Thinking of Firing Your Gen Z Employee? Think Again.
Recent news reports highlighted a new statistic: 6 in 10 Gen Z employees have been let go by their employers within months of them getting hired. The reasons cited? Unprofessional behavior, poor communication skills, and a lack of motivation. While these numbers might seem shocking, they don’t surprise me, nor do the reasons ascribed to young workers. I would be careful, however, about using this ongoing narrative that paints younger professionals as lazy, unmotivated, or lacking ambition. This oversimplification ignores deeper, systemic issues that employers are overlooking— revealing their own lack of cultural awareness and emotional intelligence.
There are specific reasons why Gen Z behaves that way in workplaces.
COVID-19 Aftermath
Many college graduates entering the workforce today are doing so in the aftermath of a global pandemic. We spent critical years of our education at home, isolated, and working remotely in environments that often lacked inspiration and structure. As a member of the "COVID class," I can personally relate to feelings of complacency that defined this period of our lives. The pandemic kept us from internship opportunities, summer positions, and on-campus work. These opportunities existed, but were few and far in between. This left students disconnected from professional spaces during formative years. As result, it’s unrealistic to expect a sudden shift in behavior and mindset from these young workers without acknowledging the long-term impacts of pandemic disruption. It is already hard being a young person fresh in the professional world. Post pandemic, older people had to get used to “the way things were.” For us there is no going back to the way things were. It was the only introduction we had to any work.
Unsatisfying Opportunities
I consider myself an outlier. I was highly driven, took on numerous leadership roles on campus, and completed more internships than I can count. I have a Master’s degree, and I excelled academically. Yet, when I entered the job market, I faced minimal opportunities, devaluation of my experience, and often, absurdly low compensation offers. It’s demoralizing for talented individuals to see their potential ignored, only to be underpaid or undervalued when recognized. If companies continue prioritizing profit over the well-being and development of their employees, they can’t be surprised when motivation to support brand goals dwindles. I am currently fortunate to have found an opportunity that supports my professional goals. But here again, I am the outlier.
Volatile Market
Young professionals today are entering a job market that is volatile, and they’ve watched older generations dedicate years to companies, only to be laid off without warning. I have personally heard accounts of employees being laid off on mass group calls with little to no notice. The past two years showed reports upon reports of Big Tech, Big Media and other corporate entities implementing mass layoffs. We see stories of people who worked overtime on projects just before getting laid off. In 2020, my brother was part of this group of people and I saw first hand the unfairness of the corporate employment. Gen Z understands that loyalty is a one-way street—expected from employees but rarely reciprocated by employers. This lack of trust has fostered a generation of workers who prioritize self-preservation over corporate loyalty. Many now aim to do the bare minimum, collect their paycheck, and disconnect, as they see little long-term security in aligning themselves with their employer’s goals. The status quo of company loyalty without reciprocation is severely challenged by Gen Z. Until conditions for workers improve, this distrust will not go away.
Unrealistic Expectations
Another issue is the unrealistic expectations placed on entry-level workers. An entry-level job should inherently include training and not require extensive experience beyond a bachelor’s degree. Expecting young professionals to arrive with multiple degrees and years of experience creates inequity and favors those from privileged backgrounds. The idea that Gen Z should enter the workforce as fully-formed professionals ignores the learning curve that is essential to any career. Without proper training and realistic expectations, young workers are set up to fail.
Inflation and Financial Strain
The economic landscape is another significant hurdle. Many in my age group live with their parents, share small apartments, and struggle to make ends meet. I consider myself fortunate to work for an organization that allows me some freedom from this even though I am in non-profit. For most, this is a luxury. Buying a home, starting a family, or saving for retirement feels out of reach for many Gen Z individuals. When financial stability seems unattainable, it’s hard to stay motivated to succeed in a system that seems stacked against you.
Impact-Driven Goals
Gen Z was raised in a world increasingly conscious of climate change, ethics in technology, polarization, and misinformation. As a result, many of us prioritize impact over profit. We want to work for companies that align with our values and contribute to positive social change. When organizations continue to prioritize profits over people or the planet, it’s no wonder younger employees are disengaged. We are motivated by purpose, equity, and sustainability—values that many companies fail to embody.
Conclusion: Continuing to Blame Gen Z is Shortsighted
Blaming Gen Z for these workforce challenges is not only shortsighted—it’s counterproductive. I do not challenge that several in my age group are unmotivated and disengaged. But it is not because they are lazy and it is not because they don’t care. Companies need to start listening to what it is we care about. We care about personal well-being, creativity, work-life balance, and impact. We really want to do good work, and we have more resources than any other generation has ever had. Gen Z is adaptable and capable enough of juggling multiple competencies. But we need to trust our environments and we need to be able to live comfortably before we can make positive contributions. We see through the scam that is corporate workforce, the scam of working your way up to the top. We need better options. Honest options.
The issues young workers face will not simply disappear, and the more companies perpetuate the narrative that Gen Z is lazy or lacks communication skills, the more young workers will push back. We now have networks upon networks of connectivity and a sprawl of platforms to communicate dissent.
We hold little power today. While we may not yet make up the majority of the workforce, the tides will inevitably turn. Baby Boomers won’t be around forever, and as markets shift in favor of employees, companies will need to adapt or face significant labor shortages.
In the near future, organizations will need to ask themselves: Do we want to foster a generation of well-trained, socially conscious employees who value work-life balance and equity? Or are we content to risk large-scale employment deficits and repeat phenomena like the Great Resignation? It’s only a matter of time before the workforce’s demands outweigh corporate resistance—and when that happens, those who prioritized employee well-being will be the ones to thrive. The way I see it – it is unwise to alienate an entire generation by labeling them lazy and unproductive.
