For a long time, workplace behaviours were shaped more by tradition than effectiveness. Things like dressing formally every day, working long hours to “show commitment,” or always being available, were seen as signs of professionalism.
But younger generations, particularly Gen Z (born roughly between 1997 and 2012), are beginning to question whether these habits actually help people do their jobs well, or whether they just make work more stressful and less human.
A recent article highlighted how Gen Z workers are pushing back on what older generations have called “proper” workplace behaviour. For example, some companies still require employees to keep their cameras on during every video call to prove they’re paying attention, even when it adds to anxiety and drains energy. Others expect people to arrive early and stay late, not because the work requires it, but because it looks more “dedicated.”
These unwritten rules have gone unchallenged for years. But Gen Z is asking a bold and necessary question: Are these norms helping us succeed, or are they just outdated ideas that make work harder than it needs to be?
Control vs. Trust: The Hidden Tension
At the heart of this generational friction is a deeper issue: control versus trust.
Many traditional workplace norms; activity monitoring, rigid scheduling, or requiring constant visibility are built on the assumption that employees can’t be trusted unless they’re being watched. But excessive control often backfires. It erodes the very trust it’s trying to compensate for and signals to employees that their judgment, time, and autonomy aren’t valued.
According to Harvard Business Review, high-trust workplaces report:
- 76% higher engagement
- 50% more productivity
- Significantly lower stress and burnout (Zak, 2017)
So what’s really going on beneath the surface of this shift?
The Science of Human Sustainability
Much of our modern work no longer relies on physical stamina. It runs on cognitive, emotional, and social energy.
We’re not lifting bricks. We’re navigating ambiguity, decoding tone in emails, switching between platforms, making high-stakes decisions, absorbing feedback, and juggling competing priorities. That takes a toll cognitively, mentally, and emotionally.
And yet, many workplaces are still built on outdated assumptions: That more input means more output. That long hours signal dedication. That rest is a luxury, not a requirement.
But humans aren’t machines. We’re biological systems with limits. And the science is clear: when cognitive and emotional overload becomes chronic, performance drops, innovation stalls, and burnout rises.
Sustainable results require sustainable humans. That means designing systems that support focus, recovery, autonomy, and clarity, not just effort.
And here’s where Gen Z gets it right.
They’re not rejecting work. They’re rejecting unsustainable work. Their demands for flexibility, boundaries, inclusion, and purpose aren’t generational whims. They’re aligned with what human biology, psychology, and performance science have been telling us for years.
The Cost of Clinging to Control
Recent studies show Gen Z is the most burned-out generation in the workforce. A 2023 Deloitte report found 46% of Gen Z employees feel stressed or anxious most of the time. Gallup reports only 31% feel engaged at work, compared to 40% of Boomers.
This isn’t about laziness. It’s about a fundamental mismatch between old systems and new realities.
Smart organisations are waking up to this, and not just because Gen Z is demanding it. It’s because better psychological safety, more inclusive norms, and higher trust lead to better outcomes for everyone and the business.
A New Leadership Mindset
This moment calls for leaders to do more than listen. It’s time to re-evaluate the systems, rituals, and habits that may be quietly harming people and performance alike.
And it starts by replacing outdated control with meaningful trust.
What Gen Z is offering isn’t rebellion (a problem). It’s insight (the solution).
Next week, we’ll explore what it might look like to put that insight into action by imagining a workplace redesigned the Gen Z way.
Ready to act — not just react?
Many of the values Gen Z is advocating, clarity, inclusion, autonomy, and care, are already embedded in global psychosocial risk frameworks. These tools exist to help organisations create safer, more sustainable, and more successful cultures.
Our evidenced -based diagnostic yields actionable insight into not just how your employees feel, but the root causes of their frustration and disengagement.
If you’re ready to start building a workplace designed for real people working in today’s real world, we’d love to help.