Gen Z crying about having to work 9-5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a bit unfair - her main complaint is being unable to afford living closer to her job. Housing unaffordablity is a big deal.

Do we know where she lives, where she works and how much she makes? I can’t comment without knowing those details. But I watched about 5 seconds of that video with the sound turned down, and I can’t believe we’re giving this person more and more attention.

She works in New York and commutes in from outside the city.

So, like millions of people who have come before her. And continue to do so, on purpose.

In the past, young office workers in NY could afford shared apartments and live in the city. They only moved to the suburbs when they got married and had families. Now they can’t afford to live in the city, and instead live in their childhood bedrooms and spend an hour or more commuting in. I’ve done it. It’s soul-sucking and I would have been beyond miserable if I had to do it as a twenty-something.

[Anonymous]

I'm Gen X and I complain about the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Just a little over 3 generations ago, there were children in London (as young as 6) who had to go out and work at least 12 hours a day just to earn a penny or two. Then they often slept in any dark corner they could find out on the streets.

This was not unique to London. Think of factories and sweat houses in the US where children worked.

Thankfully, that has all changed and children are no longer worked and exploited. But...

How in the world did we get from child labor abuse to whining about a 9-5 office job - in just three generations!

I would challenge anyone to read "Vagabonds" by historian Oskar Jensen and then complain about their job.

[Anonymous]

Her name is 'Brielle.' I mean honestly, what do you expect with someone named Brielle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I read about her, I thought 'big deal, everyone has to do that'. But then i gave it more thought and realized she's right. It does suck. We all just accepted that working meant commute, long hours, essentially 'donating' work to the company when we worked extra and didn't get paid extra, getting home at 6 or 7 and then jamming the rest of our lives into 4 to 6 hours at the end of the day. That allows mostly for maintenance (washing clothes, cooking, shopping, paying bills, bathing, hair cuts, doctor/dentist appointments, car maintenance, cleaning house, etc.). Oh, you want kids? Well, double up on the chores plus attending to your child.

Why did I -- or anyone -- think that was an OK way to live?

And I agree with her and thought, "this is how change happens." We shouldn't live this way.

+1

I absolutely love that this generation is pushing back on the narrative that this is a normal way to live. And the housing (even rental) market does stink right now so that people can’t live close to their jobs. There have been so many technological advances over the past couple decades and somehow this has = greater profits for companies while just expecting more and more out of employees without their compensation going up equally as well.

There is so much more to life than work and it makes sense that as we evolve our mindset around this changes. After all, we don’t go out and milk our own cows or hand wash our laundry anymore.

Our civilization has advanced and we should want generations after us to have it easier than we did. I don’t understand the whole mindset of “I had to walk uphill both ways so you should too.” Not to mention the grads starting out now had to pay more for an education, pay more for housing, and for basically everything else. Dual income households are now needed for a lifestyle that my family had with a SAHM. Neither of my parents had a graduate degree, which my DH and I needed in today’s world to get an UMC career.

Good for Gen Z for calling out the BS of how everything is structured to most benefit employers at every turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a little over 3 generations ago, there were children in London (as young as 6) who had to go out and work at least 12 hours a day just to earn a penny or two. Then they often slept in any dark corner they could find out on the streets.

This was not unique to London. Think of factories and sweat houses in the US where children worked.

Thankfully, that has all changed and children are no longer worked and exploited. But...

How in the world did we get from child labor abuse to whining about a 9-5 office job - in just three generations!

I would challenge anyone to read "Vagabonds" by historian Oskar Jensen and then complain about their job.

So because child labor was bad we should just ignore all the negatives of our current economy? Including the rise in obesity, mental health issues, income inequality etc. because at least today’s workers aren’t kids in a sweatshop?

[Anonymous]

If Gen Z is able to leverage technology to get more done in less time in the same job, should they have to work crazy hours?

[Anonymous]

I felt the same way when I first started a 9-5 - actually. 8:30-6pm job. And I’m a boomer !

[Anonymous]

Love Gen Z and their complaints about work. Will make it easier for Gen X to stay well employed into our senior years. I truly do not fear being replaced by a youngin as most are not emotionally or even intellectually at par with Gen X. Just bred differently. Social media and coddling will do that.

[Anonymous]

She’s too cute to put up with 9-5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I felt the same way when I first started a 9-5 - actually. 8:30-6pm job. And I’m a boomer !

Yup, Gen Xer who cried every day after work at my first job. Everything hurt. It was retail and we weren't allowed to sit and I rarely got to eat. The difference is there were no phones and I didn't/couldn't make a TikTok about it.

[Anonymous]

I’d hate to work 5 days a week.
I work FT but work 12s (6am-6pm)
I work Mon/Tues Fri/Sat/Sun of week one
Weds/Thurs week two.
Working 9-5 is for the birds…. Oh and I’m gen X

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a little over 3 generations ago, there were children in London (as young as 6) who had to go out and work at least 12 hours a day just to earn a penny or two. Then they often slept in any dark corner they could find out on the streets.

This was not unique to London. Think of factories and sweat houses in the US where children worked.

Thankfully, that has all changed and children are no longer worked and exploited. But...

How in the world did we get from child labor abuse to whining about a 9-5 office job - in just three generations!

I would challenge anyone to read "Vagabonds" by historian Oskar Jensen and then complain about their job.

Well… we went from children working for pennies to 23yos struggling with 9-to-5 by a bunch of people complaining that the “normal” amount of work they and those around them were expected to go was inhumane and miserable especially for the low wages they were receiving.

And had a couple wars and a pandemic to give the labor unions a chance to push through some workers rights. So honestly looking good for gen z right now; I wish Brielle and her fellows luck. If my grandkids have a 30 hour work week and nationally mandated parental leave I’ll rejoice for them.

[Anonymous]

Forty hours is arbitrary and she is correct

[Anonymous]

https://x.com/investmentkage/status/1718037455256068125?s=46&t=RXug2E3wPuDEf8vlgSC9SQ

Brielle update