A boss has revealed the cheeky text a Gen Z employee sent her on a Friday afternoon that shows just how much they are changing the way companies work.
Jessy Marshall, a 35 year old from Sydney with her own PR agency, employs several people in their twenties who refuse to compromise on work-life balance.
The employer received the text message from a 22-year-old employee at 3.30pm on Friday that some Aussies wouldn’t even want to send to their boss.
‘Hello Jessy, I am up to date with all my work… can I still log out?’ the employee asked.
But the question didn’t faze the millennial employer, who said it was fine to have the rest of the day off. In fact, she regularly has her staff finish early on Fridays.
Craig Sneesby, a recruiter from you&u in Sydney spoke to FEMAIL and explained that Gen Z has a very different view of the importance of work in their lives.
“Lifestyle is a big concern for them and work is the necessary evil,” he said.
Craig doesn’t like to generalize, but he emphasizes that when it comes to this generation, their work ethic “doesn’t compare” to that of millennials, Gen X or boomers.
The text between the Gen Z employee and her millennial boss is a sign of the changing work culture across the country, but not everyone agrees it’s for the better
Jessy Marshall (second from right) employs an office full of Gen Z employees in her thriving PR firm and says she admires them for their openness and ability to advocate for their needs
‘If it’s too difficult, ‘just leave’ seems to be a frequently heard response in interviews. Resilience seems lower… they need to learn that there are ups and downs in all jobs, businesses and sectors,” he said.
But Jessy told FEMAIL that her Gen Z employees aren’t lazy, they just have better boundaries than people who push themselves to the limit at work.
“Gen Z gets a bad rap, but they work hard, there’s no doubt about that, but they recognize burnout. They have more self-awareness, I think,” the boss said.
After a study by fitness brand Lulu Lemon Putting Australians at the top of the world list for ‘wellbeing burnout’, this could be a smart approach.
But that doesn’t mean the PR millennial, who has held multiple jobs at once for as long as she can remember, is abandoning herself.
Ex-Sydney recruiter Marina Karp said Gen Z will ‘change the world for the better’ by setting boundaries and ensuring burnout doesn’t have to be part of a successful career
Craig Sneesby said Gen Z values lifestyle more than other generations and that working is a ‘necessary evil’ for them
Jessy, whose previous roles include professional cheerleader, dancer, beautician and spray tanner, “admires” Generation Z and said there is a lot to learn from them.
And ex-Sydney recruiter, Marina Karpfully agreed, she told FEMAIL that they are paving the way for a better working future for all, with ‘sharp’ boundaries.
“Gen-Z is going to change the world for the better,” Marina said.
“As a millennial who grew up drinking the kool-aid of hustle culture, bossing girls around, and working overtime, only to realize that even the best job will never love you back, I can only admire Gen Z for unapologetically demanding healthy boundaries. ‘
But not everyone agrees with the new work culture. Many are taking to Reddit to claim that Gen Z employees don’t set boundaries, but are just “just lazy.”
“I’m not going to lie, I work in construction and Gen Z workers are pretty lazy. They are difficult to deal with,” one person said.
“In my experience as a 34-year-old, Gen Z is definitely less motivated and lazy than the younger millennials I worked with a few years ago,” another added.
“I work in a hospital and my Gen Z coworker and supervisor is the laziest girl I’ve ever met. She’s wasting time wasting time and she doesn’t care,” said a third.
Another added that the generation’s “lax” work ethic would “collapse the economy,” but Gen Z workers hit back, saying they are “tired of being ripped off.”
“Why have ambition if it will get you into debt, get into trouble, or go nowhere in life?” said one.
One man was furious that the youngest working generation would soon ruin the economy.
Craig admitted that their interest in a healthy work-life balance might not be such a bad thing.
“I think just working and not playing is not the winning way. I think Generation Z has a better balance than generations before,” the recruiter said.
The labor expert believes that the workaholic culture has had its day and says that it is becoming increasingly difficult for employers to attract white-collar workers to the office.
Craig said that in a modern work culture, bosses need to add more flexibility for employees, because its absence is a major problem among younger workers.
“Flexibility and trust are key to keeping staff happy,” says Craig.
Employees need the freedom to manage their own time, it’s what he calls the “secret sauce” for a happy workplace.
