Much like jumbo shrimp or a cool goatee, the concept of a great place to work has become somewhat of an oxymoron. And few are as skeptical of modern work culture as the youngest generation of workers— Gen Zers, the oldest of whom are approaching 30. The early pandemic mass layoffs were simply a formative experience for them.
“I think the ‘good place to work’ doesn’t exist anymore. And people, at least in my generation, understand that,” Ayem Kpenkaan, a 25-year-old former software engineer turned viral content creator, says.
“Companies aren’t necessarily going to be your friend. They’re really there for the bottom line, which is to make profit,” Kimi Kaneshina, 25, says. Navigating her own recent layoff—Kaneshina was a product manager for a software company—she explains that while the current workforce climate made her “jaded,” it’s perhaps good that she’s “learning this lesson earlier on than maybe some of [her] millennial counterparts.”
Watching the bulk of their working (or educational) life consumed by the pandemic has radically shaped the expectations of the generation whose oldest members turn 27 this year and whose youngest cohort is still in college or finishing high school. The workforce of the future is pondering the concept of “greatness.”
Even so, Gen Z has bills to pay. Warily entering the workforce in search of a livable wage, the next generation of workers is navigating conflicting impulses. In an unstable world, stability has become the hallmark of a good employer, but a truly great place to work also offers flexibility and a healthy respect for individuality to boot. And the youngest workers seem to really hate being micromanaged. Among the 10 leaders on this year’s Best Companies to Work For list, employees’ comments focused overwhelmingly
on their own sense of autonomy. So the whole idea of greatness at work …well, it’s complicated.
First, the shell-shocked generation craves stability. Two-thirds of Gen Z won’t consider an employer who doesn’t offer a 401(k), according to Handshake, a job board for college students and early-career professionals. The youngest generation’s anxiety about their future is informed by older cohorts’ disappointments. A survey from Charles Schwab last year found that Gen Z workers almost universally believe they will face obstacles to retire (at 99%), followed by 91% of Gen X, and smaller portions of millennials and boomers.
“A majority of Gen Z has spent their young adulthood years in a pandemic and financial crisis, and as a result, many witnessed their parents’ retirement plans disrupted. Paired with additional financial burdens, like student loans and economic instability, retirement planning likely feels like more of a priority to this generation,” says Christine Cruzvergara, chief education
