“They’re really annoying, especially in the workplace. They’re like: ‘Nah, I’m not feeling it today, I’m gonna come in at 10.30am.’ Or in emails, I’ll tell them: this is all grammatically incorrect, did you not check your spelling? And they’re like: ‘Why would I do that, isn’t that kind of limiting?’”
I assume, when Jodie Foster made these comments about Gen Z in an interview with the Guardian, that she was slightly exaggerating for comedic effect. After all, if everything twenty-something was of the opinion that contracted working hours were merely a gentle suggestion, or that grammar is somehow a triggering and archaic imposition, then I don’t suppose any of us would have the pleasure of being in gainful employment.
However, I’m not in the business of denying anyone’s personal experience — perhaps this does summarise the totality of the 61-year-old The Silence of the Lambs and True Detective star’s experience working with everyone born after the year 1997.
There is a rising anti-work sentiment emerging amongst young people. But it is not about being lazy
What I suspect, though, is that she has made the mistake that many in her generation seem to do when casting judgment on mine, in misdiagnosing a tangible generational shift in attitudes to work. Because, on the face of it, she’s right: there is a rising anti-work sentiment emerging amongst young people. But it is not about being lazy.
Rather, Gen Z have calculated that hard work simply doesn’t pay off in the same way it used to. In response to a dire economic climate, many of my peers are setting strategic boundaries, rejecting hustle culture and seeking fulfilment outside of the nine to five. And doesn’t that make sense?
Gone are the days of the reliable good job to nice house to financial security pipeline. In 1997, when my parents' generation were getting on the property ladder, the average house in the UK was 3.6 times averages wages. Fast forward to 2024, and you’ll now need nine times your annual salary.
Many of my friends have all but given up on the idea of getting out of the rental hellscape, even in the next 20 years. Obviously, there are limitations to this ethos — showing up to work hours late because you’re “not feeling it today” would certainly be one. But, within reason, why shouldn’t we prioritise work-life balance if the financial system no longer adequately rewards the drudgery it demands?
Foster, of course, is entitled to her own opinions. And frankly, with two Academy Awards, three Baftas and three Golden Globes, I’m sure she couldn’t give a less of a toss what I or anyone else has to say about them.
