2025 Gen Z Work Mindset Report

Table of Contents

What does work look like for Gen Z in 2025? For many, it’s a mix of ambition and strain.

To understand how these young professionals are navigating their careers, Resume Genius surveyed 1,000 Gen Z employees across the United States. Our 2025 Gen Z Work Mindset Report explores how they experience their jobs today and what could influence their next career moves.

Key Takeaways

75% feel burnt out at least “sometimes”
86% would leave their current jobs for career growth, and 85% say they’d leave for higher pay
62% face high-performance expectations but don’t receive enough support
61% say they feel undervalued by leadership, and 55% feel undervalued by older colleagues
57% are uncertain about their performance because of a lack of feedback
51% report struggling with unclear job roles or expectations
53% would leave for a more inclusive and diverse workplace
Although 83% say posting about work frustrations could hurt their professional reputation, 42% noted they’ve posted or considered posting about them online
50% support naming and shaming bad employers on social media
81% want flexible work hours and say the traditional 9–5 office day is outdated
75% would rather prioritize their mental health than hustle to advance their careers

Gen Z is struggling with job performance expectations and lack of support

When asked what workplace challenges they experienced most often, Gen Z said burnout. 3 in 4 Gen Z workers (75%) say they feel burnt out at least “sometimes” — with 34% saying “sometimes,” 27% saying “often,” and 14% saying “always.”

While burnout is the most common struggle, it rarely exists in isolation. Most workers face a mix of pressures, and several other challenges affect a majority of Gen Z employees. The following figures represent workers who said they face these challenges on a recurring basis — whether “sometimes,” “often,” or “always.”

62% say they face high-performance expectations but don’t receive enough support
61% say they feel undervalued by leadership
58% report anxiety about their job stability
57% are uncertain about their performance because of a lack of feedback

Here’s one possible reason for those gaps in support: performative managers.

Resume Genius defines a performative manager as a boss who focuses more on looking engaged than actually leading effectively. Similar in concept to the “performative male” seen on TikTok, a performative manager is someone who shows up for visibility, not to add value.

In remote and hybrid workplaces, performative managers often fly under the radar. They focus on being seen rather than being supportive — taking credit for successes, only showing up for meetings when higher-ups are around, and disappearing when times get hard. For younger employees eager to learn, that lack of genuine guidance from a manager can quickly wears them down. Gen Z workers trying to impress these kinds of managers often push themselves too hard by overworking and burning out.
Eva Chan, Career Expert at Resume Genius

Concerns around recognition and career progress are widespread as well:

55% feel undervalued by older colleagues
51% report experiencing feelings of falling behind peers in their career progress
51% report struggling with unclear job roles or expectations

Less common, but still notable, challenges include:

44% say they struggle with impostor syndrome, though only 19% report feeling this way “often” or “always”
44% report difficulty managing conflicts with colleagues or supervisors

Women are more likely than men to report severe burnout

77% of female Gen Z workers say they feel burnt out at least “sometimes,” compared with 72% of men. And when looking at severe burnout — feeling burnt out often or always — 46% of women report this, compared with 33% of men.

Impostor syndrome shows the reverse pattern, where 47% of men say they experience imposter syndrome, compared to 41% of women.

Master’s degree holders struggle most with impostor syndrome and conflict

While the majority of Gen Z workers report suffering from burnout “at least sometimes”, respondents with higher levels of education were more likely to experience the condition.

PhD holders reported the heaviest levels of burnout, while master’s graduates were most likely to report experiencing conflict, impostor syndrome, and dissatisfaction.

Burnout and exhaustion:
Here’s how burnout affects every education group:

79% of PhD holders report feeling burnt out at least “sometimes” (the highest of any group)
75% of bachelor’s degree holders and 75% of associate degree holders report burnout
71% of high school graduates report burnout
66% of master’s degree holders report burnout (the lowest of the surveyed groups)

Burnout from high expectations shows a similar trend.

74% of PhD holders say they feel burnout
56% of master’s degree holders report the same

Conflict at work:
Conflict is where master’s degree holders differ most from their peers.

69% of master’s graduates say they “often” or “always” struggle with conflict at work
Only 18% of bachelor’s holders, 19% of associate degree holders, 18% of high school graduates, and 5% of PhD holders report the same

Impostor syndrome and career dissatisfaction:
Self-doubt and dissatisfaction are also far more common among master’s graduates.

59% say they “often” or “always” experience imposter syndrome
26% of PhD holders, 19% of associate degree holders, and 18% of both bachelor’s and high school graduates say the same

Career dissatisfaction follows the same trend.

58% of master’s graduates say they “often” or “always” feel dissatisfied with their achievements compared with peers
By contrast, 24% of associate degree holders, 20% of bachelor’s holders, 18% of high school graduates, and 16% of PhD holders report the same

Almost half of Gen Z feel they receive inadequate mental health support

When asked about job satisfaction, 67% of Gen Z workers highlighted several factors as key to their wellbeing.

Job security and benefits came out on top, with 3 in 4 workers (75%) expressing satisfaction, while office perks and mental health support ranked lowest.

Most other areas (including management, work-life balance, and daily tasks) fell in between.

Here’s the breakdown:

75% are satisfied with their job security
75% are satisfied with benefits such as health plans and retirement programs
74% are satisfied with their job title and company image
71% are satisfied with work-life balance
70% are satisfied with management
69% are satisfied with their daily tasks
63% are satisfied with opportunities for advancement
62% are satisfied with their salary
59% are satisfied with mental health support
58% are satisfied with office perks such as free meals or gym access

86% of Gen Z workers would quit their current jobs for career growth

Even with relatively high job satisfaction, two thirds (67%) of Gen Z workers across every category say they’d quit their jobs under the right circumstances. Career growth is by far the biggest driver of this trend, with 86% saying it would push them to move on.

Higher pay follows closely, while factors like office mandates and workplace diversity matter less, even though return-to-office debates and talks oft this generation pushing the most for diversity and inclusion have dominated headlines in recent years.

Here’s how Gen Z answered when asked what factors would cause them to quit:

86% would leave for better career growth opportunities
85% would leave for a higher salary at another company
74% would leave if their ethical standards clashed with company practices
70% would leave if their skills weren’t being used effectively
68% would leave for a more flexible work schedule
61% would leave because of a lack of recognition or appreciation from management
53% would leave for a more inclusive and diverse workplace
39% would leave if a return-to-office mandate were enforced

Return-to-office mandates split Gen Z by gender

Gen Z men from our report say they’re more likely to walk away if a return-to-office mandate is enforced — 43% say they’d quit compared to 35% of women.

Women, however, are more likely to leave if their ethical standards clash with company practices (78% of women vs. 68% of men).

Ethics drive older Gen Z workers, while workplace culture matters more to younger employees

Ethical concerns weigh more heavily on older Gen Z professionals: 77% of those aged 26–28 say they’d leave over ethical concerns, compared to younger employees (71% of 18–21-year-olds and 70% of 22–25-year-olds).

By contrast, Gen Z younger workers put more emphasis on workplace culture — 60% of 18–21-year-olds would leave for a more inclusive and diverse workplace, compared to 47% of those aged 26–28.

Gen Z isn’t just venting to friends — some are taking their frustrations online. In our survey, we asked workers whether they had ever posted (or considered posting) about their work struggles on social media.

While a majority of Gen Z workers prefer to keep work issues private, a significant minority are willing to post about them on social media, either publicly, anonymously, or on private accounts.

The breakdown looks like this:

42% have posted or considered posting about their work struggles online
- 22% have posted about private work frustrations on social media — and almost half of these respondents did so on public accounts (8% of total respondents)
- 20% would consider posting about a private work frustration
58% say they wouldn’t post about private work frustrations on social media

50% of Gen Z say naming and shaming employers is fair game

Gen Z workers are split over whether it’s okay to post about negative employer experiences online.

To some respondents, naming and shaming is seen as a powerful way to expose unfair pay, toxic culture, or bad management. To others, the practice is unprofessional and likely to do more harm than good.

The results show this tension clearly:

83% say that publicly discussing workplace struggles can harm their professional reputations.
- 17% don’t see it as a risk.
72% say companies shouldn’t penalize employees for talking about their work experiences online
70% believe social media is a valuable tool for exposing workplace issues
67% avoid posting about work because they worry about the backlash from their employer
- 33% say they’d share negative information about their job even if the post was visible to their employer
50% think naming and shaming employers online should be encouraged to prevent workplace abuse

Gen Z men believe in challenging bad employers, while women take a more cautious stance

According to our report, Gen Z men are more likely to support publicly calling out employers, while women worry more about the risks.

Just over half of men (53%) say naming and shaming bad employers should be encouraged, compared to 48% of women.

But women are more concerned about reputational damage — 87% believe posting about work could harm their careers, compared to 78% of men.

Older Gen Z are more cautious online than younger peers

Nearly 9 in 10 workers aged 26–28 (87%) believe posting about work could hurt their professional reputation, compared to 79% of 18–21-year-olds.

Younger Gen Z are more likely to consider social media an effective tool for exposing bad office practices. 56% of 18–21-year-olds say naming and shaming employers should be encouraged, compared to about half of those aged 22–28.

In the survey, Gen Z workers were asked how they assess their own work ethic and preferences:

81% of Gen Z workers are unhappy with traditional office hours

According to our findings, Gen Z is reshaping expectations around how, when, and why they work. When asked how they assess their own work ethic and preferences, we found that Gen Z wants flexibility, balance, and fairness built into their jobs — and they’re not afraid to challenge outdated norms.

Flexibility matters more than tradition

A large share of Gen Z workers favor flexibility in their schedules and benefits, even if it means taking less traditional jobs.

81% believe that traditional 9-to-5 office hours are outdated and should be replaced with flexible hours
67% would consider taking a job that doesn’t perfectly align with their skills if it offered exceptional benefits or flexibility
62% value job satisfaction over stability, saying they’d leave a stable job if it doesn’t fulfill them

Gen Z works hard but is unwilling to do unpaid overtime

The majority of Gen Z say they’re willing to work hard, but they won’t tolerate overwork without fair compensation. Many also emphasize mental health and output over hours.

83% say they work hard but oppose unpaid overtime and overwork, which they view as exploitation
75% prioritize their mental health over making unnecessary work-related sacrifices
72% feel underappreciated when their work is measured by hours rather than the quality of their output

66% of Gen Z prefer shared decision-making in the office

Many younger workers don’t see eye to eye with older generations on workplace culture. They lean toward more democratic workplaces and say they’re open to job changes if their values aren’t met.

71% are open to changing jobs frequently to find better opportunities
66% believe older generations misunderstand their approach to work and overvalue traditional culture
66% prefer democratic workplaces over hierarchical management styles
43% would rather work at startups or innovative companies than at established corporations

Advanced Gen Z degree holders are most open to job-hopping

Our findings show that openness to frequent job changes grows with education. Respondents who said they are willing to job hop to find better opportunities included:

84% of PhD holders
73% of associate’s degree holders
71% of high school grads
70% of bachelor’s degree holders
63% of master’s degree holders

Conclusion

The survey shows that Gen Z is redefining what it means to build a career. Many are satisfied with their jobs, but burnout, lack of support, and questions about growth remain pressing concerns.

Even in a tight economy, they are unwilling to stay in roles that don’t meet their needs.

For employers, the takeaway is simple: Gen Z will commit where their well-being and ambitions are taken seriously, and they’ll leave where they are not.

Methodology

The Gen Z Work Mindset Report came from a Pollfish survey launched between April 24 and May 10, 2025, targeting a sample of 1,000 participants. The analysis was conducted from May 14 to 22, 2025. The study aimed to understand Gen Z workers’ attitudes and preferences regarding the state of the workplace.

Qualifying respondents were required to be born between 1997 and 2012. The survey ensured a balanced representation across various demographics, including gender and age groups, to accurately reflect the diversity of U.S. job seekers.

The data was analyzed using the results provided by Pollfish and the raw data in Google Sheets. The results have a margin of error of ±3% at a 95% confidence level.

To minimize bias, Pollfish uses Random Device Engagement (RDE) to ensure a fair and organic selection process. For further details on Pollfish’s methodology, please visit their website or contact eduardo@resumegenius.com.

About Resume Genius

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