There Is Nothing Wrong With Gen Z - October 2, 2026
And, They’re Not All The Same
In my Instagram feed I’ve seen a series of videos mocking Gen Z behaviour in the workplace. While I did find the videos amusing, I thought of my two sons (aged 27 and 25), and their friends that I know (all of whom are Gen Z), and my nephews (aged 27 and 26), and proudly concluded that none of these people behave in the manner that these videos are depicting Gen Z. I based my conclusion on many conversations I've had with this group (my informal survey population), that would have otherwise revealed the attitudes and behaviours that are being mocked in these videos. These Gen Z characteristics are noted below; I saw none of these in my conversations…and, this is what led to my confusion.
That had me wondering who these videos were referring to? I concluded that they must be referencing the younger half of this 18-year cohort (Gen Z are those born between 1997 and 2015); these videos must be depicting those Gen Z who are in the younger half of this age cohort, who may have recently graduated from post-secondary education (aged 20-24). For the purposes of this article we’ll refer to them as “Young Gen Z”.
Based on these videos, and some research I did, here is a summary of the workplace behaviour from Young Gen Z that causes the most angst:
Some employers describe their Young Gen Z staff as unwilling to work long hours or stay late, to get their work done, with these staff members citing that they “only get paid from 9-to-5” and so that’s where they’ll draw the line on the effort expended in their job. Source - December 2024, iHireRetail, “Gen Z In The Workforce”
Employers complain that Young Gen Z expect promotions, interesting assignments and meaningful responsibility, relatively quickly, rather than earning these things over time Source - Deloitte 2025 - Gen Z & Millennial Survey
A common workplace observation is that Young Gen Z want frequent, specific feedback and reassurance on their performance, and have a difficult time processing blunt criticism or "tough love”; they are not satisfied with a traditional annual performance review. Source - Wall Street Journal, September 2026 - “The 20-Something Employees Who Want Feedback To Be Gentle”
Another common complaint about Young Gen Z is that they have poor workplace etiquette (overly casual communication, texting rather than calling, informal email language, being too casual with senior executives, inappropriate interview behaviour and difficulty reading professional situations). The survey cited below found that almost 53% of employers believed Young Gen Z needed to improve workplace etiquette, while 74% of Gen Z respondents rated their own etiquette as good or excellent. Source - iHire Hospitality Services - December 2024 - “Gen Z in Workplace: Decoding A New Generation Of Workers”
So, Why Do Younger Gen Z Behave This Way?
The term “Gen Z” covers a broad range of people. Someone who is 29 is a Gen Z, but will have a very different workplace perspective than that of a 21-year-old, (also a Gen Z), who just graduated from school and has very limited exposure to a professional work setting.
A 21-year-old Gen Z may have never experienced any of the following occurrences in a professional workplace setting:
a demanding boss
an important client
a missed deadline with serious consequences
a promotion they didn't get
a difficult coworker
an organization that changed direction
These are things you learn to deal with, through time worked. An older Gen Z may have years’ of experience with these things, while a younger Gen Z will not.
Also keep in mind that Young Gen Z is entering the workplace under very different circumstances, including remote education during COVID and a rapid change in technology with the sudden proliferation of A.I. tools.
There is a very different attitude toward work-life boundaries with Young Gen Z. As a Gen X, there was no doubt in my mind, ever, that I would do whatever it took to complete the tasks that I was assigned, regardless of how many extra hours I had to put in. This approach served me well, became part of my personal brand, and that allowed me to achieve success in my career.
I see the same traits in my sons, their friends and my nephews. They are naturally oriented towards "getting the job done” and I never hear them refer to “boundaries”. I’m not suggesting that older Gen Z don’t have boundaries, everyone should. But I don’t hear about excessive emphasis on “boundaries” with the older half of this cohort.
Perhaps we're confusing generational differences with a lack of experience.
A 21-year-old Gen Z employee may appear impatient, overly dependent, overly sensitive to feedback, unwilling to “pay their dues,” or unfamiliar with workplace etiquette. But perhaps some of that is simply being 21 years of age, and it's what being inexperienced looks like, something every generation has gone through. Canadian research, for example, describes Young Gen Z as ambitious but entering a labour market with fewer entry-level opportunities and significant economic uncertainty. However, my informal survey population (the older Gen Z) all found jobs upon graduation with little difficulty. And, with a few exceptions, the same held true for their friends. This suggests that over a short three-to-five year period the work opportunity within the overall Gen Z cohort has recently changed. This may have led to the Young Gen Z bringing some anxiety with them to their first jobs. Managers and leaders need to be aware of this, and adjust their style for this group.
We’ve Seen This Movie Before
Many of these complaints have been made about every younger generation. Baby Boomers complained about Gen X. Gen X complained about Millennials. Now Millennials and Gen X are complaining about Gen Z.
A 1968 Harris Poll found that 74% of American adults believed young people lacked proper respect for authority and had poor work ethics. Those holding this opinion were the Baby Boomers.
And some things that older managers characterize as weaknesses may actually represent a change in workplace expectations. For example, Gen Z's insistence on boundaries can be described as “they don't want to work hard”, but may in fact be that they don't believe working 60 hours a week is required to prove commitment. If you’re a leader, and believe 60 hour work-weeks from your staff are needed for your business to succeed, then explain it to your new hires. If you can explain it and get the buy-in, then you have full alignment.
And, there's some evidence that employers' concerns about professionalism among recent graduates aren't as universal as the popular narrative suggests. A 2025 GMAC survey found that 61% of employers said recent graduate business-school hires demonstrated the same level of professionalism as graduates in previous years. Source - GMAC 2025
What Should Managers Do With Younger Young Gen Z?
Communication
Give feedback directly and often. They grew up with instant feedback loops (social media), they need feedback; silence conveys ambiguity. To be fair, ambiguity is bothersome to all age cohorts…it would bother me.
Take the time to explain why a task matters, not just what to do. A "Because I said so" is a management style that doesn't work with Gen Z, older or younger.
Structure and growth
Set clear expectations and measurable goals. As mentioned above, ambiguity stresses them out more than workload does.
Communicate the path forward, early; what good performance looks like, what promotion takes, roughly how long. Connect the dots for them. They'll leave the organization if the ladder for advancement is not readily visible to them.
Culture
Take mental health seriously, but don't treat them as fragile. Most want to be held to high standards; they just want those standards explained and applied fairly.
One thing to avoid: don't manage Young Gen Z the way you were managed when you were 22. The economy, technology, and the social contracts have all changed. The managers who struggle most with younger Gen Z are usually the ones who use a playbook from 2005.
The Final Word
The behaviours being mocked aren't evidence that Young Gen Z is broken. They show that being 21 years old and new to a professional environment is the same in every generation, and always has been. The difference is that this generation is being filmed and posted-about in ways previous generations weren't.
And, remember, not all Gen Z are the same. Those that are Young Gen Z are just that, younger and inexperienced. As a leader it’s your job to keep them engaged in the company’s mission and develop them into solid contributors. Those that are older don’t exhibit the traits noted above that their younger colleagues do, so don’t paint them with the same brush.
Thanks for reading!
Are you Gen Z? Express how you feel about your workplace environment and your leaders in the Comments section below.
Are you a manager or leader with Gen Zs on your team? Do you agree there’s a difference between older Gen Z and Young Gen Z? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.
If you're an older Gen Z, in your late 20s and several years into your career; do you recognize yourself as different from your younger colleagues? Do you think the Young Gen Z characterization is fair?
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