When you ask company bosses what they think of the young people of Generation Z, you rarely hear anything positive. Especially regarding work ethic, there are significant shortcomings.
Where does this statement come from and who is speaking about whom? The website intelligent.com surveyed around 1200 company bosses in July 2024 about their opinions on graduates from the most recent classes. This refers to graduates from US colleges between 2020 and 2023.
So they all belong to the so-called Generation Z, meaning those born since 1996 who are currently completing their (university) education. The company bosses are likely mostly from the post-war Baby Boomer generation or Generation X (1965 to 1979).
Is the lack of work ethic among Gen Z a hindrance?
What do Boomer and Gen X bosses think? Breaking it down, the survey results can be summarized as follows:
- Only 53 percent perceive graduates as at least somewhat prepared for the job market. About 40 percent see significant deficiencies.
- 70 percent of the bosses cite work ethic and communication skills as the main points of criticism. About half mention unrealistic expectations as a reason for criticism.
- The situation is worsening. Graduates from before the pandemic are viewed more favorably.
- 9 out of 10 bosses try to avoid hiring graduates from 2020 to 2023.
Who is to blame for the situation that the bosses perceive as a disaster? Respondents attribute blame (multiple answers allowed) to culture in general (60 percent) and consistently cite parents, the pandemic, and the education system at around 45 to 50 percent.
Challenges and various solutions
Is Generation Z simply unfit for the workplace? No, it shouldn’t be this simple. As experts from our Spanish-speaking colleagues at genbeta clarify, there are often simply differences in attitudes towards work between older generations and Generation Z or even Generation Y (Millennials). Professor of communication Diane Gayeski from Ithaca College summarizes it in the context of the survey:
No one is prepared for the current job market. It has changed so dramatically recently […]. Young people communicate and solve problems differently than their 50-year-old bosses – but they can do it.
Those aged 20 to 40 today actively see or have witnessed what older generations experience: increasing mental health issues due to job stress, little leisure time, and so on.
The way they deal with challenges is very different and leads to misunderstandings. Younger people place more value on a balance between work and leisure (via Gruender). Additionally, there is often more of a quest for meaning in actions, life goals are defined differently, and high income and advancement are seen as less important. This can quickly be interpreted as a lack of work ethic, which in turn erodes the trust of Boomers and Gen X.
This also partly explains the results of a survey from the United Kingdom, which we discussed in the following article: Generation Z is often late, wastes work time, and frequently suffers from mental health issues, surveys show.
By the way, anyone who is completely against working from home – regardless of who would like to work there – is US billionaire Elon Musk (Gen X). In an interview, he once expressed very negative views about the popular alternative since the Covid pandemic. Elon Musk not only considers working from home unproductive but also “morally reprehensible”.
