Poor Gen Z. Everybody seems to pick on them. It is, I suppose, a rite of passage of some sort. Every generation is generally critical of the ones that follow it. And as I wrote last week, Gen Z has four other opinionated and domineering generations before it in the workplace. And one of those generations, the Boomers like me, actually know what we are talking about. Those Gen Z sissy pants better suck it up. It won’t get better until they start having children and screwing up a new generation of their own – just like the rest of us have done for, well, generations.
There is already a generation following Gen Z; the “Alphas.” So even if Gen Z can’t reproduce due to their lack of ability to develop interpersonal relationships, they will still have a subsequent generation to demean and belittle. It should be easy – raised in a total immersion of technology and AI, Alpha’s will basically be cyborgs. But I digress….
A news article recently disclosed significantly rising sick day trends among Gen Z employees, who are increasingly prioritizing health, mental well-being, and work-life balance. HR data reveals a 42% increase in sick leave usage from 2019, particularly among younger workers. Some HR systems report a 55% increase. Experts attribute this shift to burnout, a desire for community in the workplace, and a greater openness to mental health days. Many Gen Z workers also favor jobs that support physical and psychological well-being, with some willing to accept lower salaries for better balance.
So much to break down here. First, in all fairness to Gen Z, sick days in the post-Covid era have taken on an entirely new importance. Prior to Covid (re: “In my day….”), employers generally didn’t care if you were sick; they expected you to work. Lost your thumb in a chainsaw incident? Duct tape it on and come on in. We’ll let you go to Urgent Care during your lunch, but we really need to get the Fussmucker quote out this morning. Come down with the plague? Well, we really need your report by end of day. Just try not to cough or vomit on anyone.
Today, however, post-COVID, coming to work with the sniffles is enough to make your HR rep apoplectic, which, ironically, might result in a sick day for them. Taking a sick day now is far more acceptable, not just from the employee’s perspective but also from the employers. It is possible we actually learned a lesson during the pandemic.
Except for us Baby Boomers, of course. We already knew everything.
But Gen Z appears to be the group who took this lesson to heart. After all, even given the societal change in attitudes, an almost 50% increase in just a few years is significant. And, with Gen Z being the group most likely to use those sick days, it does say something about their beliefs and priorities.
According to the article:
“The average amount of time taken off for sick leave has also increased by 15% since 2019, reaching an average of 15.5 hours per year. Another HR platform, Dayforce, reported a 55% increase in sick leave during the same time frame, based on its users’ activity. Among white-collar workers, Dayforce saw a 42% spike in sick leave among white-collar workers since 2019. Workers ages 25 to 34 years old were the most likely to take advantage of these benefits.”
Oops. 25 to 34 years old? Gen Z’s average age currently tops out at around 28. It would appear that some younger Millennials are also getting in on the action.
While some experts believe this increased use of sick days is a sign of proper and responsible health care, others are not so sure. One speculated that the cause of younger workers calling in sick may be attributable to “burnout,” which, if true, only amplifies the stereotype that Gen Z’s struggle to manage stress far more than their predecessors.
Somehow, I feel as though we’ve come full circle back to “Suck it up sissy pants.” But that could just be coming from a Boomer who, by the very nature of his generation, knows more than all those who followed him.
Nevertheless, time marches on, and with that come unique changes to the workplace. Employers will need to recognize the differences in needs and priorities of different generations in their employ, and those changes will become more pronounced as more young people come of age and enter the workforce.
It’s enough to make your head spin – which ironically for younger employees, may prompt them to take the day off.
Originally published at www.bobscluttereddesk.com.
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