Thanks, Gen Z. America’s workers owe you.

• In the wake of the pandemic, Generation Z is pushing for changes in the way we work.
• Priorities range from better work-life balance to different hours to a four-day work week.
• Workers across generations benefit from some of the questions Generation Z is asking.

Thanks, Gen Z. America’s workers owe you.

Casting a final shadow on how effective it is The 40 hour work week is soul crushing The amount of change it is bringing about — with a big help from the pandemic — may be overshadowed in many jobs. Clearly you are not finished yet.

From the four-day work week, to the idea that a job should be about more than just a paycheck, younger workers are pushing the older ones in charge to make big changes. Gen Z is unlikely to get everything they ask for, at least not right away. But the fact that the smallest segment of the workforce is throwing off workforce pillars that have been in place for a century is a big problem, workplace experts told Insider.

Advanced economies have created enough wealth in the past 50 years that those new to the workforce can question whether the old ways still make sense, said Pradeep Philip, senior partner at Deloitte Access Economics.

“There is now space for the younger generation to think about, ‘What is our value in this? What do we do with this wealth? How do we live our lives?’ Philip said. This has led to questions about work-life balance and flexibility regarding jobs, he said.

While some Leaders will continue to push backAllowing workers of all ages to have greater independence, in general, is something that is here to stay, said Nicole Kyle, co-founder of CMP Research, which studies workplace trends.

“If you’re in the long-term employee retention game, you’re going to have to figure out flexibility at some point,” she told Insider.

The question of why we work Monday through Friday, or why employees don’t have more of a say in their hours, or why they can’t log in from the beach, can be a right for many older workers.

This was taken from one man Angry Tik Tok Through a young worker’s protest about a 40-hour work week: “All my blue-collar brothers are now choking on a laugh that would drain the spirit out of that child,” he said.

However, across the board, many workers are treated better than their bosses — and they echo some of the demands made by many in Generation Z. Consider the historic deal the United Auto Workers just scored with the Detroit Three. It recovers cost-of-living bumps and means some workers will Earn $42 per hour By early 2028. At UPS, a union victory over the summer means the shipping giant’s drivers will finally find success $170,000 salaries and benefits.

Not all of these gains are thanks to Generation Z, of course, but the fact that there are widespread questions about workplace norms is due in part to how quickly information spreads now, Phillip said. And the younger workers who are gone Viral with posts about the work They help push ideas like the four-day work week.

The idea of ​​working fewer hours for the same pay started with workers in tech and creative agencies, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, an author and program director at the nonprofit 4 Day Week Global, told Insider. But he said it’s notable that the UAW proposed a four-day work week in its negotiations with automaker bosses.

While the union did not win the concession, “I think it will remain on the union agenda,” he said. Pang noted that other groups that are often part of unions — from upscale restaurant workers to nurses — are pushing for four-day weeks and other rethinks of how work gets done.

Questioning the fundamentals of the way we have worked for decades can be a first step toward fundamental change.

Pang said the global experience of remote working shows how developments that were previously seen as unworkable can actually work. “This has really opened the door to some extent,” he said, to new ways of working.

Here are some ways Generation Z is helping to reshape work:

(Aside) Speeding on their own terms

Younger workers wonder aloud how they can make work less difficult. Maybe find a side hustle that inspires you — or at least does Helps them pay rent.

Some – including A The mom that went viral In defense of her children – clapping back against the hassles that many young workers have struggled to cover their bills while Boomers have enjoyed financial prosperity.

Read more: A member of Generation Z left her first office job after 8 months. Corporate culture “sucks the soul,” she said.

Demolishing taboos

As the youngest of five generations in the workplace, Generation Z is talking about some things that used to be whispered about. Polls show that younger workers are okay with discussing salaries and even… Confront managers about mistakes. This may meanManage up“So your boss knows what you need and what your ambitions are.

A young worker complained that her role at the company felt like “Full time acting gig“Encourage people to be themselves at work.

Read more: I’m from Generation Z who gets asked what young workers want. It’s simple: to be included in conversations about our careers and the workplace.

Make the office feel like home

Many young workers say, contrary to criticism from older generations that twenty-somethings are forever attached to their screens, they want practical life experiences in their jobs. So they can learn. But just because they want a place to go doesn’t mean they want to go to an office governed by the same guidelines as older generations.

Workplace Dress codes are becoming more standard This is thanks in part to an aversion to wearing rigid pants due to the pandemic. Even workplace jargon — that symbol that shows you belong because you know how to throw it around — is Gen Z gets rewritten.

Read more: Generation Z wants to be in the office. But their bosses are at home.