hey Bob, John Smith is applying for a job and his resume shows he was employed at your company. Did you work with him? I wouldn’t use the word work. Thanks Bob, that’s all I need to know.

[dfrecore]

I'm not Gen Z, but I am the parent to two of them.

I think #2 and #3 are fine; it's the attitude from #1 that causes the issues.  There used to be a time when people said "dress for the job you want, not the one you have" as a way to show that you could think bigger. To think of a career as a progression, rather than just having a J-O-B.  Now, a lot of people have a "I'm going to put in my 40 hours and not 1 extra second" mindset, and I don't think that portrays a good work ethic or attitude to your boss, nor your coworkers.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not for letting employers take advantage of people.  But I also don't think that being 5 minutes early and leaving 1 minute late each day will hurt.

I tell my kids (18 & 20) that EVERY opportunity that ever came my way at work was due to my being a good team player, and saying "yes" to everything that came my way (within reason).  "Could you help me with this spreadsheet?" "Of course!"  "Do you have time to start reconciling this account each month?" "I don't know how to, but if you teach me, I'm happy to."  "Your co-worker has cancer, do you mind picking up on some of the slack while she's out for a year healing?" "Absolutely, tell me what you need done and let's see how I can help the team; I may need to offload some of the other things I do that aren't critical."  All of this resulted in raises and promotions on a regular basis.  Having a crappy attitude and giving as little as possible does NOT give as good results.

[namwen]

As a parent of one millennial and 5 gen z kids, the owner of 3 companies in the blue collar space, I can tell you that thee are still good kids out there. One of the hallmarks of my life, and by extension, my kids, is a strong work ethic. I just recently discovered that people go on vacations and don't actually work during that time. lol

[studyingfortests]

As someone who has been a hiring manager for a pretty long time, my experience mirrors namwen: There are plenty of Gen-Zs who want to work hard, understand the value of loyalty, mutual respect, and who understand that job-jumping, quitting without notice, or not following corporate culture will not serve them in the long term. These folks are some of the most hard-working and dedicated folks I've ever hired.

And then, there are more than a few I have interviewed who display exactly the entitled, self-centered, "it's all about meeeeeee" mindset that is popular on Tik Tok and other social media. My guess is, most of those folks will end up relegated to entry-level or lower-level positions, endlessly jumping from one job to another, 3 months here, 5 months there, until they end up at one of the employers of last resort such as Walmart, or driving for Uber.

I think that most eventually figure out that (at least with a semi-decent employer) they get from an employer what they give, and then they start showing some level of understanding and that motivates them to change their behavior.

And in the meantime, that leaves lots of opportunities for the Gen Zs who "get it" and want to take the opportunities offered to them.

[upgrayedd]

I used to believe in longterm loyalty to employers until, throughout that time, I saw how it really played out among colleagues. I can't speak for all industries and organizations but in my particular realm of healthcare, there's this facade of caring for the employees. Frequent reminders of "look at all we do for you." There are statements from leaders and policies about your rights as an employee and what you can do when you need help.

In reality, it's all B.S. I saw a longtime leader, a true leader that I trusted, suddenly get replaced with an outside hire. This former leader held a stable department for 18 years and helped employees grow. Turns out, the replacement was friends with the manager that hired him. There wasn't even a job posting, public or internal. He just immediately started. Chaos ensued. I learned that the department from the other hospital he came from did so terribly that it shut down. I started to see why. He began dismantling all the progress and fine-tuning we made over the years. Right away he was rude to colleagues and unprofessional. He would even interrupt patient appointments in exam rooms. Oh, he also can't read or write very well and is generally stupid.

Another one of my longterm, loyal colleagues that I think highly of had some bad experiences with him. I was the only other male in the office and he treated me differently than her. When we would do the same things, he would praise me but talk down to her. The irony is that she has such a wealth of experience and skills, and I learned so much from her. She was wonderful and so valuable to have on the team. She complained, and this company that supposedly supports and cares about its employees, well, they terminated her. Clear, blatant retaliation.

The department continued to fall apart. Increasing amounts of chaos everyday. The medical director doesn't want this guy and refuses to work with him. He is a respected a honored doctor and raised hell about it. Apparently, even he had no power over the situation, so he quit. Our friggin doctor quit. Then shortly after, the manager that hired this guy quit. Then, my former leader, the good one that was replaced, she quit. Every time we lost someone, it left more mounds of chaos. It's been so stressful and everyone I trusted is gone. I can't even reach out to anyone with concerns because it would be used against me.

That's what motivated me to go back to college. I could have crumbled but I responded in a positive way to grow and overcome the situation. Do I believe in company loyalty? Hell no. I need evidence that my employer cares before its reciprocal.

[upgrayedd]

https://today.duke.edu/2023/03/managers-...colleagues

[Vle045]

Forget that garbage. If little newbie thinks they are in charge, they won't last. I don't know about everyone else, but most jobs I have had are "at will", which means, not only are you free to leave, but you are also free to be fired without cause. Don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

[rachel83az]

you are also free to be fired without cause

Which is why it's stupid to be "loyal" these days. If a company thinks they can hire someone else for cheaper and let you go, they will do that. Maybe the other person isn't as productive as you, but all they see is that they're paying that person $0.50 less per hour.