Young people are rejecting promotions. Because many have come to value their personal lives more than career success. An expert explains that this will lead to a new problem. Because human qualifications in leadership positions cannot be compensated for even by AI.
Promotions have long been seen as a sign of career success and as a desirable goal: Taking on more responsibility means, after all, having more money in your pocket.
However, many young people are no longer focused solely on pure career success. Many now reject promotions because they fear that this may no longer be compatible with their personal lives. For some time now, Generation Z has been concerned with much more than just money when choosing a job.
A good work-life balance is more important than a high salary
Why do young people reject promotions? A better position usually means more responsibility and thus longer working hours.
For Generation Z, it is no longer just about career success, but much more about the compatibility between work and personal life. Many therefore reject more responsibility and longer working hours, and thus also reject the corresponding promotion. As Tomasz Szklarski, CEO of Enpulse and expert on employee engagement, explained to Euronews:
Generation Z has carefully weighed what work-life balance means and what sacrifices are necessary to become a boss. Young people clearly recognize the burden that comes with a leadership position.
A leader is accountable to both their superiors and responsible for ever-growing teams that require constant support.
And how big the problem is becomes clear according to Szklarski in the numbers: According to global surveys cited by the expert, only 6% of Generation Z want to take on leadership positions and become bosses.
Why is this a problem? Leaders play an important role in many companies, especially when it comes to coordinating tasks and organizing. Particularly in light of the demographic change in Europe, the unwillingness to take on leadership positions poses a problem. Szklarski states:
There will be fewer and fewer people working, especially in Europe. If we do not train a new generation of leaders and prepare people to take responsibility for teams, we will face growing challenges in maintaining organizational efficiency.
Experts like Szklarski also do not believe that artificial intelligence can compensate for this, as AI lacks important human skills like empathy. Additionally, it remains unclear whether employees would accept tasks and commands from AI in the long term.
Young people are often suspected of behaving poorly in the workplace. However, it is not Gen Z or Millennials who are the problem, but rather the work culture that is demonstrated by management. When toxic behavior is rewarded by the boss, employees adopt that behavior: Many perceive Generation Z and Millennials as poor colleagues, but the problem lies at the top management level.
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