Two article about Generation Z's attitudes towards work

See Is Gen Z Unemployable? Hiring managers prize achievement, learning and work. Today’s youth value pleasure and individuality by Suzy Welch. She is a professor of management at New York University. Excerpts:

"A mere 2% of Generation Z members hold the values that companies want most in new hires, namely achievement, learning and an unbridled desire to work."

"most students confuse values with virtues. Values are choices about how we want to live and work, while virtues are qualities that everyone generally agrees are good, like kindness and integrity."

"Scholars have identified more than a dozen values, each existing on a continuum of intensity, of which family and financial security are only two."

"In 2022 I assembled a team of data scientists, engineers, researchers and psychometricians to help me formulate a scientifically validated, behaviorally based assessment tool called the Values Bridge."

What were Gen Z's values?

"In first place is eudemonia, a Greek term my inventory uses to encompass the desire for self-care and personal pleasure. Next comes voice, the value that reflects the priority a person places on expressing authentic individuality. Third, non sibi, the Latin term meaning “not for oneself,” the desire to help people. Fourth is affluence, exactly as it sounds, and fifth, “beholderism,” a desire for things—including yourself—to be beautiful."

What about employers?

"Achievement came in first" [that was] "11th for Generation Z; 61% wish they had less of it in their lives."

"Next for the hiring managers was scope, which reflects the desire for learning, action and stimulation. That ranks 10th for Gen Z.

Third for hiring managers was “workcentrism,” the desire to work for work’s sake. That’s ninth for Gen Z."

"how many Generation Z respondents . . . identified achievement, scope and workcentrism in their top five values. Only 154, or 2.04%, did so."

See also Layoffs Aren’t Shaking Gen Z’s Commitment to Work-Life Balance: Recent layoffs have reinforced beliefs among some younger professionals that loyalty to a company won’t be returned by Oyin Adedoyin and Ray A. Smith of The WSJ. Excerpts:

"younger professionals are still giving priority to work-life balance and remain more detached from their employers than older workers"

"sweeping layoffs at companies in recent weeks have reinforced the belief that loyalty to an employer won’t be reciprocated."

"“Even though the labor market is tougher, people are still feeling disconnected from their employers,” said Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace management and well-being at Gallup." [maybe this is not a surprise given the big difference in values mentioned in the first article]

"Unlike older generations, who tend to work harder to make themselves seem indispensable in a weakening job market, younger professionals don’t seem to fear that their insistence on work-life balance will cost them their jobs"

"More young professionals choose work-life balance over salary as the most important attribute they considered when thinking about starting a full-time job"

"The shifting priorities are showing up in shrinking work hours. Americans worked an average of 42.9 hours a week last year, down from 44.1 hours in 2019, according to a Gallup survey. Those younger than 35 led the decline, working an average of nearly two hours less a week, while older employees reduced their workweek by just under one hour."