At 22, during my first real media job – I won’t name names – I remember being so monumentally stressed and broke that I began rapidly losing weight. I had neither the time, nor money, to eat properly, and days would consist of mainlining a 50p can of Asda baked beans so that I could bang out my three stories a day, before crashing out. Looking back, I wish I’d known then what I know now, which is this: they needed me more than I needed them. I should have been on at least double my wage. And I should have spoken out about the miserable working conditions (and zero paid annual leave). Had it been 2023, when the average UK rent is £1,243 a month, there’s no way I’d have been able to afford that job to begin with.
With the above in mind, it fills me with great relief to know that young people today are being more assertive in the workplace – not out of entitlement, but pure necessity: about half of UK gen Zs and millennials worry that their monthly income won’t cover all their expenses – worries that definitely aren’t unfounded. About 80% of those aged 18 to 24 are considering finding new work, with better pay, according to LinkedIn. Meanwhile, according to Deloitte, many gen Zs prioritise work-life balance as their top consideration when selecting an employer. All of this is important: with burnout on the rise globally, workers’ wellbeing ought to be prioritised without question.
