Are young people demanding and lazy? The narrative is starting to crack

Generation Z workers are often portrayed as arriving with little experience but demanding a prestigious title, high pay, flexible conditions and the option to work from home from day one. Emilie Anker Stordalen of hotel group Strawberry repeated that description at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise’s annual conference last year, while making clear that she was describing a stereotype rather than endorsing it.

The stereotype has nevertheless gained traction. Seven out of 10 business leaders say the youngest employees are more demanding to manage, and many employers see them as entitled. The debate has now widened into a broader argument about the future of working life.

Companies including DNB are tightening their home-office policies. The freedom many employees gained after the pandemic is receding, and the pendulum has swung sharply in the opposite direction. That is the trend for now, although it could change again.

A simple expectation is that today’s young employees will eventually become senior leaders in knowledge-based companies and dismantle rigid office rules, creating greater freedom for many professionals. But the research challenges that comforting story. The article asks whether younger workers are really the only ones making working life difficult, and whether generational change alone will produce a more flexible workplace.

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expect a fancy title, high salary, flexible working conditions and arrangements for working from home from the start