Every generation brings a fresh perspective on how to live life, earn money, and behave. There’s nothing wrong with that kind of self-expression, but it can cause problems for older folks who just can’t get used to the behavior of the youth.
This is exactly what millennials and boomers have been facing in the workplace, as they can’t seem to wrap their heads around everything Gen Zers do. This list is full of stories of complaints, laments, and shock over the younger generation’s corporate etiquette that might give everyone a laugh and a reality check.
#41
A general lack of awareness of how you interact in space with others. Taking up an entire shelf in the fridge is rude, talking loudly is rude, turning your desk into your living room is inappropriate and unprofessional, showing up to work in lounge or gym clothes or anything like that is deeply unprofessional—I am begging your generation to stop wearing crop tops and short hemlines to work. Talking in slang all the time and not being respectful to supervisors and coworkers is unprofessional and makes the people with the power to promote you deeply offput. Email etiquette seems to be completely tossed out the window and nobody knows how to write coherently, use grammar and punctuation, or write an appropriate send-off.
The Gen Z stare is just so bizarre. It’s such a strange confluence of being wildly rude and me wondering “does this person actually have a brain??”
The “you’re welcome/no problem” thing is not a problem. It’s fine. Millennials do the same thing. The only people who get angry about it are either NIMBY’s or are over 65. If your boss has a problem with it, adjust for your own sake, but I would be shocked if someone under 45 was upset by it. I will say, you should get used to saying you’re welcome for your own psyche’s sake. The no problem thing is culture-driven—you’re welcome acknowledges that what you did deserves gratitude, no problem minimizes the kindness and thoughtfulness of your actions so as to not make the other person feel indebted. Millennials and younger generations have been socially conditioned to reduce collective responsibility and eliminating gratitude and consideration of others contributes to that.
The Gen Z stare is just so bizarre. It’s such a strange confluence of being wildly rude and me wondering “does this person actually have a brain??”
The “you’re welcome/no problem” thing is not a problem. It’s fine. Millennials do the same thing. The only people who get angry about it are either NIMBY’s or are over 65. If your boss has a problem with it, adjust for your own sake, but I would be shocked if someone under 45 was upset by it. I will say, you should get used to saying you’re welcome for your own psyche’s sake. The no problem thing is culture-driven—you’re welcome acknowledges that what you did deserves gratitude, no problem minimizes the kindness and thoughtfulness of your actions so as to not make the other person feel indebted. Millennials and younger generations have been socially conditioned to reduce collective responsibility and eliminating gratitude and consideration of others contributes to that.
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3points
#42
I'm a millenial-gen z cusp and I work with 3 Gen-Z girls who are nice in general but they have annoying bits about them that I get irritated by in the work place:
- too casual that it seems inconsiderate; "protecting their peace" in the work place and such and such is a bit unprofessional to me
- throwing a tantrum/being too emotional in the work place and assuming people will tolerate that because they're "young"
- adding their "two cents" to a conversation and it's just some brainrot / "ragebait" thing.
- too casual that it seems inconsiderate; "protecting their peace" in the work place and such and such is a bit unprofessional to me
- throwing a tantrum/being too emotional in the work place and assuming people will tolerate that because they're "young"
- adding their "two cents" to a conversation and it's just some brainrot / "ragebait" thing.
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3points
#43
My biggest pet peeve with Gen Z is that they seem unwilling to work through problems. I was running behind and asked my Gen Z coworker to replace a part for me while I went to another location. He got the new part and just laid it on top because he “didn’t know how” to install it. I was like… ummm ask someone to show you? Or just…try to do it using common sense and problem-solving? Google it if all else fails?
I was at another location recently and their printer had been “broken” for YEARS. I spent 20ish minutes working on it, realized it wasn’t something I could fix, put in a ticket and it was fixed within several hours. All of the Gen Z employees there had just decided to work without a printer because no one even tried to fix it.
Second I hate that I have to always start the interaction. Don’t just stare at me say hi or something ya weirdo!
I was at another location recently and their printer had been “broken” for YEARS. I spent 20ish minutes working on it, realized it wasn’t something I could fix, put in a ticket and it was fixed within several hours. All of the Gen Z employees there had just decided to work without a printer because no one even tried to fix it.
Second I hate that I have to always start the interaction. Don’t just stare at me say hi or something ya weirdo!
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3points
#44
Just...not replying to emails. 3/5 emails I send have to be chased up a week or so later, and there's no apology.
I've also mastered the art of the one sentence email to bypass any lack of attention span. Makes no difference.
I've also mastered the art of the one sentence email to bypass any lack of attention span. Makes no difference.
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3points
#45
I work with Gen Z students all day and honestly I think there’s more variety than consistency - like a lot of this is personality. If I had one piece of advice, it would be to ask your coworkers to get coffee or lunch or something one on one so you can get to know them. Some might be awkward but basically just try to get to know people more directly maybe. And once you’ve hopefully found a couple that feel more friendly, dont be afraid to ask people for advice, including on stuff like this - you can also ask directly for feedback on your work too.
I feel like regardless of age the biggest jump people struggle with between school and work is that your work is not like a school assignment - it’s collaborative, you sometimes have to ask for feedback, and checking in and asking questions along the way like a team is really vital. Edits aren’t corrections or errors necessarily - sometimes they are and sometimes it’s just the team writing/creative process for example. Stuff like that. If you view everything like an assignment, it’s easy to get given work and sort of disappear and not really get to know people, and also to take edits as being like a grade vs just someone working with you or gently coaching you because they know you’re learning. Interns who would check in, ask for advice or feedback, and also make an effort to know me were always the ones who really stood out when I was supervising - and age wasn’t necessarily the thing that predicted that.
I feel like regardless of age the biggest jump people struggle with between school and work is that your work is not like a school assignment - it’s collaborative, you sometimes have to ask for feedback, and checking in and asking questions along the way like a team is really vital. Edits aren’t corrections or errors necessarily - sometimes they are and sometimes it’s just the team writing/creative process for example. Stuff like that. If you view everything like an assignment, it’s easy to get given work and sort of disappear and not really get to know people, and also to take edits as being like a grade vs just someone working with you or gently coaching you because they know you’re learning. Interns who would check in, ask for advice or feedback, and also make an effort to know me were always the ones who really stood out when I was supervising - and age wasn’t necessarily the thing that predicted that.
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3points
#46
One that really surprised me was when a Gen Z colleague said thumbs upping her message was rude and passive aggressive. I thumbs upped it to acknowledge I’d seen it and agreed without having to write back. I had no idea it could be taken any other way.
The above might make it sound like I’m guilty of this (and i don’t think its exclusively s Gen Z trait) but i sometimes find there is almost a sense of looming to be offended and taking criticism personally. I can’t think of any specific examples right now (except the thumbs up) but I’ve deffo had some younger colleague almost look to find offence in something normal and mundane. Whenever it’s happened I tend to see how you could see it that way, but it feels like it takes a fair bit of looking for it to mean that.
The above might make it sound like I’m guilty of this (and i don’t think its exclusively s Gen Z trait) but i sometimes find there is almost a sense of looming to be offended and taking criticism personally. I can’t think of any specific examples right now (except the thumbs up) but I’ve deffo had some younger colleague almost look to find offence in something normal and mundane. Whenever it’s happened I tend to see how you could see it that way, but it feels like it takes a fair bit of looking for it to mean that.
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3points
#47
We have a guy whose probably 25 or so. He is so entitled it's insane. Disrespectful. He throws around words like "unsafe" because his boss never yells at him. He has a very stoic attitude and stays calm at all times. This kid will deliberately do something completely rude, inappropriate and on purpose and our boss will maintain composure and speak to him calmly which isn't what he wants apparently. His boss is one of the owners with his brother and he hates him to his core. He's constantly trying to call him out on things he doesn't understand and when the boss doesn't get in trouble he throws fits in front of everyone. It's his life's mission to get the owner fired I guess. He says at the end of the day it's either himself or the owner that has to quit. What kind of mindset is that? He's immature. He goes from work station to work station to talk badly and get other people riled up. I've never seen anything like it.
Also, the owner is my boyfriend of over 8 years so I have intimate knowledge as to what this guy does. I work there also.
He tries to get other people on his "team" to talk badly and creates division. It's got to the point where no one even listens to this guy anymore. He's so immature and disrespectful and pouts when things don't go his way. I've never seen anything like it.
Also, the owner is my boyfriend of over 8 years so I have intimate knowledge as to what this guy does. I work there also.
He tries to get other people on his "team" to talk badly and creates division. It's got to the point where no one even listens to this guy anymore. He's so immature and disrespectful and pouts when things don't go his way. I've never seen anything like it.
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3points
#48
Omg not to sound like an old person but literally they don’t do anything extra at work. When something comes up that would be done by a group in 5, they’ve ran off back to their offices drives me up a wall.
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3points
#49
Some guy at my place in his early 20s got hired by his dad and it wasn’t an advertised role. He gets in at 10am twice a week and leaves at 2.45pm sharp cause of “the trains”. We have people who get in at 7.30am and leave at 4pm to make it work. This guy just gets let off the hook and everyone hates it.
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#50
At my current job I'm in basically the same situation. I'm 27 and the youngest person after me is 35/36 I'm pretty sure, then after her its 40+. Something I learned (accepted?) is that since I am the youngest, they'll treat me like I'm young so no reason for me to worry about behaving "mature" when they already have a mindset about me.
Obviously, I try to be as professional as possible, but thankfully there is some grace that I am new to my career and still learning, whereas they've been there for 15+ years.
Originally I felt bad not being about to relate to them, but eventually it just became a running joke about them being old and me being young, and we eventually found other things to relate to (we're in the south so a common one is how southern traditions and etiquette are still strong over generations).
Obviously, I try to be as professional as possible, but thankfully there is some grace that I am new to my career and still learning, whereas they've been there for 15+ years.
Originally I felt bad not being about to relate to them, but eventually it just became a running joke about them being old and me being young, and we eventually found other things to relate to (we're in the south so a common one is how southern traditions and etiquette are still strong over generations).
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3points
#51
Don’t get offended by feedback or being asked to do what you see as a little extra by having the “i am not paid for this attitude.” Making an effort to stay on top of things, punctuality and willingness to try and put yourself forward for things gets you noticed in a good way. If you adopt the attitude a lot have of “I will only put the same effort in as i see that I am paid for” then you just end up fitting the entitlement narrative.
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3points
#52
It's a great sign that you're even asking. So, good for you! You're on the right path. Stay self-aware.
Be communicative. We are dealing with an intern who is currently in college.
They never email their weekly schedule since we wanted to give them flexibility because of their own schedule.
So I have had to email twice to ask them to give me their schedule for the following week. A few times already they haven't kept their schedule.
We give them special assignments, ones that they should learn to do in this specific field. We suspect they are using AI and even used an AI detector for one assignment. We do not allow AI to generate our work.
They never greet anyone when they walk into the main office or into the smaller office they share with some coworkers. Maybe they feel they don't want to bother people or whatever, idk. But a simple good morning or hello would be totally fine.
I actually experienced the Gen Z stare from another intern we had last summer. I was flabbergasted until I saw TT videos making fun of it. Then, I thought, "Ohhhh! It's a thing!" Lol. I don't have kids.
Be communicative. We are dealing with an intern who is currently in college.
They never email their weekly schedule since we wanted to give them flexibility because of their own schedule.
So I have had to email twice to ask them to give me their schedule for the following week. A few times already they haven't kept their schedule.
We give them special assignments, ones that they should learn to do in this specific field. We suspect they are using AI and even used an AI detector for one assignment. We do not allow AI to generate our work.
They never greet anyone when they walk into the main office or into the smaller office they share with some coworkers. Maybe they feel they don't want to bother people or whatever, idk. But a simple good morning or hello would be totally fine.
I actually experienced the Gen Z stare from another intern we had last summer. I was flabbergasted until I saw TT videos making fun of it. Then, I thought, "Ohhhh! It's a thing!" Lol. I don't have kids.
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3points
#53
Well millennial here working with gen Z: the entitlement is kinda weird: i deserve this promotion because i dealt with one crazy customer for 2 months( the x and millennials dealt with way more). Or how rude some people are it’s crazy. A lot of good potential i dont generalize some great kids but some are awful man. Try smiling to a barista ordering coffee they ll look at you like you re a weirdo. Its like a reverse boomer situation not back in my time but more now on our time good luck with the next generation lol the alpha seems wild.
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3points
#54
Basic manners. My little sister and I got into it because she told me her and her coworkers all burp and fart at work. Shes 15 years younger then I am. She has no concept of politeness or manners. She acts like shes at home at work. Also why is all of genz going around dressed like they just woke up or rolled out of bed. Please put on actual clothes and wash your hair. Be more considerate of people. You all are so in youre own feelings you have zero respect for others. You dont understand the importance of team work either. Getting along in an office or team job is so important. You dont have to be friends, in fact youre not friends, but you should be polite and friendly. Learn to swallow your pride a little. The world wasnt built around you.
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3points
#55
The biggest difference I find from our regular crew (youngest person is in their 30s) and the college students that work here in the summers, is that the students talk a lot and at a loud volume. Some of my coworkers change the time they take their lunch break to avoid being in the break room at the same time as the students lol.
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2points
#56
Ok I'm 29 (so barely a millennial lol) but I have a ton of Gen Z coworkers. The "no problem" vs. "you're welcome" is BS imo but I will say that I think a lot of my coworkers are just... generally unprofessional?? This is definitely workplace specific but I'll give examples - so I'm a nurse in a hospital and I work at night. I overhear some of my younger coworkers talking to patients and I feel like a lot of the time their language is just very casual, occasional cussing even, calling patients terms of endearment like "girl" or "bro". I also think they're generally louder at night in the hallways which I do find irritating because yes even though we have to be awake, the patients need to sleep.
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2points
#57
LOL I did not know the gen z stare was a thing and I had it happen to me yesterday and it makes so much sense now. She looked really displeased and I felt like I was bothering her (picking up a sandwich I ordered to-go...)
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2points
#59
Using slang or abbreviations in work emails. Those should be the most professional writing you do. Don’t assume people know what you mean. Pretend every email will be read by your boss and/or HR. Be specific and concise. Always proofread before sending.
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2points
#60
Complaining to HR about every LITTLE thing. There’s no sense of conflict resolution skills so the workplace can start to feel like HS all over again with peers “tattling” on others.
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2points