People share 20 things that they love about Gen Z and some of these are really interesting

Gen Z is often celebrated for their strong work-life balance, directness, and clear sense of purpose, but there's so much more to appreciate. Reddit user u/jarbid16 asked, "What is something you think Gen Z is doing right?" The responses from people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s were enlightening. While some criticize Gen Z's work ethic, many praised their workplace demands, such as advocating for better pay, insisting on benefits, and openly discussing mental health leave.

For instance, one commenter said, "Not taking nonsense from employers. I wish my generation had stood up and taken a stand and not worked for $10.00 an hour. Wealthy CEOs and most employees can't even pay the employees rent. It is about time workers got what they were worth!" People also admired Gen Z for setting clear boundaries in both work and relationships, and for doing what's right without fearing judgment. We've compiled 20 of the best responses. Read on and share them with your Gen Z friends or co-workers.

1. Demanding better work conditions

"Like others said: basically telling businesses to get bent if they’re not paying well or offering competitive benefits." - u/craumas.  "Wanting a 4 day work week. Everyone I know in their 40s is burnt out." - u/CompetitiveFalse3620. "With the way inflation and the economy is continually heading, there won't be any retirement anyhow, might as well enjoy life in the moment more." - u/CastlePokemetroid. "It was Gen Z employees who finally took down my abusive former boss. I worked for her for five months when I was 20 and troubled me for years. It was so bad. Ten years later, I’m 30, and some 20 year olds ran a tell-all piece in a local newspaper and she was forced to resign." - u/AlertOtter58. 

2. Treat people with disabilities well

"Treating people with disabilities with respect. My daughter who is 23 with Down Syndrome has never been bullied ever at school or as an adult. Her peers treated her with respect and genuinely cared about her." - u/30minfromtown. "Younger generations are so accepting of diversity and differences. When I, was a kid ('90s), I got bullied for having a big nose. Now I see kids with Down syndrome on the cheer squad." - u/Lasgna_Bear. "I agree , my daughter and her friends embrace diversity. They are compassionate to the feelings of everyone." - u/carugg. 

3.  Prioritize mental health

"Being more open about mental health issues, emotions, etc. At least I hope they are. In my adolescence, these things didn’t exist." - u/seitankittan. "They definitely are. Mental health is a popular topic of discussion nowadays." - u/jarbid16. "I work in a field where everyone should have a therapist. Only in the past 5-10 years have people started openly acknowledging having a therapist. Now the teens, I encounter, talk about getting a therapist like they talk about getting a dentist. That alone has been a massive improvement. We can't shame away depression and mental illnesses." - u/RJean83.

4. More tolerant

"In general, they are more accepting and tolerant of people who are different. Good on you, Gen Z." - u/Zerbey. "Yeah, I appreciate that they're generally more tolerant of other races, genders and sexual orientations. Sometimes it results in some internet folks going overboard with it, but I think it's more of a good thing overall." - u/New_Simple_4531.  "In some ways yes, but in other ways they tend to see the world in complete black and white with no room for nuance." - u/Misdirected_Colors. 

5. More accepting of people

"Gen Z is a lot less casually racist, sexist and LGBTQ hating than the people I grew up with, which is something I appreciate." - u/jessek. An actual conversation with my 14 year old from yesterday. Kid: Your generation was terrible. Why did everyone say 'gay' when they didn't like something? Me: Not sure. It was a part of the times. But we grew up and most of us chilled out on that. Kid: But you guys probably caused a lot of people distress. Me: Unfortunately, that is how some lessons are learned." - u/BeefInGR.

  6. Open to emotions

"People are more open to emotions in general. Nobody(for the most part) is being forced into things they don't want to do, and if they are, they speak out about it a lot quicker." - u/NixxKnack. "Gen Z includes some of the most compassionate, caring and accepting people I’ve ever seen. They're depressed and poor, but they all are so empathetic. I’ve seen them champion for one another so quickly. I’ve seen them immediately supporting their friends going through emotional struggle and it seems like they’re all well versed in therapy work. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been through Me Too, Covid and now LGBTQ, but it’s like as a whole they’re just way more empathetic." - u/GeneralZaroff1.

7. Work pay

"Not taking nonsense from employers. I wish my generation had stood up and taken a stand and not worked for $10.00 an hour. Wealthy CEO's and most employees can't even pay their rent. It is about time workers got what they were worth!" -u/ZookergameMany663. "True, as a teen, job pay was like seven dollars an hour. In my 20s, around 10 an hour. If you got a raise it was like 25 cents. Now I know teenagers in high school starting at 18 dollars an hour. They live better than me because they live at home without many bills. I'm glad for them, especially since my kids are getting close to that age, but it makes me annoyed how screwed we got back then in comparison." - u/Best-Flunder_9811.

8. Spending on experiences

"Spending money on experience instead of things. My niece went to Paris to see a concert, she doesn't own a couch. Good move, kid." - u/The_Patriot. "While I’m glad to see it’s continued, this was a millennial cultural change, not Gen Z. We have so little. Please leave us our experiences not things and our avocado toast." - u/spozmo.

9. Financial literacy

"Financial literacy among youngsters in my country is skyrocketing. Most people above 30 in my country still think gold and bank saving is the only and best way to invest. You can't really even call gold and saving as investment. "Some even still think having children as investment lmao." - u/soggy_ricefield.  "Yes! My mum, me and my son are all learning investments and shares at the same time. She is in her 60’s, I'm in my 30’s and he is a teen. It sucks that I and her didn’t get a full understanding until now. But I’m so excited the age is changing so quickly. My kids school even put together a class about financial literacy." - u/Many-Painting-5509.

10. Know their worth

"They’re not gonna be slaves in the corporate world, like us. It may sound too much at times but they know their worth and mental health." - u/zunashi. "I agree that this is a good thing in general. I know I spent way too long working hard jobs for bad pay and no chance of upward mobility. In many fields, I totally agree that workers should take care of themselves first and not overwork for no benefit but not in healthcare." - u/GamingGems. 

11. They are open

"Being open about mental health issues. Such a huge change over the course of just a couple generations. It’s so nice that my kids (and their friends) have no issue letting us know that they need to talk to someone, may need a medication, or just want to make us aware that they are struggling." - u/Guac_is_extra_. "I think in general they are more open minded about stuff and they are less likely to take sh*t from grown-ups. Obviously this has up and down sides but previous generations allowed age-ism much more." - u/creatingsumthinpretty.

12. Questioning traditions

"Rejecting and questioning tradition. I think each generation has played a part in disturbing the status quo, and Gen Z is a culmination of those efforts. The rift began with the counterculture of the Boomer era and has traveled through each subsequent generation, gaining momentum with every passing decade. Now we are beginning to see results in the real world. As a millennial born in the '90s, I see Gen Z reaching voting age of America. If they can't turn the tide against fascism, I don't know what will." - u/PreiestessofMars_. 

13. Strictly follow job description

"Only doing jobs strictly mentioned in the offer letter. Nothing more nothing less. Dare to speak out against injustice from payscale and work life balance. No such thing as loyalty to the company because they are confident of their self worth. - u/Appropriate_Pea_3822. "Refusing to accept the status quo regarding work, pay, and how people are treated based on physical attributes. It pisses older generations off but they are right that the system sucks, is arbitrary and unfair." - u/ACAam574. 

14. Knowledge about politics

"I think they're far more knowledgeable about the politics and the understanding of what's going on. Ofcourse, some are vain and shallow but I think as a whole, this generation is far more in tune with the realities of the world.
You're not quite in charge yet, but I think I'm going to trust you a lot more than our current leaders when you do get the reins. I just hope this generation leaves you with enough to salvage." - u/llcucf80. "Much of this can be attributed to the internet. The amount of information we can access in a moment’s notice is truly incredible. Prior generations dreamed of accessibility like this. Internet access definitely makes it easier for us to stay informed, but we still need to be wary of the vast amount of misinformation that’s regularly spread." - u/jarbid16. 

15. Forward thinkers

"I love Gen Z. They are everything us Boomers failed to be. Gen Z are forward thinkers, they take a stand for what they believe in. They are courageous and for the most part they speak respectfully to the Boomers even when provoked. Not okay calling us, 'okay Boomer' but sometimes it's warranted."- u/nena902. "The world at their finger tips, they are discovering who they are much younger and running with it. It was my senior year of college before I had an inkling of an idea of who I was and what I wanted in life. My daughter knew who she was and liked by 12 and by 15 she has life planned through college with hopes for work and how she wants to live beyond that." - u/jimfish98.

16. Work-life balance

"Demanding work-life balance. There is absolutely no need for a rigid five day minimum worming week 9-5 for the majority of jobs. It's needed to be fought back against for some time and good on them for being the generation to fight for it. Working from home, four day working weeks, flexible hours etc. I hope it keeps up as I don't want my kids wasting so much of their precious lives working for the sake of doing hours." - u/rc_roadster. "They aren't wasting the best part of themselves on bad jobs. They do what they are paid to do and go home. No more free services for employers. No more above and beyond." - u/Inaise.

17. Fitness

"I love seeing that many Gen Z women 'carry weight' on their bodies. The 1990s and 2000s encouraged girls and women to make themselves as small as possible, i.e. to physically disappear. After that cultural horror, seeing so many teens and 20-somethings proudly baring real muscle and fat damn near makes me cry. I also love the wildness of self-presentation - the ill-fitting clothes, surprising pairings and bonkers haircuts. Keep it up Gen Z!" - u/Clover_heron. 

18. Understanding concepts

"Understanding the concepts of privilege and classism. I have a generally good understanding of it and I’m Gen Z. I have a Boomer father who has poor self esteem because he doesn’t have as much money as this multi billionaire guy he knows. He can’t get it through his head that this guy married into it and inherited it all from grandparents and he didn’t earn anything himself. My dad thinks he’s inherently a superior person and won’t stop feeling sorry for himself. The billionaire guy is a major a***ole too." - u/maraca101. 

19. Fashion

"Less profound than other comments, but I appreciate how eclectic they are about fashion. Trousers from the '00s, trousers from the '70s, '80s style mullett, '90s bucket hats, curtained hair from late '80s/early '90s. They're surprisingly able to pull it all off." - u/Yamurkle. "Surprised this didn't pop up sooner. I love that boys can wear pink shoes and girls can have short hair and wear loose pants and hoodies, and their peers don't all assume they're gay." - u/Draedre. "It’s getting normal for guys to paint their nails and get piercings too. I like that everyone can dress how they want and explore fashion freely." - u/juniorradish7385.

20. More empathetic

"I’m an English professor and most of my students are Gen Z. I think they’re a lot more empathetic than my generation (Millennials). My classes are centered on social issues so we often talk about people dealing with addiction, trouble with the law, mental illness, etc. My Gen Z students are less judgmental and use more empathetic language in those conversations." - u/toss_my_potatoes. "Focusing on improving their mental health and bringing taboo topics out in the open, job hopping, being child-free, abandoning religion, traveling and prioritizing their own happiness vs. conforming to the societal pressures that are placed on them." - u/ok-Finish4062.