Last week we polled our Instagram audience on how happy they were with their work life balance and only 20% of you thought you had it figured out. New research from beer icons Heineken says this may just make you a Gen Z worker as they appear to have it figured it! This November 23, National Go Home on Time Day, Heineken are encouraging you to ditch the after-hours hamster wheel by adopting Gen Z’s ways.
The research from Heineken found over a third (36%) of Aussies always find it hard to log off at the end of a standard workday. In addition, a whopping 86% of workers have had to cancel or delay personal plans due to working late, with almost a third (30%) saying they do this often.
Findings indicate ‘hustle culture’ has become rife, with almost two thirds (63%) of Millennial workers believing their generation subscribes to this approach. Despite its prevalence, most Aussies workers (65%) think ‘hustle culture’ is toxic, but luckily it appears Gen Z has taken notice and wants to change.
Gen Z workers do less overtime than their Millennial and Gen X counterparts (2.1 hours compared to 3.2 hours and 3.7 hours per week, respectively).
When it comes to setting boundaries, the research found Gen Z workers are comfortable doing so, with most (96%) having set clear working guidelines, such as declining when asked to do additional work that falls outside of their job description or contracted hours, with their managers at least once.
While the benefits of work-life balance are clear, the Gen Z approach can be a source of inter-generational tension. Many Aussie professionals think young workers (aged 18-25) don’t work as hard as them, with over half (54%) believing this generation is more likely than those older to be slack at work (37%) or avoid challenging tasks (39%).
To empower Aussie workers of all ages to log off without guilt, Heineken are hosting a special Master Class on ‘Go Home on Time Day’ November 23, alongside esteemed career coach, Amie Duignan, and Zillennial entrepreneur, Alyce Tran, to help you navigate the sticky situations.
The virtual Master Class is open to the public and being run free of charge. To register, sign up here
Huge shout out to Heineken for going beyond the beers to achieve a much needed balance. In fact, they even launched The Closer, a high-tech bottle opener that immediately shuts all work applications when a bottle of Heineken is opened with it, alongside a Spotify playlist designed to encourage listeners to log off on time!