Gen Z Hired, Then Fired—Why?

⏱️ 12 min read             

A Gen Zer just got their degree from a pristine university, they landed the job… and just months later, they’re shown the door. What’s going on?

Bosses say Gen Z grads aren’t cutting it—but is it them, or the workplace that’s changed? And what does this mean for the future of hiring?

Why this trend and what does the data reflect as to the reasons.? What are the complaints, and what Gen Z and their employers—need to know. 

Welcome to That's Life, I Swear.  This podcast is about life's happenings in this world that conjure up such words as intriguing, frightening, life-changing, inspiring, and more. I'm Rick Barron your host. 

That said, here's the rest of this story 

For nearly two years, exasperated employers have grumbled that fresh Gen Z graduates are a high maintenance in the workplace. As a result, things are changing and fast. The days of holding Gen Zers by the hand are starting to unravel. These young hires who don’t quite make the cut are being shown the exit door after but a few months into their new roles.

A recent report reveals that six out of ten employers have already parted ways with some of the Gen Z recruits they welcomed straight from college. Intelligent.com, a career-focused platform for young professionals, surveyed nearly 1,000 U.S. business leaders, uncovering a growing reluctance to take a chance on the class of 2024.

After wrestling with a slew of challenges posed by these eager but inexperienced hires, one in six employers admits they’re now reluctant of bringing fresh graduates on board. Meanwhile, a more decisive one in seven is contemplating skipping them altogether next year.

The dissatisfaction is widespread—three-quarters of surveyed companies confess that their recent college hires didn’t quite live up to expectations. The message is clear: the honeymoon phase is over, and Gen Z’s entry into the workforce is facing some serious growing pains. Yes, welcome to life.

Ah, the excitement of a first job—new beginnings, fresh paychecks, and, for some Gen Z employees, getting the boot early wasn’t on their radar. So, what’s going awry for these 
 wide-eyed graduates?

Let’s just cut to the chase. Employers, are unimpressed. Half of the business leaders surveyed say their young hires lack motivation and initiative, making it difficult to justify keeping them on board. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Many bosses dislike:

·       Gen Z’s casual approach to professionalism

·       Complete lack of organization

·       weak communication skills

·       and a general air of unpreparedness as reasons for showing them the door

Tardiness, inappropriate work attire, and a tendency to speak as though they’re still in a group chat rather than a boardroom are other tangible issues causing friction. 

So, how do hiring managers see all this happening in their workplace? 

·       More than half of hiring managers now believe today’s college graduates simply aren’t ready for the demands of the workplace

·       Over 20% go even further, saying young hires can’t handle the workload at all

Colleges, for their part, aren’t blind to the problem. Some have begun stepping in to bridge the gap between academia and the professional world. At Michigan State University, students are now being trained in the art of networking—right down to recognizing when someone is politely trying to escape a conversation. Meanwhile, across the pond, a London high school is experimenting with a 12-hour school day, hoping to instill the stamina and structure needed for adult life.

Will these efforts be enough to transform Gen Z from freshly fired to firmly hired? Only time will tell.

If there’s one thing that could make college grads more appealing to employers, it’s not another degree or a dazzling résumé—it’s a positive attitude and a dash of initiative. Why say that?

Career advisors convey the secret to thriving in a new workplace is pretty simple: watch and learn. 

By observing how colleagues interact, fresh hires can get a feel for company culture and adjust their approach accordingly: 

·       Take the initiative to ask thoughtful questions, seek feedback

·       Show motivation for personal growth

·       Build a reputation for dependability by maintaining a positive attitude 

·       Meeting deadlines, and volunteering for projects—even the ones that aren’t in your job description

This is not rocket science people!

This advice isn’t just career coach wisdom—it’s backed by business CEOs. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently declared that an "embarrassing" portion of your success in your twenties boils down to attitude. Why? Because managers would much rather work with someone who radiates positivity than someone with a long list of credentials but a gloomy outlook.

Some leaders take this idea even further, arguing that a can-do mindset will propel young workers further than a college degree ever could. 

·       Richard Branson, the billionaire behind Virgin, has long championed the “school of life ” over university. 

·       Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg insists that raw talent and personality often outshine formal qualifications. And 

·       David Meads, Cisco’s top executive in the U.K., who left school at 16, holds to the principle that “attitude and aptitude are more important than whatever letters follow your name.” 

So, Gen Z job seekers, take note: A strong handshake (or a well-timed Slack message), a willingness to learn, and an optimistic outlook might just be the most powerful tools in your career arsenal.

So, there’s a flip side to this coin.

Gen Z’s workplace reputation has taken yet another hit. And this time, even their own generational peers—young managers who should, in theory, understand them best—are finding them tough to manage. The solution? Employers are leaning toward hiring more millennials instead.

Gen Z has been on the receiving end of workplace criticism for a while now. Whoopi Goldberg once said that young workers today just don’t “bust their behinds” the way previous generations did. At the 2024 Oscars, Jodie Foster lamented that Gen Z employees don’t roll into work until 10:30 a.m. Then there was the CEO who shared how a Gen Z job candidate flat-out refused to complete a 90-minute task. Why? Because it “looked like a lot of work.”

With workplaces growing weary of what they see as Gen Z’s lack of enthusiasm, it seems the job market is leaning toward the slightly older, more seasoned millennial workforce. 

It’s not just Gen Xers and baby boomers who find Gen Z’s work style puzzling—now, even Gen Z hiring managers are raising an eyebrow at their own peers.

In a survey of 625 U.S. hiring managers by Resume Genius, nearly half (45%) declared Gen Z the most challenging generation to work with. Even more striking? A full 50% of Gen Z hiring managers admitted that their own generation is the hardest to manage.

Meanwhile, baby boomers—often accused of being out of touch after locking down suburban mansions on a single salary—were shockingly voted the easiest employees to work with. But before boomers celebrate their newfound reputation for workplace harmony, there’s a catch: being agreeable doesn’t make you more employable. In fact, they’re the least likely to get hired, with just 4% of managers expecting to bring on baby boomers in the coming year.

Cracking the Code: How to Work with Gen Z

While various surveys don’t pinpoint exactly why Gen Z workers are more perplexing than their predecessors, it’s hard to ignore that this cohort entered adulthood under circumstances as unprecedented as a Zoom wedding.

Having come of age during the pandemic, many Gen Zers missed out on classic rites of passage—no chaotic frat parties, no triumphant cap tosses at graduation, and, crucially, no in-person summer internships to help them ease into professional life. Instead, they dove headfirst into the workforce, often without ever setting foot in a real office.

Ok, COVID hit the Gen Z workers, along with everyone else in this world. Again, welcome to life. Look at the generation that grew up during the Great Depression in the United States, to then stepping up to defend freedom during World War II. They got through it!

Recognizing the gap, employers are stepping in with extra training to bring young hires up to speed. The Big Four consulting firms—Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY—are now offering soft-skills boot camps, even coaching new employees on something as fundamental as speaking up in meetings.

“It’s wholly understandable that students who missed out on face-to-face activities during COVID may now be stronger in certain fields, such as working independently, and less confident in others, such as presentations to groups,” stated Ian Elliott, chief people officer at PwC UK, offering a rare moment of managerial empathy.

At the end of the day, being labeled “difficult” might just be a generational rite of passage. Millennials were once dismissed as work-averse snowflakes—until they climbed the corporate ladder and started side-eyeing Gen Z. The cycle continues, as it always does, one baffled manager at a time. 

What can we learn from this story? What's the takeaway?

Gen Z is coming into the workplace with different styles, ideals, and demands. While employers and coworkers might initially see these as “problems” with Gen Z in the workplace, there’s a lot we can learn from them that can actually make the workplace better for all. 

Ultimately, Gen Z and their employers need to meet each other halfway. Rather than focusing on their differences, they need to pay attention to what they can learn from one another, as both offer valuable lessons on what the modern-day workplace should look and feel like. 

Well, there you go, my friends; that's life, I swear

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