Gen Z are over having their work ethic questioned: ‘Most boomers don’t know what it’s like to work 40+ hours a week and still not be able to afford a house’
It’s no secret that Gen Z often gets labeled as “lazy.” From the Gen Z CEO defending working from bed to TikTok trends like quiet quitting and "lazy girl jobs," this generation has gained a reputation for doing the bare minimum at work. Their elders have taken notice—most famously, Sister Act star Whoopi Goldberg, who scolded young people for not wanting to “bust their behinds” like her generation did.
So when 54-year-old comedian Rick Mercer joined the pile-on by mocking younger workers, one Gen Zer had enough and called out the hypocrisy of older generations.
After Mercer made fun of young people for complaining about the 40-hour workweek, 27-year-old Robbie Scott clapped back on TikTok, pointing out that baby boomers don’t understand what it’s like to work hard today and “get nothing in return.” His response has racked up over 2 million views.
“We need to stop expecting the same people who bought a four-bedroom house and a brand-new Cadillac off a $30,000-a-year salary to understand what it’s like working 40-plus hours a week with a master’s degree and still not being able to afford a 400-square-foot studio in bumf-ck Iowa,” Scott ranted in the now-viral video.
Gen Z vs. Millennial Work Ethic
While Gen Z and millennials are often lumped together as “the young ones” at work, millennials are well into their 30s and 40s and have built some credibility. In fact, a poll from Resume Genius found that millennials are the most in-demand job candidates, with 45% of hiring managers prioritizing them.
Even Gen Z managers—those who’ve risen through the ranks—admit their peers can be difficult to work with. But Gen Z’s frustration with work runs deeper than a lack of discipline or drive.
Why Gen Z Is Angry
Scott argues that Gen Z’s so-called entitlement isn’t about laziness—it’s about doing everything they were told to do and still coming up empty-handed.
“What’s really sh-tty is, we’ve held up our end of the bargain,” Scott said. “We stayed in school. We went to college. We’ve been working since we were 15 or 16…doing everything y’all told us to do, and for what? To still be living with our parents in our late 20s?”
He’s not wrong.
Millennials are the most educated generation in history, with Gen Z following close behind. Yet their financial prospects are significantly worse than those of Gen X graduates.
And the job market is brutal right now. Roughly 20% of job seekers have been searching for 10 to 12 months without success, according to a recent report.