15 Reasons Why Companies Are Not Hiring Gen Z Workers
Gen Z refuses to act as a workplace doormat. The generation born between 1997 and 2012 holds their boundary-setting abilities high, which translates poorly to older generation workers and bosses. The Gen Z attitude comes across as entitlement rather than advocacy for oneself. Instead of letting an employer demand everything from a worker, Gen Z may tell an employer no when they cannot complete a task. The problem we run into is a lack of transparency and a misunderstanding between generations.
Are companies wrong to refuse to hire Gen Zers based on these criteria, or do we as a society need to reevaluate the differences between younger and older generations? Which tactics prevent the workplace from hiring Gen Zers?
1. Age Bias
Ageism depicts a person holding stereotyped beliefs toward another age group. An ageist thought finds a manager refusing to hire a 70-year-old due to preconceived notions about their slow work ethic. The 70-year-old might be the fastest, hardest working staff member, yet the company doesn’t give him/her a chance to shine. The same goes for Gen Zers. However, the age bias relates to their youth, blinding them from job responsibilities. Hiring managers read resumes, notice a younger age, and decline to hire the Gen Zer out of fear of a poor work ethic.
2. Fear of Job Hopping
A common trend throughout Gen Z finds them job hopping. They pick up different jobs for small portions of time to either figure out what they want to do or stick up for what they don’t want to do. Employers want dedicated staff members to devote their lives to their work. Gen Z differs from other generations because they refuse to work for unfavorable jobs. Acting in this manner translates as unreliable to many hiring managers, though it suggests Gen Z’s ability to stick up for their desires.
3. Lack of Experience
When I graduated college, my classmates struggled with attaining entry-level jobs due to a lack of experience. Job boards wanted five years of experience in any given field in exchange for minimum wage. As recent graduates, we applied and applied to these positions, but we were shut down for limited or zero experience. How are you supposed to gain experience if no one hires you? That’s the problem. An article published in Newsweek suggests that 80% of employers fear Gen Zers’ lack of experience will hinder their performance.
4 Attitude
Boomers associate Gen Zers with unprofessional attitudes in the workplace. Boomers who refuse to hire Gen Zers that is. Gen Zers prioritize honesty over people-pleasing, which comes across as unprofessional to a boss. The gaggle of young adults also focuses on maintaining a balanced lifestyle. Asking a Gen Zer to perform a task outside of their work hours could set them off or cause them to reply with a simple no. Boundaries become mistaken for disloyalty and disrespect compared to older coworkers’ work ethics.
5. Reliability Doubts
Doubts surrounding Gen Z’s reliability cycles into increased need for mental health days, select employers say.Employers who work with Gen Z workers state that younger folks bring their mental health into the workplace, disrupting reliability. Though mental health existed long before the birth of the first Gen Zer, previous generations never accounted for struggles in the same way as Gen Z. Instead, Boomers showed up to work despite their mental health state. The majority of Gen Z stands against that idea, advocating for mental health days. Nonetheless, several employers view this behavior as irresponsible and unreliable.
6. Money Hungry
According to a report conducted by the American Staffing Association (ASA) and Harris Poll, a high number ofbusinesses claimed that 66% of Gen Z staff will ask for a raise in 2024. The younger generation approaches the changing political climate with a blunt, upfront ask. Gen Z refuses to sit back while the economic climate shifts into uncharted territories. But how does that affect the workplace budget? Employers look at Gen Z’s willingness to ask for what they want as rude or unwanted behavior that does not fit the workplace. To avoid that awkward conversation, they consider keeping older staff and treating them with bonuses and raises.
7. Unprepared
Would you want to hire someone deemed unfit to hold down the company? Probably not. Again, how can a company decide which potential staff prepared themselves for the workforce and which remain unprepared? A survey published in Intelligent found around 40% of bosses admitted to refusing to hire Gen Z workers. Why? The higher-ups think Gen Z needs extra nurturing and care in the workforce. Hiring executives explained judgments about Gen Z’s unprepared attitudes. Attitudes unwilling to adjust to a professional work life. Unprepared behaviors included dressing inappropriately, not making eye contact and swearing. During virtual interviews, unprepared behaviors included never turning on the camera or turning on the camera in an inappropriate interview location, like a bar.
8. Miss Deadlines
The same study touched on above specifies that two out of three employers assume Gen Z staff struggle with completing their work. Backing up this belief, the article states that 59% of Gen Z staff turn in assignments past their deadlines. As the younger generation struggles to meet deadlines, other workers must deal with extra workload to fill the gap left by Gen Z.
9. Show Up Late
Many employers felt Gen Z operate on their own schedule, with little regard for others’ time. Voice of Americainterviewed employers about Gen Z’s tardiness. The findings report 61% of Gen Z hires show up to work late. While Gen Z stresses individuality and straying away from authoritarian bosses, this behavior measures up poorly in the office.
10. Entitlement
What does entitlement look like in the workplace? Some staff define workplace entitlement as an employee holding themself in a higher regard than others. Or transparency about workplace needs. In other words, older generations believe Gen Zer’s ability to ask and demand what they need comes across as entitlement. For example, a Gen Zer telling a manager they won’t complete a task because they lack the skills translates as entitled behavior. Gen Zers assume that behavior qualifies as implementing boundaries.
11. Too Much Flexibility
How often have you worked a job with a rigid schedule? You might not have liked the demanding schedule, though you showed up to work on time and left without grumbling about the hours. Although you wanted to vent to someone about the hours, you kept quiet and turned up to work on time each day. Employers stress the idea that Gen Zers prioritize flexibility within their work over the job. I think part of this mindset goes back to the lockdown and working virtually. Gen Z grew accustomed to logging on to work instead of commuting to a physical location. In turn, employers favor workers who comply with schedules.
12. Social Media
Social media morphed into a secondary life for lots of Gen Z people. Instagram, X, TikTok, any of the social sites permit postings about life, work, and miscellaneous events. The problem is some people don’t know when to stop posting.Though a handful of companies work with social media, the idea of hiring workers with the possibility of bad-mouthing a company becomes a major concern. Stress about PR involvement surfaces, along with the fear of potential employees tarnishing the company’s name.
13. Training Expenses
Hiring new employees, training them, and watching them leave the job a few days after spending money on training costs the company money. During the hiring process, managers intend to hire people who won’t quit right after training expenses. Unfortunately, several companies extend this bias toward Gen Z without giving them a fair chance. Plus, a company is less likely to hire a Gen Z candidate who needs extra training because of excess costs.
14. Care Toward the Environment
Environmental concerns are another reason companies refuse to hire Gen Z workers. A study suggests Gen Z workers care more about the company’s pledge to the environment than the company’s well-being, which clouds work ethic. Concern for sustainability and environmental practices gets in the way of the company’s model, according to The Boomers Insight. Following this green mindset, companies not in line with the latest sustainability project tiptoe around hiring Gen Z workers. Instead, they hire older workers who put less pressure on the company’s sustainability standpoints and increased pressure on their workload.
15. Mental Health Care
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission legally prevents companies from judging a hiring candidate based on disabilities, religion, race, color, etc. However, not every company abides by this commission. Even if a company promises equal opportunity employment, they find ways to weave around the fine print. The Boomer Insight claims that with Gen Z’s openness about mental health, their need for extra accommodations interferes with their job. From the company’s viewpoint, additional accommodations lead to additional expenses, so the hiring manager goes a different route when faced with hiring a Gen Z person or a Boomer.
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