Some boomer bosses would rather pay more for older employees than hire newcomers from Generation Z

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A survey sheds light on the lengths some bosses will go to avoid hiring entry-level employees.

Which applicants are we talking about here? A survey by the website intelligent.com among around 800 executives from US companies dealt with questions about recent college graduates. They all belong to the so-called Generation Z, as they were born between 1996 and 2012. The bosses and executives can probably be assigned to the majority of post-war boomers or Gen X (1965 to 1979).

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How do the bosses and superiors behave? Around 40 percent say they reject young applicants and prefer to grant privileges or pay higher salaries to older employees instead. Around half of all these decision-makers, who are more averse to Gen Z, would rather grant experienced subordinates alternative models, such as home office or hybrid working, than hire newcomers to the job.

Why do boomers reject Gen Z applicants? A distinction must be made between two areas:

  • the specific applicant in the interview
  • general opinion about young professionals

    • According to the survey, situations often arise during job interviews that raise doubts about the suitability of the person in question. These are:

  • 54 percent of the almost 800 respondents complained that applicants avoid eye contact. One in five even experienced applicants not wanting to turn on their camera during online calls.
  • 53 percent report excessive wage demands
  • 51 percent have found the appearance inappropriate at least once (especially clothing)
  • Around one in five has experienced a parent being brought to the interview

    • What could be the reason for this behavior of Gen Z? There may be reasons in individual cases, but in general, Ithaca College Communications Professor Diane M. Gayeski points out the need to consider the circumstances surrounding higher education.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has affected their social and professional development in many ways. Not only in educational institutions, but also outside of them. The pandemic had a major impact on this subgroup of Gen Z. This fits with similar findings from another survey by intelligent.com in which a majority of executives stated that the general criticisms they have of Gen Z are particularly severe among the youngest generations.

    What is often criticized? The survey mentioned at the beginning gives the following picture: “The most recent graduating classes …

  • cannot complete the work assigned to them.” Just under 2⁄3 completely or largely agree with this.
  • are late for work.” Around 60 percent said yes.
  • do not submit work on time.” About 59 percent also confirm this statement.
  • do not dress appropriately for the situation.” 57 percent see this trend confirmed even after the interview
  • are difficult employees and do poor work.” About half agree with each of these statements.

    • Are these just opinions or are there facts about them? These are just statements made by people about other people. Science puts many of these things into perspective. Ultimately, many problems can be traced back to differences in perception and the way we deal with situations: Gen Z ticks differently and simply lacks experience. In addition, the economic situation makes many things more difficult that were taken for granted by previous generations.

    You can read more about this in the articles linked above or in the following, which covers a survey from the UK on the same topic: Generation Z is often late, wastes work time and is often absent from work due to mental health problems, surveys show.

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