Gen Z at Work: Hyper-Scrutinized and Undersupported

Every generation entering the workforce has unique hurdles. Gen Z is no exception. But let's be clear: right now, it’s darn hard to find a job.

Think of it as an “awful traffic jam.”

That’s how Michael Madowitz, the principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute, describes it, elaborating, “if you’re just out of college, you’re trying to merge into a freeway and nobody is letting you in…

Richard Yoon, an economics major at Columbia, told me that when his peers have multiple interviews for finance jobs, he asks if they’ve heard back. Their response? ‘You don’t understand. Like 19 of those 20 interviews were with bots.’”

But what may be more concerning is what these newbies experience when they finally land a job.

Hyper-scrutinized and undersupported?

For the past several years, employers have used "bossware" to track worker productivity. A New York Times investigation found that across professional fields and pay grades, employers are tracking keyboard use, movements, phone calls, and docking employees for time they perceive as “idle.”

(And it’s not just you, Gen Z.)

The result? Last year, job satisfaction for people under 25 was about 15 points lower than for people over 55. This unhappiness has become more pronounced with the pressure of AI, market uncertainty, return-to-office policies, layoffs, and a more strident attitude from executives demanding people get in line or get out.

(Btw, middle managers have had a significant satisfaction drop, too.)

The combination of having a hard time getting a job and then feeling like you need to hug the job you have can be deeply demoralizing.

The best organizations see things differently. They embrace a thriving culture and a People First approach as a matter of value and principle—not just strategy. They find it unprofessional to treat people badly when they have the upper hand.

My message to Gen Z is this: seek employment with companies that have a consistent commitment to a strong culture. (That’s tough, because everyone wants to work for them.) Alternatively, do what you can to be your own boss. And lastly, hang in there, because the pendulum will swing in ways we likely can’t see yet.

Being hyper-scrutinized and undersupported is not a sustainable strategy—for an organization or an individual.

After all, it’s always people that make things, including AI, work.

(Until I guess robots fully take over.)

Think Big, Start Small, Act Now,

- Lorne

Garrett’s View: This is why we encourage and discuss how imperative People First leadership and culture are. It’s so lucky to be part of that mindset. However, we’ve all still had to “get in line, or get out,” and muster through degrees of scrutiny and lack of support. It’s equally unsustainable to feel like the job search is “futile.” The new Gen Z saying cannot become, “when the going gets tough, at least there’s OnlyFans.”

- Garrett

AI Response: While the blog rightly highlights the "awful traffic jam" for Gen Z job seekers, the statistics are even starker: the unemployment rate for workers aged 20-24 is nearly double the national average, and a 2023 survey revealed that 45% of recent graduates feel their job search is futile. Once employed, the hyper-scrutiny is quantifiable, with global use of bossware having increased by over 50% since 2020, contributing to a dramatic 15-point satisfaction gap between workers under and over 25. This underscores that being hyper-scrutinized and undersupported isn't just demoralizing—it's a failed organizational strategy that risks alienating the very talent needed to power the future, AI-driven or not.

Gen Z at Work: Hyper-Scrutinized and Undersupported

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