In a recent interview with The Guardian, published on Saturday (6), two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster lamented that many people from Generation Z – also known as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s – lack ‘ideal workplace ethics’.
“They are really annoying, especially in the workplace. They say, ‘Nah, I’m not feeling well today, I’ll come in at 10:30,’” Foster said. “Or, like, in emails, I tell them: ‘This is all grammatically incorrect – didn’t you check the spelling?’ And they say, ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that a kind of limitation?’” she continued.
The ‘True Detective’ star has two Generation Z children: Charles, 25, and Kit, 22. She may have noticed a trend in the workplace when both Generation Z and Y are present. A 2023 Deloitte report on the labor market concluded that younger employees want more control over where and when they work. In fact, 77% of Generation Z currently working in a hybrid or remote capacity said they would leave their job if asked to return to the office full-time.
Moreover, more than three-quarters (81%) of Generation Z said they are interested in working more flexibly or with reduced hours, but cite pay cuts as the most likely reason they have not yet made the switch.
Jodie is not alone
Foster is not the only prominent name to criticize young people in the workforce. In November, Oscar-winning actress Whoopi Goldberg told Generation Z and Y that they need to improve their work ethic if they want to achieve the dream of homeownership: “I’m sorry, if you want to work only four hours, it’s going to be harder to get a house.”
Some say that the current young generation is indeed ‘full of whining’. Is it?
Source: Fortune