Yahoo Finance Sign slamming ‘lazy’ Gen Z workers exposes major Aussie work issue: 'Entitled'
A recruitment expert said many employers didn't want to hire Gen Zs because they were seen as having a “lack of responsibility, reliability and work ethic”.
A handwritten sign slamming Gen Z’s for their poor work ethic has sparked heated debate amongst younger and older Aussies alike. Whether fair or not, a recruitment expert told Yahoo Finance many employers had the perception that younger workers “don’t understand hard work” and were reluctant to hire them.
The sign, which was put up in front of an American store, said the store had to close early because two young cashiers had quit. The owner claimed they threw in the towel after being told “their boyfriends couldn’t stand here for their entire shift”.
“Don’t hire Gen Zs, they don’t know what work actually means,” the sign reads, adding the store was “now hiring” but wanted “Baby Boomers only”.
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The sign has actually been doing the rounds on the internet for a while but has sparked fresh debate this week after being shared on a popular Australian Facebook group.
Thousands of Aussies have responded in the comments of the post, which has attracted more than 280,000 reactions.
Superior People Recruitment founder and director Graham Wynn said the reality was this perception of “lazy” Gen Z workers was held by many Australian employers.
“I’ve had a number of employers who have said to me, ‘We don’t want people under 26 because they just don’t stay’ and they feel they seem to have a poor work ethic,” Wynn told Yahoo Finance.
“Perception is everything and generally speaking there is that perception out there that Gen Z don’t understand hard work.
“The mindset is very different to previous generations and they’re more about what’s in it for them and what they can get out of it, rather than what they can give to an employer.”
Aussies divided over Gen Z workers
Aussies were split in the comments, with some sharing they had unfortunately had negative experiences with Gen Z workers themselves and others jumping to the defence of younger workers.
“Worked for a large hardware chain and this mirrors my experience, unfortunately. While some were great and some OK, the vast majority were self-entitled and lazy. Unfortunately for us Baby Boomers we made them what they are,” another said.
“We hired one Gen Z - after two hours of doing simple restocking work, he told me he was exhausted and wanted to go home to rest. Never seen him again after,” another added.
Other Aussies said Gen Z workers shouldn’t all be painted with the same brush.
“I have Gen Z kids and they are hard working and have good work ethics. My daughter manages Gen Alpha, and she said they are the ones society need to worry about lol. In reality, it's how these kids are raised, not the generation they were born in,” one mum wrote.
One young worker argued the lack of supposed “work ethic” was due to the low wages being offered.
“A large, practically majority chunk of the current working class is utterly apprehensive towards their job,” he wrote. “Why should our generation believe in ‘work ethic’ when it gets us nowhere long-term?”
Yahoo Finance contributor Lollie Barr is one Gen Xer who thinks “it’s time to give Gen Z a break”.
“Older generations always disparage younger generations. It's the ‘kids today don't even know they've been born’ mentality,” she said.
Barr said she knows a tonne of hardworking Zoomers who are “working their arses off to pay their rent”. She’s also praised Gen Z bosses like Milly Bannister who are prioritising work-life balance and the health of her employees.
“I think there are plenty of bosses out there who could learn from her,” she said.
Baby Boomers seen as ‘more reliable’
As to the preference for Baby Boomer workers, Wynn said there was a perception that mature workers were “more reliable, more loyal and potentially more grateful of the opportunity” compared to younger workers.
“Knowing that it’s still not easy to find work, I think mature people are more appreciative whereas young people think, ‘If this one doesn’t work out, I’ll just get another one tomorrow’,” he claimed.
From a financial point of view, Wynn said mature workers generally had a range of financial commitments like families, mortgages and the like, compared to younger workers who might still live at home and could “afford to take that risk” of losing their job.
Wynn said there was a “sense of entitlement” younger workers were perceived to have, along with a lack of communication skills because they “don’t talk to people”.
“There is this definite lack of responsibility, reliability and work ethic that is missing in that generation. Employers are seeing this and it’s a generalisation,” he said. “We don’t like to make generalisations but we do anyway.”
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