They’re not going to be scared straight at the job.
Some might say that Gen La-Z needs some extra motivation at the office, but it’s going to take more than an old-fashioned kick in the rear. Shame expert Brené Brown revealed that 20-something employees don’t respond well to scare tactics, claiming that they require a more compassionate approach.
Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston who specializes in vulnerability, dropped the bombshell on the New York Times podcast “The Interview” while discussing her new book “Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit.”
“Just because the world at large believes that you have to be a total d–k to get performance out of a team, there is actually very little evidence of that over a long period of time,” she declared on the podcast.
While Brown believes that fear can result in “very quick performance metrics,” it also has a “very short shelf life.”
“I think people are becoming less and less tolerant of living that way,” the best-selling author declared. “And I think we have a new generation of people who won’t work that way.”
She added, “The Gen Z-ers, you’re not going to lead them with fear for very long.”
By contrast, Brown believes in the power of “courageous leadership,” which she defines as displaying vulnerability, leading with empathy, leading with purpose and encouraging innovation, among other somewhat unconventional characteristics.
“We see a very compelling, persuasive, strong correlation between courageous and daring leadership and performance, as measured by the way companies measure performance — whether that’s quarterly stock price, retention, engagement,” she said.
Brown’s philosophy is supported by various research. According to one 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey from Deloitte, Gen Zers believe a manager’s key role is to provide guidance and support, inspire and motivate them, and even set boundaries to ensure work-life balance, CNBC reported.
Meanwhile, a staggering 37% of Gen Zers believe their prime directive at the office is to like the gig, per February 2024 survey of 2,000 Gen Zers by essay writing platform EduBirdie.
This data comes amid a flurry of criticism directed at Gen Z employees, who have frequently been labeled lazy, entitled and easily offended.
Jessen James, an international entrepreneur, business mentor and speaker, said that Zoomers lack “charisma and personality skills,” claiming, “I don’t feel they are in tune with what it takes to impress others.”
He added that Gen Zer’s also suffers from “snowflakeism,” which requires managers to “walk on eggshells” so they don’t “offend them, upset them, or push them too far.”
In addition, Gen Z employees have displayed a stunning deficit in basic workplace skills, including poor communication skills and — somewhat bizarrely — refraining from speaking when they answer the phone.
Despite the apparent lack of competence, many of these so-called layabouts’ nonetheless boast non-negotiable demands for work.
A recent study found that a good percentage of Zoomers won’t consider taking a job unless it has nap rooms, ping pong and a pet-friendly policy.
This office illiteracy has made employers understandably reticent about recruiting younger desk jockeys.
According to a 2024 poll of 966 US business leaders by the online education magazine Intelligent.com, 75% of execs felt most of the recent college grads they hired were unsuccessful — and 60% said at least some of them had to be fired.
However, the stalwart 20-somethings claim that their generation is being unfairly maligned.
“People like to talk about us but not talk to us or build with us,” said Ziad Ahmed, the Zoomer head of UTA Marketing’s Next Gen Practice, at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit this past Spring. “I think that is rooted in a lot of presumption. It rarely gets us to where we need to be.”
Gabrielle Judge, an influencer known as the “anti-work girlboss,” claimed that Gen Zers are no longer buying into the hustle mindset pushed by prior generations.
“Gen Z isn’t unambitious,” Judge told The Post. “We’re just done sacrificing our mental health for companies that reward burnout with pizza parties.
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