Paying 8 hours but forcing to work 10 hours, "old" employees endure, Gen Z refuses

5 years after graduating, I changed companies 3 times. I can’t say I am a “loyal” person but I am confident enough to declare that I always dedicate myself to my work. Therefore, after each job change, my relationship with the old company was very good and I also achieved the desired treatment in the new place.

As a representative of Gen Z who knows how to value themselves, I completely agree with the author of the article “I quit my job when my boss assigned me work every weekend without paying me extra.” Our generation wants and dares to demand a fair balance between salary and effort, unlike the previous generation, who accepted to work more than 10 hours a day even though their manager only paid them for 8 hours.

According to the General Statistics Office, in Vietnam, the number of Gen Z in working age (from 15 to 24 years old) in 2019 was about 13 million people. By 2025, Gen Z is expected to contribute one-third of the working age population in Vietnam and will have a great influence on the domestic labor market. As an important force, I believe that many views of Gen Z, which are very different from previous generations, will have an important impact, changing the way of working as well as the characteristics of the relationship between employees and employers.

Currently, our elders and parents are looking at Gen Z as apprentices, and what we do differently from them is often considered wrong and criticized; and they always think that Gen Z must change to fit into the old mold if they want to survive. But in the very near future, our generation will become the mainstream, and will lead the labor market with new perspectives and styles.

In Vietnam, it is not known since when employees' demands for appropriate treatment and salary have been considered inappropriate. Perhaps part of the reason comes from the "politeness with money" mentality of the majority. Most people go to work to earn a living, and want to be paid a lot of money, but pretend not to care much about money, so even though they see their salary is too low, they are still afraid to speak up and demand adjustments.

While they feel that it is not good to directly ask their boss for more money, they take it for granted that their boss asks them to work overtime. When asked to work overtime or take on additional responsibilities beyond their KPIs, they do not proactively ask for proper compensation but passively wait, hoping that their boss will recognize their efforts and give them a raise one day.

But Gen Z is different, we need clarity from the beginning (which many former employees consider calculating) and are always ready to speak our minds, considering it transparent and civilized. We don't like waiting for a pie in the sky, just contribute and then everything will be there, with vague promises like "I won't let you lose".

Managers and employees need to make clear commitments to each other and make contracts in advance. Not everyone is a good manager, especially in an era where there are many opportunistic businesses that bloom early and die quickly. Employees will always have to "hold the handle" when they can only expect the boss's understanding.

Gen Z is not afraid to demand, even willing to quit if we do not reach a consensus, also because our definition of stability is different from the previous generation. Stability in the perspective of uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters is working long-term in a unit, having a steady income, but for young people today is having a job that brings in a decent income and still has enough time for personal life. We love our jobs more when we see that our labor is rewarded properly and we are excited about our work every day.

We accept overtime, even willing to work day and night to complete the project, but not continuously like that year after year, while we have to wait until we receive the salary to know how much it is. Working hard without a day off while the income is not commensurate, both physical and mental strength will be exhausted, the results of the contribution cannot be high.

Different generations, conflicting views are inevitable. We cannot impose the working style of one generation on another. Sooner or later, Gen Z will become the main workforce of the economy, so the question now should be: Do managers need to change themselves to adapt or choose to be conservative and then not be able to hire people?