Gen Z workers say stereotypes are holding them back. It’s a problem for companies too.

• Gen Zers can face workplace challenges due to perceptions they are inexperienced and demanding.
• Gen Z behavior was shaped by missing formative years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Gen Z has a lot to offer companies who know how to nurture it, experts told BI.

Gen Zers have long been portrayed as lazy, entitled, and overly demanding.

There are reports of young people bringing parents to job interviews and being fired in their first few weeks of work.

Some bosses are concluding the whole cohort is kind of lazy.

The jury is still out on whether the stereotypes are true. But many Gen Zers don’t agree with them, and some believe they are holding them back at work.

Max Jones, a 21-year-old graduate trainee at the London-based agency Flame PR, told Business Insider that he and his friends feel they are “made to seem lazy or not trying hard enough” at work.

He said this feeling wasn’t specific to any one company, but “a general vibe” from interacting with older workers.

It’s not just young people who are speaking out. Workplace experts warn that bosses and managers taking a negative view of Zoomers so early is a mistake.

“This is soon going to be the largest cohort in the American workforce,” Richard Wahlquist, the CEO of the American Staffing Association, told BI. “So it’s not just an investment in today, it’s the reality of our future for years to come.”

The real-world impact

Shriya Boppana, 25, left her job at Accenture to pursue an MBA because she felt she had been unjustly denied bonuses and promotions.

Boppana told BI she wanted to credit the company for wanting to foster the next generation, “but you can’t do that when the managers you have internally judge the younger workers.”

Boppana said her first manager was “openly degrading” when talking about Gen Zers, calling them “unstable” and judging younger colleagues for working in coffee shops.

“I’ve had managers in the past judge me for not having furniture in my new apartment,” Boppana said, adding that they would “blame it on me being Gen Z and how we’re just lazy.”

Boppana added she’d also been called a princess, “which I’m sure is just a new take on snowflake.”

Accenture did not respond to a request for comment from BI.

Aquayemi-Claude Akinsanya, 26, told BI that Gen Zers are often assumed to lack dedication or a strong work ethic in the workplace, which he finds frustrating.

Akinsanya said this impression wasn’t from a single company but “across various settings.”

“I’ve often found myself reflecting on the balance between personal values and the corporate structures that sometimes challenge them,” he said.

Stunted experiences

Part of the criticism of Gen Z may stem from the fact that many started their careers working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They missed an opportunity to observe the unwritten rules of workplace etiquette.

One millennial manager told BI they thought their Gen Z employees often cross professional boundaries as a result, particularly when it came to complaining about work.

“They’re unsure of how to cope with everyday challenges — competing deadlines, interpersonal issues, and receiving feedback — and they want to express that,” the millennial manager said.

Rhea Moss, the director of customer experience and data insights at the recruiting software platform iCIMS, said Gen Z was disrupted by a traumatic global event whose impacts some workplaces don’t consider.

“This group probably had fewer internships when they started, maybe right out of school,” Moss said. “They didn’t get that normal learning-through-osmosis experience in an office.”

Zoomers are entering the workplace at a time when everyone is still figuring things out, she said, while being expected to just slot in.

Jones, the trainee, told BI the pandemic “played a massive role” in this disconnect.

“This is mostly shown in our confidence around the workforce,” he said, with Gen Zers scared to speak up.

“This was most notable at uni, where in my first lecture, nobody spoke to each other,” he said. “It was like we had forgotten to communicate or were afraid to speak.”

The long-term goal

One point of friction is the commonly-held belief that Gen Zers work less than millennials, set their own hours, and aren’t shy about asking for mental health days.

Gen Zers do have high standards, but that can be a good thing, Jeanie Y. Chang, a licensed clinician, speaker, and mental health educator, told BI.

To sidestep the looming “Great Detachment,” it might be time for employers to start listening to their young talent, especially when it comes to mental health.

Chang said Gen Zers prioritize companies that offer perks such as mental health days and wellness workshops.

Some companies are already doing this and making themselves attractive to Gen Z talent. Nike, for example, has invested in mental health perks, such as offering 20 free therapy or coaching sessions, Forbes reported.

According to Morning Brew, Chipotle has also taken note and offers mental health support. The company also matches up to 4% of employees’ salary through 401(k) contributions if they have student loan payments and has a program to help people build credit.

Sponsors and mentors are an answer

The answer to the disconnect between Gen Zers and their employers lies in sponsorship and mentorship, Chang said.

A mentor is someone higher up the chain who listens and can give advice, like a counselor. A sponsor advocates for you.

“The sponsor is the one that actually takes action and even takes a risk,” Chang said. “That’s very much needed with this young generation.”

Boppana, for example, said she had some “wonderful mentors” at Accenture who were at the director level. They encouraged her to move on and start her MBA, she said.

“My one piece of advice would be to find your mentor in the workplace and have them use their authority to vouch for and guide you as a young person,” she said.

Every generation can learn from every other in the workplace, whether it’s the wisdom passed down from boomers or the digital-native skills of Gen Z.

Moss said businesses claim they want to hire Zoomers but need to understand they can’t assimilate young talent into the company the same way they would someone with 15 years of experience.

“That is where there is a struggle,” she said. “They’re trying to bring that talent in and figure out how to push them through a process that wasn’t necessarily built for this day and age.”