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As someone who has been in retail management for several years now, I can attest to the fact that young workers today (18-30), at least in my field, are much more sensitive and fragile than in years past. It is mostly young females, too. I don't notice too much of a difference in young males. The amount of absenteeism by young females is astounding. So many are emotional wrecks and have anxiety problems. If any little thing goes wrong, or someone says something they don't like, it's a major crisis. And almost with out fail, they call out sick the next day because it is just too much for them to handle. I would say this change has happened in the last 10 years. And it's not just my imagination. I have had several young female employees that have come to me explaining they have anxiety issues so that's why they can't work. I don't know the reason for this, and I can't say this is true across the board, but it is certainly true in my work place.
The thing is, it IS the responsibility of older generations. Specifically their parents. Poor parenting, lack of teaching children a sense of responsibility or a work ethic, and spoiling kids in such a way that makes them feel so entitled...is the fault of those parents. As well as the schools. "Participation awards", and excessive sensitivity. The kids are a product of how they were raised.
I think you're all missing an important part of this. Boomers worked for pensions and health insurance, bonuses and vacations. Those were important reasons to stay. Today, Obamacare, is not tied to your work and pensions are pretty much a thing of the past. Employees used to be recognized as valuable assets, today they are disrespected, worked to death, and expendable. I don't think boomers, except the youngest, can really understand how the workplace has changed over the last few decades. There is nothing tying young people to their jobs and there is no reason to stay if they hate it.
Millennial here. This has been my complaint since I joined the workforce. As an engineer, I began to notice that I was treated more as a burden than a company asset. Why should I be loyal to the company if they saw me as a burden?
Both husband and I now work for ourselves. Some days we can take it easy and some days we work really hard. 2 weeks PTO a year system is a joke. Being our own bosses, we take a lot more vacations than that.
Everybody should be trying to achieve financial independence (FI).
The thing is, it IS the responsibility of older generations. Specifically their parents. Poor parenting, lack of teaching children a sense of responsibility or a work ethic, and spoiling kids in such a way that makes them feel so entitled...is the fault of those parents. As well as the schools. "Participation awards", and excessive sensitivity. The kids are a product of how they were raised.
I think it IS the FAULT of the older generations for putting stockholder profits above benefits and working conditions for the employees.
Considering how many anti-depressants are prescribed in the USA, I would say Generation Z is just admitting what All Americans already know. Current American life is quite complicated, nearly requires an accounting degree to manage retirement, finances, credit scores, and student loans. And the "Always on" or Connected work life has a huge toll.
Depression is a huge issue in the USA but we are to Macho to admit it. I guess Baby Boomers would recommend Gen. Z just hold that depression and frustration inside until they get stomach ulcers, have heart attacks, strokes, and severe auto immune diseases brought on by all the years of rat race stress, LIKE REAL MEN.
I think you're all missing an important part of this. Boomers worked for pensions and health insurance, bonuses and vacations. Those were important reasons to stay. Today, Obamacare, is not tied to your work and pensions are pretty much a thing of the past. Employees used to be recognized as valuable assets, today they are disrespected, worked to death, and expendable. I don't think boomers, except the youngest, can really understand how the workplace has changed over the last few decades. There is nothing tying young people to their jobs and there is no reason to stay if they hate it.
Excellent point. Wages have also stagnated and people earn proportionately less than they did before. Rents are crazy high, couples depend on two incomes much of the time and workers are expected to be grateful? Please.
Employees have been taking “ mental health days” for decades.
I have no recollection of ever being asked if I felt anxious, stressed out or depressed.
There seems to be an increased emphasis on “ feelings”.
I agree with this. The headline is misleading and most of the posters are acting like this has not been going on for years.
Every job I have quit in my life was because I felt that the environment was not good for my mental health/state. Usually because I wasn't making enough money and didn't want to stress over finances or I had a micro managing boss who got on my nerves.
Quitting a job for "mental health" typically means someone get sick of the job and its environment so quits and finds a new one.
Millennial here. This has been my complaint since I joined the workforce. As an engineer, I began to notice that I was treated more as a burden than a company asset. Why should I be loyal to the company if they saw me as a burden?
Both husband and I now work for ourselves. Some days we can take it easy and some days we work really hard. 2 weeks PTO a year system is a joke. Being our own bosses, we take a lot more vacations than that.
Everybody should be trying to achieve financial independence (FI).
I agree with the blue as well.
I'm a 'young' Gen X at age 40 and I won't work for any place that treats me like I'm not a person. I also don't have any sense of "loyalty" to any place I work at all. I'm there to make money and do a good job and not dedicate my life to a company/organization.
I agree that often older generations just are more willing to put up with crap on the job and suffer through hostile work environments. Life is too short for that BS IMO and FWIW I got this advice from my older relatives, mostly my grandparents generation who were the "greatest" and "silent" generation. They told me that life is very quick and some of them regretted spending so much time at work and not doing things they loved with people they loved. My grandmother (born 1936) actually retired at age 50 because of a hostile work environment. She was the only black person in the executive office at a major manufacturer in our area and was constantly harrassed over her race (called a n*gge*ette and had sambo pictures and watermelon and monkey crap posted in break rooms with her names and other stuff). She didn't have as many choices for a good paying position like she had back then and so stayed until the early 1980s and retired as soon as she could.
I mention this only because in the article it said minorities were more likely to quit a job for this reason. I can understand that due to my grandmother's experiences along with my own. I have a pretty steel resolve in the face of silly racial crap at work (and people don't often go there with me but they will make racial comments about other black or non-white staff persons in my presence and I'll have to say something to them about it). But many younger black people were not reared with the resiliency IMO as my own generation was reared with so it is difficult and surprising for them to be dealing with racism at work. It is probably one of the main reasons cited by various people I know who work in the corporate world in particular, or media/marketing, or IT - for why they leave an organization/job. That racism and micro-aggression about race was getting on their nerves and making them upset and so they left and got new positions or started their own business.
I am Millennial who has not had regular work since 5/25/2017 (40th anniversary to the day of the original release date of the first Star Wars movie) and it is frustrating. I say "regular work" because I have had 4 temp jobs since then that amount to just over a collective 11 work days.
I think you're all missing an important part of this. Boomers worked for pensions and health insurance, bonuses and vacations. Those were important reasons to stay. Today, Obamacare, is not tied to your work and pensions are pretty much a thing of the past. Employees used to be recognized as valuable assets, today they are disrespected, worked to death, and expendable. I don't think boomers, except the youngest, can really understand how the workplace has changed over the last few decades. There is nothing tying young people to their jobs and there is no reason to stay if they hate it.
All of it very true.
"Personnel" is now "Human Resources" and resources are there to be extracted. There is no upside to staying in a job that stresses you beyond your personal cost/benefit level.
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