There are many ghastly things going on in this country and world, but to me, one stands out: Generation Z’s work ethic. As a teenager going through middle school, I see many teens not doing homework. Not doing projects. Not studying for major tests. Not putting any effort whatsoever into anything other than sports and social life. America itself was built upon great men and women performing great deeds. Thomas Jefferson: wrote the Declaration of Independence itself. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, FDR: led the USA through the worst war in the history of man. This country, and all countries for that matter, is built on one thing: effort.
However, the American way of effort has diminished greatly since the ingenuity of the late 1800s to early 1900s, which produced the automobile, telephone, light bulb, and other grand inventions. However, we now expect others to do the work for us. Why do we need to know bits and pieces of information? We do have Google. We can easily search for information, no memory needed. This situation is an example of many others: where we expect great things to come to us; we could not stand the idea of going and getting something ourselves.
Right now, this is okay. We have the Baby Boomers, those born right after World War II; Generation X, those born between ~1965 to ~1975; and Generation Y [Millennials, who have also been criticized for their work ethic], those between ~1975 and ~1990. But, what will happen when they are gone? Who will build houses and other buildings? Who will do the jobs that you have to work for? Who will succeed the generations that made this country great? I do not know.
Many people agree with the lack of effort. According to Work Communications Work Study, Generation Z is the: “most demanding, […] materialistic, and entitled generation so far.” This is absolutely a disgrace. We expect these things to come to us; life should be fair and easy. This thinking will only make the fall that much worse when we have to enter the workplace.
According to a United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund article, Generation Y and Generation Z like:
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Casual attire, whatever feels comfortable
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A very flexible schedule
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Constant feedback
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To talk with clients via email, text, etc. rather than face-to-face.
These two studies only prove that my generation’s work ethic is and will be a problem in coming years. It can only go downhill from where we are today, which is definitely not a good thing.