Is Gen Z lazy, or are they onto something?

DW (English)

Lazy, entitled and demanding – when it comes to Gen Z, is there anything to the cliché? We meet one young executive who says it’s at least partly true. But in a society with job openings to spare, Gen Z might be able to rewrite the rules of the game.

Transcript

00:00Lazy, lacking in resilience, but still looking for a big paycheck?

00:06In Germany that's the cliché when it comes to Gen Z.

00:09Especially at our age, I'm 20, personal development is important

00:14and that includes meeting up with friends, having fun, going to concerts.

00:18So how will Gen Z fare in the workplace?

00:22They prefer not to work weekends and no long hours or overtime.

00:29Time for a reality check.

00:3120-year-old Ben works in an ad agency where he's in charge of production.

00:39It's not the money or pay that matters most to me, but how much I'm learning.

00:44I didn't go to university and I don't plan to.

00:48So I need a work environment where I can make mistakes and learn from them

00:53without it turning into a serious problem.

00:59His co-workers are all Gen Z and so is his boss.

01:03So how does he get the most out of his team?

01:09One of our fundamental values here is that we value honesty and transparency.

01:15We need to know what we're doing wrong, but also be able to address those problems as a team.

01:21But when Gen Z ends up with a boss who's not quite so flexible, that can be a problem.

01:28I've had to fire people who were less than reliable,

01:33like an electrical apprentice who was consistently late.

01:37He just couldn't toe the line.

01:40He always came at 7.15, not at 7 a.m. like the rest of the team.

01:46And then he tried to argue his way out of it, like saying, well, I have great grades.

01:53Gen Z doesn't want to sign their life away for a job,

01:57and they want more from their job than their parents did.

02:01People don't want to be seen only as anonymous workers anymore.

02:0620 or 30 years ago, companies could get away with that.

02:10But now people want to be treated as individuals, with individual needs.

02:15For Gen Z, that means you have to explain to them what their job is about,

02:20what working at the company really means.

02:25In Germany, Gen Z tends to be highly trained and educated,

02:29and have many options and opportunities.

02:32And given the labor shortage, they're also highly sought after as workers,

02:36which is a major boost to their confidence.

02:42As soon as I start to feel that I'm not learning enough, not being challenged enough,

02:46it's time to start looking for a new opportunity.

02:54So how can companies retain Gen Zs?

02:58One of the things we do differently here compared to a traditional workplace

03:02is that we offer things like gym memberships,

03:05and have regular team events once a year.

03:10Last year, we took the entire team of 25 people to Marrakech

03:14and rented a small space there.

03:16We had a five-day workcation there, all as a team.

03:28More free time than their parents, less pressure at work,

03:32an open door to opportunities.

03:35Does Germany's Gen Z have it made?

03:39People often say we should be the happiest generation of all.

03:44We've grown up with so many more privileges than our parents.

03:48But we're also facing the biggest challenges.

03:51A lot of my friends, for example, are practically paralyzed

03:54by all the many crises on our doorstep.

03:57The climate crisis, wars globally, and so on.

04:01They struggle with motivation, and wonder if there's even a point to work and a career.

04:07When Gen Z feels respected and valued, they're motivated and resilient.

04:14They'll even work on the weekend, as long as it's the exception rather than the rule.

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