1 in 5 Gen-Z Workers Have Quit Jobs for This Surprising Reason
1 in 5 Gen-Z Workers Have Quit Jobs for This Surprising Reason
Ever feel blue on a Sunday because you know Monday is coming? A new study shows Gen-Z is acting on this anxiety.
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Over the last couple of decades, this phenomenon has been dubbed the “Sunday Scaries,” among other names*, and various experts have penned advice on how to beat the feeling, or even use it to your advantage. Now a new report says that Gen-Z, which is bringing new thinking into the traditional workplace, is actually so sensitive to Sunday evening anxiety that some younger workers are quitting their jobs because of it, Newsweek said.
According to a survey from Resume.io, a Netherlands-based online resume-building site, 45.9 percent percent of U.S. Gen-Z workers they surveyed have considered quitting a job because of the Sunday Scaries. That’s slightly under half of all young workers. If that statistic doesn’t shock you, and perhaps prompt some unfavorable comments about the newest generation to enter the workforce, then the next one will definitely do so: 20.2 percent of Gen-Z workers have actually quit a job because of the anxiety that sets in ahead of a work week.
That’s over 1 in 5 of Gen-Z respondents who took part in Resme.io’s survey of 1,000 Americans. For context, the same survey found that across the U.S. working population, including older age cohorts, 1 in 7 people said they felt the Scaries every week, and 11.7 percent have quit a job as a result. That means Gen-Z is quitting because of a looming Monday of work twice as often as their older colleagues.
What’s prompting this extremely negative reaction? The survey found 33.1 percent said Sunday Scaries were caused by workload and deadlines, 23.6 percent blamed feelings of burnout and exhaustion, and 15.7 percent blamed unrealistic expectations at work. Workers in entry level jobs were most vulnerable to Sunday worries, with nearly 20 percent of this cohort saying they feel this way every Sunday.
If you’re in doubt as to why Gen-Z is particularly prone to reconsidering their employment because of work issues, finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com Michael Ryan told Newsweek it’s quite simple. This is the first generation to “prioritize mental health over wealth,” he explained, adding that Gen-Z has “watched their parents sacrifice for ‘job security,’ only to face layoffs, recession, and stress-related illness.”
It’s not about being “flaky” either, Ryan says, because Gen-Z workers are “hunting for alignment. Purpose. Boundaries. If they can’t find it? They leave.” Resume.io’s data support this, showing this generation is more likely than others to say a job is harming their mental health — 71.6 percent think this way, compared to just 44.6 percent of Millennials and 37.8 percent of Gen-X.
A lot has been written about Gen-Z’s sometimes novel approach to the modern workplace, some of it judgmentally negative, some of it surprising and fascinating.
So here’s what you can take from this new data. Gen-Z can be thought of in a more positive light, as a force for change in the office. In particular, Gen-Z’s focus on mental health can be admired, since they’re unafraid of broaching a topic that older generations may have avoided. The CDC’s own statistics show that over 12 percent of all Americans over 18 experience “regular feelings of worry, nervousness, or anxiety,” and nearly 5 percent have regular feelings of depression. That Gen-Z is prepared to put their mental health ahead of merely earning a buck represents a bold difference from their older colleagues.
As a business leader, you may be able to help your employees from suffering the Sunday Scaries in several ways. Flexible working conditions may help, along with thinking about how your office culture could be more supportive.
It’s also worth acknowledging that mental health worries can hit your bottom line. Some companies are investing more to help support their employees’ mental health in response.
Maybe taking a little extra time to talk with and listen to your youngest staff could alleviate some of their weekend anxieties — just don’t dismiss their concerns out of hand.
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