New data from consumer predictions consultancy Foresight Factory challenges the myth of the ‘lazy’ Generation Z (“Gen Z”), particularly in the UK. Gen Z (currently aged 12-27) already accounts for the largest proportion of the global population of any generation. This has been estimated at 2 billion globally, according to the UN.
By 2025, it will account for the biggest generational workforce too, at 27% of the global workforce. However, multiple reports and articles suggest Gen Z are lazier and less inclined towards hard work than previous generations. As a result, they have been dubbed by one commentator as an ’employer’s nightmare’.
While 49% of global Gen Z agree with the statement “I crave a slower pace of life than I have now.” However, Foresight Factory finds the picture of Gen Z in the workplace is more nuanced than current discourse suggests. In the UK especially, it sees a very different picture emerging of Gen Z in the workplace.
“The Great Rejection” is not a global trend
“The Great Resignation” might as well be called “The Great Rejection” when it comes to young people. On TikTok, the hashtag #quittok has more than 40 million views, with users sharing in real time their experiences of leaving a job. Phenomena like “quiet quitting” and “bare minimum Mondays” are being led by younger, mainly American consumers. Chinese social media is awash with the anti-work “lying flat” and “letting it rot” movements.
The proportion of 16-24 Americans who accept the boss’s authority has declined between 2016 and 2023, from 45% to 30%. The proportion rejecting outright the authority of their bosses has increased from 7% to 17% in the same time period. Foresight Factory does not see a dramatic change or negative sentiment toward bosses in any other age group or market. Although the trend is reflected elsewhere: Chinese Gen Z (38%) are also 6 percentage points less likely than the global average to say they accept the authority of their bosses easily.
Gen Z different across the globe
Between 2017 and 2024, the proportion of US 16-24 year-olds who say the phrase “Made in America” means nothing in the modern world almost doubled, from 16% to 30%. Similar shifts are not seen among older Americans and British Gen Z with the concept of “Made in Britain.” This suggests a wider cynicism, malaise and rejection of national authority among American youth specifically.
However, Gen Z is not the same the world over – far from it, in fact. UK Gen Z workers, 16-24 are significantly more likely than Americans of the same age to accept the authority of bosses. The proportion of British 16-24s who do so has risen since 2016 from 33% to 37%. Unlike in the US where it has fallen significantly, from 45% to 30%. In addition, a relatively high proportion of European Gen Z view their bosses as authority figures. 66% in Sweden, 50% in Germany, and 47% in France.
Work is core to UK’s Gen Z identity
Media reports suggest young workers are “in it for the paycheck,” as characterised by the viral “lazy girl job” movement. However, work is an important part of Gen Z identity in the UK. British workers aged 16-24 are more likely to say that their job is important to their personal identity (28%). Higher than Brits over 45 years of age (15%). This reflects the fact that work plays a larger role in the lives of Gen Z than older groups, who may have wider interests and priorities in life. British Gen X ranks nationality, the area they live and holidays as more important to their identities than Gen Z.
This can partly be explained by the social currency coming from being seen as a self-starter in a work context. This is especially meaningful to Gen Z. Globally, more than 1 in 3 Gen Z (35%) say that the statement “being seen as successful by others is important to me” describes them well. This is compared with 34% of Millennials, 24% of Gen X and 18% of Boomers.
When it comes to the much-discussed “return to the office,” British Gen Z are more likely than older Brits (59% vs 25% Baby Boomers) to say that they enjoy working from home and have everything they need to do it easily (60% vs 33% Baby Boomers). They also say that they expect to work from home more in the next 12 months than they did pre-pandemic. (25% vs 18% Gen X and 4% baby Boomers).
The desire for flexible home working
However, the desire for flexible home working does not necessarily translate to a desire for flexible hours. According to Foresight Factory’s data, 16-24-year-olds are no more likely today than they were in 2015 to say they value flexible working hours at work. (48% in 2015 and 2022). Millennials (54%) and Gen X (56%) are both more likely than Gen Z (46%) to say that flexible working hours are important to their professional wellbeing.
Meabh Quoirin, Foresight Factory CEO and Co-Owner, says: “Generational analysis has a tendency to make sweeping statements and drive stereotypes. Clearly this data offers a contradiction to what we’ve seen (in the press) and more context is required.”
Enterprise Times: What this means for businesses
It’s clear that attitudes to work, workers’ country and culture might play a more important role than their age group. Gen Zs are not all the same. – businesses who employ Gen Z workers, as well as brands who want to communicate with them, should take notice.
Gen Z’s rejection of authority figures may likely be less about work. It may be about the corporate culture or values that are simply not in line with their own work philosophy. It may even be due to poor management. The report suggests young Brits deeply value work and professional success as core to their identity. They want to learn from authority figures at work and will not tolerate working in environments with contrary values. Clearly, this Foresight Factory data offers a contradiction to other media and analysts’ reports, and more context is required. However, enterprises have to take this report seriously.
Gen Z are becoming the main workforce for many organisations. The hybrid work landscape is a challenging one for Gen-Z, who may have less of an opportunity to develop through in-person mentorship and training. Furthermore, enterprises have to grapple with this generation’s apparent aversion to hierarchy and traditional power structures in the workplace.
For mainstream enterprises, this means reevaluating their tone of voice within this new landscape. It could also mean treating employees more as stakeholders, giving them a meaningful voice in how the company is run, as opposed to mere subordinates who are told what to do. This may be a major challenge for some enterprises and require fundamental change management programmes.
