Gen Z branded hardest generation to work with as 'lack discipline'

Gen Z are the people most hard to work with, a study has found.

According to a survey of 1344 people by US firm ResumeBuilder, those born in 1997 or later are the most difficult colleagues with 49 per cent of respondents stating it was difficult to work with Gen Z "all or most of the time" and 79 per cent dubbing them as the most difficult generation to have in the workplace.

59 per cent of respondents added that they have had to sack a Gen Z employee with 20 per cent of the employers firing them within a week of their start date.

How come?

“In our organisation, the Gen Zs I have interacted with can be exhausting because they lack discipline, and they like to challenge you,” one boss, Akpan Ukeme, the head of HR at SGK Global Shipping Services," was quoted as saying.

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"I’ve butted heads more than once with a Gen Z employee because since our company is online-based, they think they know everything about the digital world and think that they can teach me.

"They think they’re better than you, smarter than you, more capable than you and they will tell you to your face."

Stacie Haller, ResumeBuilder’s chief career adviser said because most Gen Z workers had started work during the pandemic, they haven't adjusted to normal working life.

“As a result of Covid-19 and remote education, it’s possible that Gen Z-ers lack the foundation to be more successful than older generations in entry-level positions. We know that with remote work and education, communication skills do not develop as well and people tend to work more independently,” she said.

“Hiring managers need to be cognisant of this when interviewing Gen Z-ers for positions. This generation may need more training when it comes to professional skills.”

As for other generation, of respondents who say Gen Z is the most difficult generation to work with, 34 per cent said they prefer to work with millennials, 30 per cent with Gen X, and 4 per cent with Baby Boomers, the survey found.

The generational wars continue.

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