Ah yes, the age-old conflict: every generation has always had beef with the last, but it seems like millennials and Gen Z have always been at the forefront of the generational war. Honestly, I blame the Internet.
Now, with the millennials pushing 50 and Gen Zs starting to dominate the workplace, we’ve come to this: who are the ones actually ruining the workplace? Is it the millennials with their laissez-faire, things-will-work-out-eventually attitude, or Gen Zs with their main character energy?
Well, we shot a short little film to see how both generations react to certain situations in the workplace so you can watch and decide for yourself:
Editor
Jennifer chevron_right
Table of Contents
Situation 1: Dealing With Needy Managers
When receiving a barrage of texts from a manager asking for constant updates on their work, the millennial would go right into corporate mode when replying, complete with formatting, “best regards”, and maybe a sprinkle of passive aggressiveness.
Gen Z’s, though… well, let’s just say they have a different idea of formal responses than what the previous generations thought. Remember, they grew up with texting, so quick and concise communication is the norm for them!
Situation 2: Starting the Workday
Not everyone starts the day off full of energy, but for Gen Zs, it seems like they’ve gotten out of the wrong side of bed once and just never went to bed ever again. They’re always tired in the morning and can’t function without their first cup of coffee.
Millennials, on the other hand, know the power of small talk and socialisation, much to the dismay of the Gen Zs in the office. It’s nice, but sometimes people just don’t want to talk, you know?
Situation 3: That One Co-Worker Favours
We all know that person: they always “have too much on their plate” and need to pawn off work to you. What do you do?
If you were a millennial, then you’ll have a chronic inability to say no to other people. That ends up with you taking the extra work, on top of all your existing responsibilities and end up stressing yourself out. And that’s when the resignation letter template comes out, am I right?
If you were a Gen Z, you wouldn’t care. You have enough on your plate, and if you’re only paid one person’s salary, you’re only doing one person’s job. So, if you’re forced to take up someone else’s burden, you’ll tell everyone loudly and clearly: “Keep your expectations low!”
Situation 4: Getting Good News
It’s really fascinating to see how linguistics has changed thanks to Internet culture. While millennials have abbreviations like BRB, LOL, OMG that probably sound like gibberish to, say, Boomers, Gen Zs have pretty much invented a whole language by themselves.
In our video, when Gen Z gets good news, they reply with emojis and “slayyyy”. Yes, the extra Ys are mandatory. Millennials, on the other hand, answer with a demure “Glad to be a part of it :)”.
Oh, and did I mention that smiley faces are not a GOOD thing in Gen Z speak?
Situation 5: Lunch “Break”
Gen Z or Millenial, your favourite part of the workday is probably the lunch break. It’s the only time of the workday when you scroll on Tiktok endlessly without anyone side-eying you for slacking off… or, yes, actually having lunch.
Can you tell which generation does what yet? Hint hint: millennials love food and Instagram!
Situation 6: The Calm Before the Storm
Then there’s the inevitable in every workplace: the angry boss with angry, unreasonable demands.
When Boss demands a completed project first thing in the morning close to the end of the workday, the millennial sighs and willingly works overtime in order to meet the impossible deadline. Gen Z, on the other hand, scoffs and demands clarification of prioritisation, or at the very least, OT pay!
Situation 7: Office Gossip
Office politics and office gossip are also one of those inevitable situations that you can’t avoid. When hearing untrue rumours about themselves in the workplace, millennial immediately checks to see if there are any misunderstandings, while Gen Z are not afraid to demand face-to-face clarification with the instigator immediately.
While they have differing reactions, one thing’s for sure: neither generation will take slander lying down!
Situation 8: Do It Anyway
This goes hand-in-hand with Situation 6; the company isn’t doing great, but we just gotta suck it up?
Millennials are old enough to start planning for retirement in this situation. Or well, at least an imaginary retirement—no one can afford to retire early in this economy. Gen Zs know how to cope: using mental health days!
Millennial or Gen Z, a rough work day is a rough work day. We may all have different reactions to certain situations, but in the end, aren’t we all just walking the same road with different shoes?
What do you think? Watch our video on YouTube and let us know who you think is RUINING the workplace!
By the way (or BTW, like the youngsters would say), we shot the whole video on Galaxy devices only. Wondering how we did that? Stay tuned for our BTS video coming soon on Friday!