Copyright Newsweek
Gen Z is cringing at the prospect of working with other Gen Z-ers, continuing a trend among some workers in which they dislike working with the younger generation, according to a new report. An Edubirdie survey of 2,000 Gen Z-ers found that 31 percent feel they’re the most annoying to work with. That was compared to just 20 percent who said baby boomers were the worst. Why It Matters Gen Z has developed a reputation for being difficult to work with. A recent Intelligent.com survey found that one in six businesses said they were hesitant to hire recent college graduates over concerns about how prepared they are for the work as well as their communication skills and professionalism. And six in 10 employers had already fired college graduates who were hired in 2024. What To Know In the Edubirdie survey, 14 percent of Gen Z-ers said Gen X was the most annoying, while 12 said the same about millennials. Eighty percent said they’re mistreated in the workplace and 48 percent believe they will make better bosses than their millennial counterparts. “It makes sense that Gen Z prefers millennials as co-workers," HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek. "Millennials are collaborative but grounded. They came up during the shift from analog to digital, so they blend tech fluency with patience and empathy. Gen Z, meanwhile, grew up in constant comparison mode. They’ve had to brand themselves since middle school, so working alongside equally ambitious peers can feel competitive instead of cooperative. “This says less about Gen Z’s work ethic and more about the environment they’ve inherited. They entered a workforce defined by burnout, layoffs and performative hustle culture. They crave mentorship and stability—things they associate with millennials, not peers still finding their footing.” Gen Z had many criticisms for its own generation, with 53 percent hating that it's “chronically online.” Thirty-seven percent said they hate most that Gen Z pretends to not care when they do, and 32 percent despised Gen Z’s need to constantly be different. Meanwhile, 42 percent hated their overreliance on artificial intelligence, and 49 percent were critical of the younger age group’s oversharing on social media. Altogether, 40 percent of Gen Z said they’re living through the worst time in human history and 41 percent are somewhat convinced we would be better off offline. What People Are Saying Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek: “With 3 in 10 saying their peers are ‘annoying to work with,’ it seems millennials strike a better balance—understanding Gen Z culture while maintaining a bit more patience than past generations. It’s almost like dating—you rarely want to date someone exactly like yourself.” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “Long term, it highlights a generational divide that employers can’t ignore. If younger workers don’t trust each other, collaboration and innovation suffer. Companies need to focus less on generational stereotypes and more on building psychological safety so co-workers stop seeing one another as competition.” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “As with all generations, there's a divide in Gen Z between those who are more professionally motivated and those who aren't, and that divide often is most prominent in workplaces. For those in Gen Z who are more driven to advance in their careers, the appeal of working with millennials is easy to see: They get to collaborate with individuals who are more tech savvy but also view their virtual lives as secondary when at work.” What Happens Next As the workforce evolves and the traditional 9 to 5 fades, Gen Z is facing a precarious job market, Thompson said. “This uncertainty has fueled stereotypes that paint Gen Z as difficult or unmotivated—proof that, as the saying goes, a lie can travel around the world before the truth gets out of bed,” he said. “As these perceptions persist, Gen Z may increasingly look toward entrepreneurial or service-oriented paths that offer flexibility and autonomy, redefining what 'work' looks like for their generation.”
