With statistics showing a 50% spike in workplace lawsuits, many say Gen Z might be to blame. That’s because Gen Z is struggling to acclimate.
Gen Z is struggling to acclimate to America’s workplaces, with 68% of employers saying that Gen Z has reliability issues, 71% saying Gen Z is most likely to have mental health issues in the workplace, and 62% saying Gen Z is most likely to bring a divisiveness and toxicity to the workplace.
The survey of over 80,000 small businesses also found that 91% of small business owners “believe that colleges are creating unrealistic expectations among students about what their job and work life will be like post-graduation.”
“Gen Z is earning a failing grade in America’s workplaces,” said RedBalloon CEO Andrew Crapuchettes. “With baby boomers retiring in record numbers, America needs Gen Z to step up. But Gen Z is struggling big-time to engage with the workplace in a meaningful way.”
The survey, a joint project of RedBalloon and PublicSquare, also found that less than 4% of employers say that Gen Z is the generation that “most aligns with their workplace culture,” and 57% say Gen Z is the most likely group to post a risk of a workplace lawsuit.
A sampling of the survey’s verbatim comments about Gen Zers by employers includes:
“Absolute delusion, complete lack of common sense, and zero critical reasoning or basic analytical skills.”
“Entitlement; they want higher-end coffee, large pay increases every year,
promotions, perks, benefit upon benefits, more remote work even though they
may be underperforming already with 2 days' per week remote.”
“Expecting promotions for simply showing up everyday.”
“Most likely to demand workplace culture to fit their preferences rather than
adjusting to the workplace culture.”
“Unjustified expectations and entitlements.”
This has led 57% of employers to also say Gen Z is the most likely to post a risk of a workplace lawsuit.
Charts
Overall simply not a positive report card for the latest generation entering the workforce. Despite this, there still is hope for Gen Z. As PublicSquare CEO Michael Seifert said "When you find that Gen Z employee who is top-notch, you've most likely found one of your best employees ever."
So if you're in this minority of Gen Z who still wants to work hard and buck the latest woke trends, then come find an employer who shares your values on RedBalloon.work. Download the full Freedom Economy survey here.
Methodology:
The Freedom Economy Index surveyed a universe of over 80,000 small business owners throughout the United States, fielding the questionnaire from March 15-19, 2024, with 839 respondents. The survey has a margin of error of +/-3.0% at the 95% confidence level.