The generation has struggled with burnout and mental health more thanothers. Manymembersentered the workforce during the pandemic, and have been forced to deal with sky-high inflation. But this year, the cohort actually experienced a huge bump in happiness, according to a new report.
About 62% of working Gen Zers say they are happy at their jobs, according to a survey from MetLife, an employee benefits and insurance company. That’s 8% higher compared to a year ago, and a bigger jump than other generations—millennials saw a 2% increase, Gen X saw a 3% increase, and the number of boomers who are happy at their jobs dipped 2%.
Todd Katz, executive vice president at MetLife, told Fortune that Gen Z’s happiness bump is linked to upticks in things like job loyalty, satisfaction at work, level of engagement, and all elements of “holistic health”—how employees view the quality of their physical, mental, financial, and social health.
Despite that big leap, however, Gen Z is still the unhappiest generation in the workplace. Around 62% of Gen Z say they’re happy at work, compared to 65% of Gen X, 66% of millennials, and 67% of boomer employees, according to the report. And workers of all ages continue to live and work below pre-pandemic levels of happiness.
Katz says Gen Z’s general workplace unhappiness is fueled by elevated levels of stress and burnout, alongside feeling more overwhelmed than other generations. If employers want to bolster Gen Z’s happiness, they should focus on facilitating a quality work-life balance, according to the survey, and bossesshould focus on making sure that employees feel a sense of belonging and let them know they’re valued.
Katz also suggests that employers focus on the workplace qualities that young employees value most, including career development, wellness benefits, and a supportive office culture.
“It’s important for employers to know how feeling happy and cared for looks different to each generation,” he says.
The World Happiness Report is out and Finland has once again been declared the happiest country in the world. However, the report reveals that Gen Z (aged 15-24) are unhappy.
The average length of stay in a job before moving on varies significantly according to age. Baby Boomers last 8 years and 3 months, Gen X for 5 years and 2 months, Millennials for 2 years and 9 months. And Gen Z? Just 2 years and 3 months.
Gen Z wants to log off when the workday ends, often not a second longer. Our views on work focus on output, not hours, and prioritize work-life balance above almost everything else. According to Deloitte, less than half (49%) of Gen Zers say work is central to their identity, compared to 62% of millennials.
Gen Z people who are 18- to 26-years-old are less likely to rate their lives positively than older generations when they were in that age range, Hrynowski said, noting this analysis didn't do a direct comparison but used previous surveys to assess happiness levels of Gen Z and its predecessors.
Young people aged 16 to 24 feel more lonely than any other age group, including people aged 65 and over. Indeed, 73% of Gen-Z report feeling alone sometimes or always.
However, according to a recent report from insurance giant MetLife, Gen-Zers are the least happy employees of any generation. Only 62 percent of surveyed Gen-Z workers reported being happy with their job, compared with 67 percent of Boomers, 66 percent of Generation X, and 66 percent of Millennials.
Generation Z is embracing frequent job changes, or job hopping, as a career approach. In fact, 83% of surveyed Gen Z workers consider themselves job hoppers, according to ResumeLab, which polled more than 1,100 workers born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s.
From 2020 onwards, this is the trend my research followed. In our 2021 report created from a survey on Gen Z candidates, we found that compensation continued to outweigh other factors like company culture and professional development. Continuing to survey candidates at different intervals, this theme continued.
In addition to feeling the least engaged in work, Gen Z also finds their responsibilities uninspiring. Gen Z workers report having the least meaningful work (14%) and least autonomy at work (21%) compared to other generations, who are more fulfilled and have more autonomy.
Happiness and personal values. The Economist has described Generation Z as a more educated, well-behaved, stressed and depressed generation in comparison to previous generations.
In addition to soaring food and housing expenses, millennials and Gen Z face other financial challenges their parents did not as young adults. Not only are their wages lower than their parents' earnings when they were in their 20s and 30s, but they are also carrying larger student loan balances.
Gen Z might feel less stigma talking about their mental health concerns, but the younger generation is still facing a heavy mental health crisis and reports far higher rates of loneliness, a new study from RedBox Rx found.
Closely related to whether Gen Zers see themselves as happy is the extent to which they feel their lives have significance and direction. In this respect, about half of Gen Z members say they always feel their life matters, and an additional 28% say they often feel this way.
Age and generation both matter for happiness. As between generations, those born before 1965 (Boomers and their predecessors) have life evaluations about one-quarter of a point higher than those born after 1980 (Millennials and Gen Z).
Members of Generation Z report higher rates of depression and a number of other mental health conditions than do generations before them. At the same time, they are more likely than previous generations to report these problems, positioning those who seek help in a place to receive it.
Millennials (and the kids born after them) are currently being called the “unhealthiest generation” in human history—facing diagnoses, mysterious illnesses and conditions that our ancestors or their parents never faced.
Americans between the ages of 7 and 22 experience much higher rates of loneliness than other generations. Factors such as social media usage contribute to feelings of loneliness, which are compounded by the vulnerability and peer exclusion often experienced during adolescence.
Introduction: My name is Wyatt Volkman LLD, I am a handsome, rich, comfortable, lively, zealous, graceful, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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