Gen Z calls out Baby Boomers for ‘annoying’ workplace habits: survey
On 'Outnumbered,' a debate about Boomer work habits such as replying 'all' on emails and scheduling phone calls
Millennials, Gen Z workers call out boomers' annoying work habits
'Outnumbered' panel discusses a new report about younger workers complaining about their older co-workers.
It’s Gen Z’s turn, apparently, to rag on Baby Boomers.
As the youngest working generation steps into America’s offices and workplaces, the eldest group of workers is learning that they supposedly have habits that are irritating to their newer counterparts.
Gen Zers noted specific Baby Boomer behavior that bugged them, according to a survey by news.com.au — such as being too liberal with the "reply all" button on emails, making unnecessary phone calls and asking technology questions that could have been answered by first using Google search.
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Other Gen Z workers complained about Boomers using outdated language, wasting paper, pushing to work in the office — and booking formal meetings they felt were unnecessary.
One respondent named Rebecca (no last name given) revealed that she does not want to answer Boomers’ phone calls.
In a new study, members of Gen Z called out specific behavior by Boomers that bugged them, such as being too liberal with the "reply all" option on email and making "unnecessary" phone calls. (iStock / iStock)
"The use of calls because ‘it’s easier to explain over the phone,'" this individual noted. "No, you are just too lazy to type it out, so now I have to dictate the request, and then there’s no paper trail," she said.
"If there’s an error, they can blame you," she went on.
Some Gen Zers considered Boomers to be "power hungry," including Rebecca — who called an "obsession" with job titles and hierarchy "embarrassing."
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On Friday, Fox News Channel's "Outnumbered" broke down the survey’s findings in a segment.
Co-host Emily Compagno suggested that some Gen Zers are "totally missing the point" on verbal communication.
Gen Z respondents considered Boomer employees to be "power hungry." (iStock / iStock)
"Face-to-face and explaining is easier than typing it out and [then] it takes longer," she said. "I think there’s a reliance on technology by the younger people that the older people just don’t understand."
Co-host Kayleigh McEnany — who said that she's a millennial, "out of fairness" — sided with Gen Z on the issue of being annoyed by people who "reply all" to emails.
"Reply to who you want to reply to," McEnany said.
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Cheryl Casone of Fox News responded that there are "some office etiquette issues" involved in the "reply all" debate.
"We’ve got all these different generations now in the workplace — Baby Boomers all the way down to Gen Z — and there’s been a lot of friction that companies are now having to deal with," she said.
On "Outnumbered," Kayleigh McEnany and Cheryl Casone discussed a survey about generational workplace habits on June 16, 2023. (Fox News / Fox News)
Casone suggested that Gen Z might be in for a "wakeup call" in terms of the direction of today’s economy.
McEnany disagreed, noting that millennials had a difficult time during economic pitfalls like the Great Recession in 2008 but still faced scrutiny from older generations to "get out of [their] parents’ basements."
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"I think Gen Z is creative and spirited and lively," she said. "There may be some lazy ones, but there are some really good ones."
A "source of friction" between generations will "work itself out eventually."
Gen Z guest and editor Kaylee McGhee of the Washington Examiner added that she couldn't defend her own generation and its "big" entitlement problem.
A work team comprised of people from multiple generations attend an in-office meeting. (iStock / iStock)
"I like some of the things that Gen Z has pushed for, especially in the wake of the pandemic," she said. "I think remote work, flexible work hours … have been amazing."
"But … they want the six-figure salaries right out of college, they never want to go into the office, they don’t like in-person communication or the things that generally make for a healthy work environment," she added.
McGhee proposed that while this is a "source of friction" between generations, it will "work itself out eventually."
McEnany replied, "Spoken like a true Gen Zer."