Throughout the past year and this year, I have received several remarks and come across multiple articles and videos about how Generation Z (‘Gen Z’) has changed the dynamics of the workplace. For instance, I came across a discussion where a Gen Zer was talking about his experience at his new job. He arrived on his first day and apparently his new employer was in a bad mood and took it out on him. During lunchbreak, the Gen Zer left and sent his resignation letter via courier. For older generations, this may have seemed like a right but for Gen Z, it was a necessary limitation. Besides, who would want to deal with an emotionally unintelligent employer? This clash was not just about workplace etiquette! It was a sea change in how we define work, value, and survival. And with epigenetics confirming that stress echoes across generations, Gen Z’s rebellion isn’t just logical; it’s biological.
Mental health is currently a huge global concern and with the rapid changes taking place in the world, peace of mind is highly important for productivity. The thread about the employee who resigned immediately was not an anomaly. A 2024 Deloitte survey found that 51% of Gen Z prioritizes mental health over salary, and 40% have rejected jobs due to toxic culture. Most traditional workplaces still believe in the glorification of suffering, a trajectory that modern culture is moving away from.
To some extent, I attribute the change to the COVID pandemic. When the pandemic broke out, people had the liberty to work from home, which allowed for better work-life integration than ever before. The pandemic stripped away the illusion that employers value loyalty. When layoffs hit, Gen Z saw “family-like” companies cut staff overnight. The lesson? SELF-PRESERVATION IS NOT LAZINESS—IT’S STRATEGY. Many people have also had the enlightenment that work does not determine a person’s value, the title is not the identity and the salary is not the personality.
Global trends are uniquely manifested across Africa, where many parents, growing up, encourage their children to pursue white collar jobs such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Parents push their children into “prestigious” careers often to fulfil their own unmet dreams. But this created a paradox! Labor shortages in “unglamorous” trades, such as plumbing, welding etc., now require higher wages due to demand. In Kenya, for instance, skilled trades pay 30% more than entry-level office jobs. The current generation is exploiting this situation. They prefer to earn good money as electricians rather than suffer in underpaid corporate jobs for a title.
Moreover, platforms like Patreon, TikTok, and Etsy have turned hobbies (photography, gaming, baking) into lucrative careers. A 2024 Stripe report found that 38% of Gen Z freelancers earn more than their salaried peers, with creative fields like digital art and podcasting growing 214% year-over-year. When a TikToker earns more than a lawyer, the prestige loses its power. As one Nairobi-based Gen Z content creator posted: “My dad called me a failure for choosing photography over law. Now I bill his favorite lawyers for their brand shoots.”
There is also the invisible weight of epigenetics that explains why Gen Z’s tolerance for workplace toxicity is nil. Critics often misunderstand that Gen Z has weaker resilience, failing to realize that their burdens are heavier. Epigenetics proves that trauma, i.e. inherited financial anxiety from the 2008 crash, etc., changes the way genes function in future generations. The trauma of past generations is embedded in their DNA. Now, with pandemic PTSD and climate anxiety, their ‘laziness’ is a survival tactic. Sure, technology may seem to simplify many things, but it can never simplify what weighs on the soul. Technology can’t delete genetic stress, but quitting a toxic job might do it.
Moreover, current generations show higher levels of contentment and are not fooled by performative consumerism. They prefer to invest in experiences like resting peacefully in a hammock in the countryside rather than breaking their backs for ostentation. As Maslow’s hierarchy of needs predicts, when survival feels precarious, people ditch “esteem needs” (designer handbags) and cling to basic needs (safety, peace).
Employers clinging to “hustle culture” are fighting against biology and economics. Gen Z’s demands—flexibility, boundaries, fair pay—are non-negotiable. They are the inevitable result of a world where work no longer guarantees security and stress is literally in their DNA.
The question is not “Why won’t Gen Z suffer like we did?” It’s “Why did we ever think that suffering was virtue?”