“Employer’s nightmare.” “A bunch of lazy layabouts” in “disgusting work outfits.” “Insufferable to work with…”
While Generation Z (aka Zoomers) reject the conventional workplace, their colleagues and employers hang these quotes as invisible tags on them. A whopping 45% of HR leaders confess that Gen Z is the toughest generation to manage among all workers.
But do they indeed match those words? Or is there a chance that we don’t know Zoomers well enough while falling into the generational gap of misunderstanding?
Instead of attaching labels and enhancing biases, let’s take a human-centered approach to people management and better understand this demographic cohort from a psychological viewpoint: Why do Gen-Z employees reject the modern workplace, stand in opposition to its conventionalism, or even rewrite old-as-the-hills HR rules, often perceived as rebels or anarchists?
Afterward, we’ll help you prepare your workplace for Generation Z and create the most favorable conditions for them to feel valued and accepted in the future of work.
Understanding Gen Z Employees and Their Workplace Rejection
What do you really know about Gen Z-ers?
Most probably—only that they are the most recent workforce joiners born between 1997 and 2013. If so, here are essential facts to learn about Zoomers to see that their reasons for rejecting the modern workplace run deeper than a generational difference at work. They are anchored in human psychology.
They prioritize freedom of choice and flexibility
Gen-Z workers strive for more freedom in everything:
• Language: They may reject business communication etiquette and talk in slang at work.
• Work mode and schedule: Gen Z-ers oppose a traditional nine-to-five working day in the office and applaud flexible hours. Over half of Gen Z (55%) value control over their work schedules to maintain a better work-life balance.
• Career: They are willing to choose from a diverse range of career growth possibilities and develop their skill sets in a self-led manner.
• Management: They say “no” to inflexible hierarchies and “yes” to humanized work environments with organizational structures, such as Holacracy or Sociocracy.
• Clothing: They challenge dress code rules and prefer to wear comfortable clothes.
For example:
China’s Gen Z workers are wearing pajamas to work as a protest against outdated dress codes.
Source: YouTube
They frown upon overworking and prioritize mental health
Conrad Wang, Managing Director at EnableU, says, “A work-until-you-die scenario is not about Generation Z rejecting overwork. And that’s what makes older generations perceive them as “sluggish” and “lazy.””
Wang adds, “Gen Z-ers despise the traditionally ingrained hustle culture at job sites where employees are used to burning the midnight oil at work and sacrificing their physical and mental health.”
Why?
Because Zoomers care about their mental well-being (which is absolutely normal), 82% expect mental health days, and half would like mental health training at work.
They seek meaning in work and life
Purpose is the greatest lever of motivation and productivity for Generation Z.
If Gen-Z employees receive a pointless to-do list, they become totally disengaged and fall into “quiet quitting” lethargy. They “quit” emotionally without formally leaving the job. This often leads to apathy, disconnection from colleagues, or even toxicity in the workplace.
As for purposeful life, support of the following societal values has the highest impact on them:
• Ethical leadership
• Transparency and integrity
• Respect for individual perspectives
• Contribution to the community
• Sustainability
This fact speaks louder than words: 54% of Gen Z workers push their employers to take action on climate change.
Source: Deloitte
They hate antiquated technology or no tech stack at all
Unlike their older colleagues, especially Generation X, the Gen Z workforce is a digitally native group, sometimes called “iGeneration.” They set precedents for tech usage. Sharing a firm handshake with technology, they eagerly implement generative AI (artificial intelligence), AR/VR (augmented and virtual reality), or other revolutionary tools in the workplace.
And on the contrary, complicated bureaucratic systems with piles of paperwork and a lack of automated solutions frustrate them. For a Gen Z employee, such a company seems unprepared for the future, showing regress rather than progress.
They ask for autonomy yet need to feel included in the team.
Samantha Brown, General Manager at Shout Media, says, “Zoomers are creative change-makers who think beyond the ordinary and propel innovations. Yet, while trying to unleash creativity and innovative potential, they opt to work autonomously and independently and reject workplace environments that restrict it.”
At the same time, they wish to experience a sense of belonging and inclusion in the workplace. Based on the study, 24% of Gen Z workers anticipate more autonomous tasks at work, whereas 25% would like to build stronger bonds with their peers. Remarkably, this percentage is higher than in other employee generations: Millennials and Gen X-ers.
5 Strategies for Making Your Workplace Gen-Z-Ready
Embrace social responsibility
Let’s start with your corporate values. One of them should be social responsibility, as Gen Z is rejecting the modern workplace that doesn’t care about the environment and society.
We’ve already mentioned ecological consciousness, which the youngest employees cherish the most. Now, let’s discuss community impact.
Leading a socially conscious team of rental machinery experts, Alistair Flett, Managing Director at Pronto Hire, says supporting your local community is a must-do. In his opinion, “It’s not only that your Gen-Z team members ask for positive societal contributions; it’s vital to become a pro-civic company in the future of work. I strongly believe in giving back to the community with the help of charitable initiatives. It’s an obligation, not an option today.”
For example:
Pronto Hire picked three local charities for donations: St. John’s, Ronald McDonald House, and Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopters.
Source: Instagram
Consider other philanthropic practices like these:
• Sponsor local events and programs
• Organize non-profit projects (helping the unemployed or uneducated)
• Add paid volunteer days to employee benefits packages
• Run charity drives to collect food, clothes, books, or other items for community organizations
• Conduct charitable team-building activities
For example:
Here’s a sneak peek from the Agents+Co team volunteering at Foodbank NSW & ACT.
Source: Instagram
Currently, they are running their own Christmas charity food drive to help fight hunger in Australia.
Soften your dress code rules (if any).
It doesn’t mean you must ditch professional, business-like workwear altogether. You just need to seek compromise and adopt “milder” rules.
Working in the realm of custom apparel with DTF transfers, Murtaza Oklu, Owner of OMO Transfer, notices a tendency to drop dress code standards and shift to a more relaxed workwear style at Gen-Z-oriented companies. He advises employers to follow the lead and likewise “Plan Dress-Down Days or Casual Fridays to give your Gen Z workers a break from professional attire. Of course, this is not what they actually dream of. Yet, it’s a nice middle ground to start with.”
For example:
Take a glimpse of a “Casual Friday” day at Cubiq Recruitment.
Source: LinkedIn
While continuing our dive into the HR world, here’s how the ProGroupStaffing team organized a Pajama Day at work.
Source: TikTok
You could even get custom hoodies or T-shirts for your Gen Z team members to show that you truly support their comfort and self-expression.
Encourage self-ruled learning and development (L&D).
Just like with autonomous work, Generation Z prefers a more self-directed L&D path. In fact, 43% would like a fully self-governed and independent approach to learn and grow in the workplace of the future.
As a seasoned coach in management and leadership, Matthew Channell, Owner of TSW Training, also remarks, “Old-school methods like classroom-style training sessions or mentorship programs with no room for choice don’t work for Gen Z employees. That’s why modern companies focus more on e-learning, often without strict supervision.”
He alternatively suggests more appropriate options to match Gen Z expectations and needs:
• Self-paced courses (Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, or Udemy)
• Training gamification to gain achievements like L&D badges or levels on individual terms
• Self-selected side projects
• Digestible content for micro-learning (short videos or podcasts)
• Hackathons or innovation days
For example:
QuestionPro organized a hackathon for software engineers in the Pune office.
Source: LinkedIn
And yep (have you noticed it, too?): the CEO was walking around the office without shoes.
Give the green light to intrapreneurship.
What’s that, and how can you “dish it out” to your Gen Z workforce?
An intrapreneur (shortened from “internal entrepreneur”) is an employee who generates innovative ideas and implements them in personal projects. It’s like curating a mini-startup within an already-established organization.
The brightest example here would be Gmail, an email service that emerged thanks to an individual side project by Google’s developer, Paul Buchheit.
But why is it relevant for the youngest workplace entrants?
“Aside from autonomy, intrapreneurship gives Gen Z-ers an opportunity to test their limits, learn from trials and errors, explore new frontiers in a specific industry, and innovate it to the fullest,” says Sabas Lin, CTO at Knowee. He shares, “In our case, this is artificial intelligence to shake up education with truly smart AI tech. However, it may be virtually any creative vector in business development.”
Suppose you manage a marketing team. Let your Gen Z workers become intrapreneurs and launch a Content Incubator Project or Influencer Lab to experiment with the most extraordinary ideas.
Or—
It can be a separate Intrapreneurship Program, similar to the one set up by DOMINION in 2024.
Source: Dominion-Global
Rethink your workplace technology
In-office equipment
According to David Speedy, General Manager at Workspace Direct, “While making your workplace ready for Gen Z, you should create a comfortable yet optimally productive in-office space with tech-forward functionality. Strategic office adjustments may help you engage Gen Z workers more effectively and design a tech-savvy workspace that resonates with their wants and needs.”
It may require some drastic changes, including digital transformation in the office:
• Advanced meeting room technology (smart whiteboards, voice-activated assistants, VR headsets)
• Personalized lighting systems
• Ergonomic workstations (height-adjustable desks, footrests, anti-fatigue mats)
• Quiet work pods or rooms
• Eco-friendly office tools (solar-powered gadgets, recycling stations)
For example:
Augmented reality is one of the innovative working methods at Safran Group.
Source: Safran
Digital Tools
The better you optimize your collaborative virtual environment, the happier your Gen Z workers (and not only them!) will be.
Yet, you may struggle to find the right toolset to cover everything (communication, project management, time-tracking, and so on), particularly when you manage work-at-home or hybrid teams.
And that’s when Nimble comes to the rescue to help you manage tasks, communicate in Nimble Café, gamify work with badges, and handle everything in one place!
And the best part?
You’ll have a Nimble Buddy, an AI companion that will improve your work management experience and coach you along the way.
Adjust Your Workplace for Gen Z with Nimble
Join the #HumanizeWork movement with Nimble and make your workplace more human-focused. Let your younger and older staffers establish a cross-generational, age-inclusive connection, collaborate more meaningfully, and visualize the difference they drive for your company.
By the way, the Nimble platform ideally caters to the needs of Agile teams. Try it for free, and watch your Gen Z team members enjoy it.