Gen Z Views Work-Life Balance As a Demand Rather Than a Luxury

For a generation that was groomed to equate self-worth with how well it could succeed professionally or academically, Gen Z is taking a step back to rebalance its priorities, characterizing workaholism like a disease that must be stopped.

By Haneen Elmeswari

Payton Bierk was the child in her class that would show up with a blank poster, and have a completed project by the end of the day, worthy of a perfect grade. She was known for holding it together, balancing all her commitments on her small plate. 

Since childhood, Bierk, now a 21-year-old college student, had always been labeled a ‘gifted child.’ Accordingly, she was placed in courses with heightened levels of difficulty and encouraged to join and participate in as many extracurricular activities as she possibly could.

Bierk remembers her childhood as being fast-paced and manic, often juggling so many things at once. Aside from being in a pre-collegiate high school, her life outside of it was just as intense. “I was a competitive figure skater and a coach. I danced. I was the Fashion Club President and President of the Junior Board at my club. I was also working a retail job on the side.”

Sleep got put on the backburner, as she attempted to balance this all with her expeditious curriculum. She recalls sleeping in the car between activities and working on homework assignments in classes and meetings. In college, she still balances being a full-time student, working a job in retail, coaching figure skating, and being the Editor-in-Chief of Blush Magazine, the Fashion Institute of Technology’s award-winning publication.

With age, she became more aware of the imbalance in her life, the lack of personal time and activities outside of work, and realized that this had been her reality for as long as she could remember, and it had to change.  

Her experience is not unique. Many members of Gen Z and Millennials have been groomed in this way, to believe that to succeed in life, to achieve something higher than the standard level, is to be addicted to work. 

Of course, being proactive in your career, and setting yourself up for a stable future, should be top priority in your youth, but where do we draw the line? According to a 2020 National Institute of Mental Health study, an estimated 2.9 million adolescents, 12 to 17, in the United States had at least one major depressive episode with “severe impairment” meaning it interfered with or limited their ability to carry out major life activities. This number represented 12.0% of the U.S. population.

Burnout and depression are becoming second nature to young people, as they are taught that their self-worth is connected to how well they’re able to impress or make an impact, and how much of themselves they are willing to give up before they become nothing.  

Bierk didn't realize that the life she was leading was not healthy until a disruption in her personal life caused her to pause. “I went through a really bad breakup in the fall,” she said.  “One of the outlets in my life that didn't revolve around work, I no longer had.” With little else going on in her personal life, she felt she was left with nothing. 

Experts say this is a common occurrence for young people. Because they are taught to prioritize academic or professional fulfillment above all else, they don't have a chance to develop hobbies or other interests in their free time. It's not until a portion of their life becomes disrupted or taken away from them, that they are forced to confront reality. 

Some choose to seek professional help, relying on therapists to help teach them the value of life outside of work. Some, though, find themselves constantly balancing work and life to the point of needing medication just to sleep at night.

Many members of Gen Z view work-life balance as a survival tactic. It is no longer a luxury; without it, they cannot survive. In interviews at companies or when starting their own businesses, they seem to emphasize the importance of mental health just as much as physical health. They do this by valuing initiatives, such as employee wellness programs, counseling services, and paid time off to recharge. 

Some members of Gen Z may have already achieved complete financial independence, managing the delicate balance between work and school. Their typical schedule entails working full-time to cover expenses and necessities, alongside being a full-time student, while also seeking work experience through internships and extracurricular activities.

Bierk often finds herself in this predicament, as she tries to balance it all. “Last year I drove myself crazy, working almost forty hours a week while being a full-time student,” she said. “It's hard to balance it because I’m like, do I call off work to catch up on school? I need to pay my rent, but I have to do stuff for the magazine.” 

It's not a surprise that a workload of this magnitude can cause people to experience burnout so much more frequently. On top of that, many people don’t have access to the resources necessary to address mental health crises, be it because of financial barriers or social stigma. 

Hafeezat Bishi, a 22-year-old interim engagement producer for St. Louis Public Radio, working remotely from New Jersey, wishes that people took mental health more seriously. As someone with ADHD, she struggles with being able to delegate all her tasks and recognizes when she needs to take a step back. 

“What I wish they understood is that we're not faking it. Online, there are more conversations about it, and I think it's assumed people are lying, which is not true, people are just more comfortable sharing.” 

So how does Gen Z want the workforce to respond? Simple. Provide better resources and respect boundaries people might have with their work.

“Mental health is very much a reason to take a day or two off of work.” said Bishi, who specifies what she would like her employers to consider. “It needs to be explicitly stated in contracts that mental health is also included when it comes to paid time off.” 

Young employees shouldn't feel the need to be apologetic for taking necessary time off either. In the same way, supervisors understand taking time off for a cold, Gen Z wants mental health to be respected too. 

It took an entire pandemic for companies to start realizing just how much of an impact their employees' mental health can have on productivity and workflow. Does this mean that they're going to wait until the next drastic event to start implementing serious solutions to combat it? 

They might not have to. As Gen Z enters the workforce and exerts its influence they’re no longer asking for, but demanding better work-life balance. 

Orginally Published in Founders Club