They may act their wage and go after lazy girl jobs, but beneath all that bluster, the Gen Z workforce is far more vacation-shy than their Boomer co-workers.
A recent poll conducted by LinkedIn revealed that 35% of Gen Z workers say they feel guilty not working when they’re on vacation, compared to 22% of Boomers.
Furthermore, just 58% of the younger generation had plans to book a vacation and completely unplug in the coming months.
“Gen Z is the most digitally connected generation to date. So, for a white-collar worker, even if they do log out of work applications — they still carry their virtual office with them wherever they go and are always only a few clicks or logins away from being right back at work,” Jenny von Podewils, co-founder, and co-CEO of Leapsome, a performance management and employee engagement platform, told The Post.
“When something is so ingrained in your daily routine (checking notifications or opening several apps), it’s very hard to suddenly ‘disconnect’ when you’re on vacation.”
The hyper-connectivity of social media has kept the iGeneration chronically online and engaged in some capacity, throughout most of their lives. As they join the workforce, this ingrained need to be connected has made its way into their work culture.
“The desire to always be ‘in the know’ drives a compulsive need to be tied to their devices, whether it is to engage personally or professionally,” Elizabeth Lintelman, director of career services at Rasmussen University, told The Post.
“The pressure to stay connected to work is a simple offshoot of their urge to be connected and available.”
Twenty-six-year-old content creator and start-up advisor Natalie Marshall, a.k.a. Corporate Natalie, confesses to feeling that urge.
“Gen Zers grew up with the pressure of keeping up with their connections (friends, family, school, work, etc.) constantly through social media, and with current working models being so mobile-friendly,” Marshall told The Post.
“I think Gen Z feels pressure to remain online at work, [even] if they’re online for different reasons,” she said.
Although Marshall built a following of more than 875,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram by calling out and poking fun at Gen Z’s work antics, she admitted that she still struggles with how to truly “unplug.”
Speaking for her generation, she explained: “We conflate being ‘always on’ with being a good employee, in an effort to avoid disappointment from coworkers or leaders.”
And much of Gen Z is working hard not to let their team or higher-ups down.
Having joined the workforce during the COVID pandemic and being prone to crippling worry in general, Gen Z is subsequently riddled with “layoff anxiety,” as young employees recognize their recent start date — and unique mentality about work — often pushes them to the front of the line, come layoff time.
“Gen Zers happened to start their careers in a never-before-seen, chaotic employment landscape,” Lintelman said.
“The stress of feeling like you have less control and stability in your career can be a direct driver in an unwillingness to disconnect from work.”
There’s another simple reason why Gen Zers might not be rushing to leave their laptops behind and jet off to the Bahamas — time. As the youngest and new employees, they are likelier to not have accumulated enough vacation days just yet.
Boomers, on the other hand, are likely to be in positions of senior management at this point in their lives. Their decades of life and work experience will typically have allowed them to feel more confident in their job security and financial situation.
“Baby boomers are generalized as placing a high value on tradition. They were brought up in a business culture secured in finding and growing within a single company and working their way up,” Leapsome’s von Podewils said.
“In this respect, Boomers believe they’ve ‘paid their dues’ and that their vacation time is earned and should be used.”
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