The inclusion of Gen Z to the workforce has made for greatly transformed ideals and expectations.
Every generation that has joined the workforce has in its own way altered it to fit a new worldview. Change is born not just out of necessity and social betterment, but as the natural next step that enables older employees to retire and younger people to start climbing the professional ladder.
Already we have seen how Gen Z is impacting the working environment. From new buzzwords and changing priorities, to broader company culture and a commitment to ESG and CSR, this cohort is vocal about the importance of being picky about the work you choose to do and why you should lend your expertise to an organisation.
One such aspect of working life that is showing the signs of change under the influence of Gen Z is the workplace emergency. Jamie Aitken, the vice-president of HR transformation at Betterworks and a member on a number of key HR boards, described the ‘typical’ workplace emergency as one that threatens employees and the organisation.
However, organisations can be guilty of creating fires to put out, treating every small misstep as a problem that requires all-hands on deck, regardless of its severity or present workload. This can lead to employees simply rejecting the problem, identifying it as a non-issue, or downplaying its importance. Not because they are poor workers, but because they have other priorities.
Aitken told SiliconRepublic.com: “A lot of emergencies in the workplace are symptoms of poor planning, misaligned goals, or a lack of communication.” Scenarios which can be avoided by ensuring conversations are transparent and consistent in tone.
In fact, it is often a false sense of urgency that raises issues among Gen Z professionals in the first place, causing them to react in ways that employers might view as rebellious or indifferent.
“They’re simply more thoughtful about what truly deserves urgency,” explained Aitken. “They’ve watched previous generations run on overdrive and learned that constant firefighting doesn’t always lead to better results.
“When companies bring more clarity, through visible goals, open conversations and regular check-ins, everyone can focus on what really moves the needle instead of reacting to every flare-up.”
Accept and acclimate
For Aitken, the old contract of working hard and being rewarded is undoubtedly broken and in order to excel, companies have no option but to better incorporate Gen Z and their ideas of what creates a positive culture.
“For decades, employees were told loyalty would be repaid with stability and growth,” she said. “That contract broke when people saw hard work rewarded with burnout or layoffs. Gen Z is simply refusing that deal. Today’s workers expect fairness, transparency and a clear line of sight between effort and recognition.”
She further explained that rather than being an indicator of deliberate rebellion or laziness, Gen Z are simply “rejecting chaos”, as they refuse to further contribute to a system developed and maintained on stressful encounters and false urgency.
“Chaos isn’t a badge of honor, it’s a sign of broken systems. Rejecting chaos means protecting time for focus, rest and meaningful work. When leaders replace panic with structure, frequent check-ins, clear expectations, shared goals, they’re not just supporting wellbeing, they’re building sustainable performance cultures.”
What is critically important, according to Aitken, is that employers and employees work together to build a dynamic that suits everyone’s needs. It’s not about acquiescing to one group more than the other simply because they are the fresh-faced kid on the block with the new-fangled lingo.
It is about creating a modern, healthy and proactive culture that recognises the need for growth amid a changing landscape. Not least because a failure to do so means everyone in an organisation loses out professionally and personally.
Ultimately, she noted, every generation, from the Silent Generation and the baby boomers to Generation X, the millennials and Gen Z, wants to be seen, heard and guided in their career. Though the language and ideals often change, many of the expectations are universal.
Everyone wants to do well, wants to be appreciated for their work, wants opportunities to grow professionally and wants to engage in open, clear communication that drives the workplace forward, rather than leaving employees in the dark.
“That’s how you bridge generations,” explained Aitken. “With clarity, not control.”
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