Why Gen Z is ‘quiet quitting’

The Covid pandemic has reshaped the way we all work, especially for Gen Z. They are unhappy, burnt out and rethinking their entire relationship to work. What are they doing about it? They’re refusing to work beyond a strict 9-5 schedule, unionizing, ‘quiet quitting,’ and even avoiding the corporate world altogether. Is this changing power dynamic between workers and companies here to stay? Or was it just a pandemic-inspired blip? Andrew Stern talks to the experts and Gen Z themselves.

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#GenZ #quietquitting #worklife

[arbitrarylib]

I hate that it's called quiet quitting when it's just doing the job you are paid to do and prioritizing family and friends that matter.

[thezu]

No wonder millennials and Gen Z are frustrated. The cost of living has skyrocketed with wages not keeping up at all. Yet we work longer hours with less benefits and job security than in the past.

[jayo]

The only reason I go to work is to get paid so I can pay my bills. Nothing more and nothing less.

[dfweurocars]

My boss just fired me thru text message after work hours after I was there 6 years. My assistant put in his 2 weeks right behind that. Been friends since 3rd grade, he saw how they treated me and said nope.

[lydiagonzales]

Gen z I get you. I'm 63 and I agree. Good bosses are hard to come by. They get burnt out too! The corporate world does not care about YOU.

[colpugno]

This is not gen z phenomenon. It is people's realisation of not wanting to be exploited especially with poor work conditions and or low wages. So, common sense I guess.

[alex]

Corporations have always “quietly replaced” workers, so it’s nice corporations have gotten a taste of their own medicine.

[lifesIronyboard]

My father is pushing 90 years old. His first interview as an adult was at a very large company at their HQ. My father had traveled from out of town for the interview and due to weather, the hiring manager was not there. It lead to the company president actually doing the interview. The company president spoke to my father about his career at the company and it turned out the president started out selling footwear on horseback. I always wondered about how much better workers would be treated if the people running the company started at the bottom and worked their way up.

I wonder how many of today's corporate leaders actually started in the mailroom or at the store stocking shelves and made their way up the ranks.

[laynepaige]

Half the country is in poverty while working. Corporations are evil, that’s why there are so many strikes. We need laws for a living wage and humane benefits and conditions like many other countries have.

[revamp]

Gen Z wants to work but for those that do work they are treated awfully by Management. Treated unfairly, set in hostile workplace environments etc. And when Gen Z quits these same old folks say “no one wants to work anymore”

[lmm]

Gen Xer here. I have ALWAYS felt this way. I have liberated myself from many jobs in the name of my happiness. Many of my peers view this as me being risky. My goal wasn't to have a career but to do something that I was proud of and happy doing.

[indridcruel]

I’ve been working 10+ hour shifts 6 days a week for like two months and I was rewarded by getting three days off in a row and the company immediately took back one of the days (today) and changed scheduling to where I now have to be at work two hours earlier than before which will be 3:45AM.
Bosses get raises and workers get Little Caesar’s pizza, sadly now I work too early to even get any of the little Caesar’s pizza.
I can barely afford to live, thanks big business. 👍🏻

[THEGLASSMANSWORLD]

I'm not Gen Z but I figured out this dead end job cycle back in the 1990's. I've always worked for myself as an artist. I've been blowing glass since out of High School in 1995. I've been a performing musician since around 1999. I've been focused on what I love to do, and not concerned about pleasing a boss from a dead end job. Sometimes I'm broke AF but I'm still happy cuz I'm not someone else's slave.

[seriaz]

I used to work for a Fedex, and let me tell you they work you to the bone, and then they tell you they need you to do better. I walked away and my ex boss didnt even noticed i quit until half a week later when one of my ex coworkers told him. They do not care for you at all. I'm in my late 30's and i agree with this, things need to change.

[_Renee]

I support the youth. They know their worth and aren’t trying to die for a job. I’ve seen boomers dedicate their life to their job, and when jobs had to cut some heads they were the first to go. Many became depressed and suicidal.

[renees]

5:13 "only these good jobs are only as good as the boss that you have, " no truer words have ever been spoken.

[annetteshimkus]

As I watched this video I reflected on an organization I worked for that was more "mom and pop" when I started and then eventually became "corporate" oriented. The atmosphere and dynamics changed so significantly that I could relate to what the younger people were talking about. I hope the author is right that Gen Z will do a lot in improving these dynamics and people will live a more balanced and fruitful life. I wish them the best.

[wrensandroses]

The media keeps talking about quiet quitting but what about quiet firing people where a company treats you like garbage for years, doesn't increase your pay and just expects you to take it?

[cameronrobinson]

Workplaces hire employees at a floor only to psychologically manipulate them by calling workplaces family, cultivating this awkward environment of closeness and compassion for a “common goal” that is intrinsic (being the best for the guests who are depicted as friends and neighbors) on a hourly level, but fiscal (monthly bonuses) on a salaried level. They know that people are not only the most sacrificial towards family, but they are also far less likely to ask for adequate compensation. Workplaces set up cultures to manipulate the emotions of workers for their own personal gain. I could literally push hourly employees to the brink, pressure them to work sick or over their allotted hours all for betterment of the team (which is code for our earnings) and watch them not get a dime outside of their hourly rate. I can simply monitor their progress and offer suggestions to maximize their output. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong and I get to try and try again all day long while making over double their earnings. I can then end the month with 1k+ in earnings over my salary and praises from the district, while hourly employees are barely getting by. Want to talk promotion? It’s a club where people chose who they would like to share bonuses with. There only downside of being in management is that we are responsible for sales, but since our sales also impact the pockets of those we answer to it never really gets that bad. The system is rigged to ensure a fiscal homeostasis so to speak. Employee/employer relationships need a shake up. Quiet quit on.

[Coffeedrinkerer]

As an accountant for my last company, I couldn't wrap my brains around refusing fair pay rises vs the high cost of hiring someone else. Our attrition rate was 30+% from 2% under previous management. It was a case of department managers celebrating their cost 'savings' as the recruitment costs came out of HRs budget. HRs overspend was swept under the carpet by stopping most training funding (plus people weren't staying long enough for it to be worthwhile). It was like banging a head against a brick wall trying to reason with those managers and their egos.