Gen Z says no to modern-day work
Waking up every day to do my silly little tasks. (Photo: imgflip)
When asked what your dream job is, let the response be: “I do not dream of labor.”
The above’s etymology is a tweet (because of course it is) from 2019 and has been the rallying cry for millennials, Gen Zs, and anyone who identifies with labor being nothing more than an act of financial necessity. Or the great disillusionment of work as a basis of identity.
It sounds lazy, naive, and privileged to think you can reject hustle culture and replace it with self-care, wellness, and mental health. That or zoomers are beacons of anti-capitalism. But both would be reductive and gross exaggerations.
Our generation is not the first to experience economic hardship or dissatisfaction towards working. But in the wake of back-to-back economic recessions, rising inflation, layoffs, and a global pandemic in one lifetime, younger people are more vocal about not wanting to be overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.
A decade ago, airing your jaded attitude towards working on the internet would be deemed radical. But Gen Zs today aren’t deterred from being stressy, messy, and depressy on main scaring off potential employees. Out of sheer determination to be defined and fulfilled by life outside of work, one non-negotiable is flexible or work from home policies at bare minimum to improve work-life balance.
And if their demands aren’t met, what does anti-work ideology have to say?
Business Insider recently cited data claiming that emboldened Gen Z workers were more “likely to change jobs more often than any other generation,” and a recent Bloomberg poll found that millennials, followed by zoomers, are the most likely to leave their current position for a higher salary and better benefits.
Employees are quitting their jobs in the Great Resignation, others are organizing labor unions. Younger generations are looking to become their own bosses and start their own businesses or upskilling to shift careers better aligned to their passion—from full-time content creators or breaking into the tech industry. In fourth-wave feminism, being a house spouse is the ultimate dream, no matter what gender.
