‘Once it’s time to leave, I’m leaving,’ a Gen Z IT technician says after the ‘keep grinding culture’ didn’t benefit him

A Gen Z IT technician said the “keep grinding culture” only made him “go psycho” and didn’t benefit him at all, after a Millennial online asked whether Gen Zs’ laid-back attitude at work has consequences — and wondered if they might be worth taking inspiration from for prioritising work-life balance a little too seriously.

“I work in a school, and I’m the ONLY Gen Z. I am your laid-back individual who will do their job and not complain about it but definitely won’t put in the extra mile. I always tell them, ‘Once it’s time to leave, I’m leaving.’ I also explain that I refuse to look at work stuff when I am off the clock,” he wrote on r/GenZ, adding that his co-workers hate the latter.

He further shared, “I also tell people when they are wrong, and I let them know I do not like their opinion on some things. They don’t like pushback, they hate having someone speak their mind, and they hate when you tell them they’re wrong.”

As the only IT technician in the building, he said colleagues also expect him to be available whenever issues arise — something he refuses to do.

“I did college in three years, I have five professional tech certifications and couldn’t get a job for two years, and those kids making 300K at Amazon have to be some of the luckiest I’ve seen.”

In terms of consequences of how Gen Zs like him approach their work, he said, “I have never been fired; I actually have the opposite effect. They want to keep me, but I’m unsure why half the time…Probably because I do my work.”

In other news, a Gen Z working in the freight industry for four years argued Gen Zs aren’t “entitled” as people often label them to be, more like “discouraged,” because education and hard work don’t always guarantee success, contrary to what parents and schools promised. /TISG

Read also: Gen Z discussion: Why workplaces are struggling to adapt to Gen Z expectations