General Z says they are obsessed with “conscious bossing.” Something else is actually playing at work, Glassdoor says
Mark Zuckerberg’s comments on 2023 include:Year of efficiency“It looks like it’s changed in a decade of something else. Eliminating middle managers is accelerating (Potentially due to the destructive impact of AI on the labor market, but potentially cost-saving under a different name) will culminate in brutal 2025 for middle managers up until now. By one count, 80,000 jobs had been cut in the tech sector. I was responsible for 15,000 on Microsoft alone and counted. Some called this a “great flattening,” but it certainly is a welcome for millennials. Most managers first time.
Gen Z saw this situation, Summer Viral Corporate Scandalsurrounding cold play, ambiguous IT company called Astronomer, and public relations firefighting involved. Gwyneth Paltrow. Of course, Paltrow and Coldplay singer Chris Martin introduced the world to their type of “”;Conscious separation“Z’s response to management said, “Unconscious Bossing. ”
There is one problem with this story. Gen Z has just entered the age, the oldest age in the cohort. Daniel Zhaosaid Glassdoor’s lead economist. Fortune Intelligence “You really haven’t seen the evidence” that he is consciously released every six months at his company. Work-life trend report.
Gen Z actually consists of one in ten managers in 2025. This points out that Zhao is on a similar trajectory to past generations. “Gen Z manages at the same rate as millennials and other generations have done,” he said. In other words, you might say that Gen Z is not consciously bossing, but they appear to be in business monogamy, as it were, as it were, as it were, the other generations who came before them.
Gen Z’s perspective
Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z joined the workforce in an unprecedented period of economic uncertainty, a global pandemic, social upheavals and a rapidly digitalized world.. These challenges shaped Gen Z attitudes in deeper ways that researchers still come to understand. for example, EY’s Generation Dynamics Team We commissioned a large global survey to understand Gen Z and found that they were approaching a “practical generation.”
Research data shows that Gen Z prioritizes purpose over promotion, freedom and flexibility, and personal happiness. Over half of Gen Z workers –52% in one study– They don’t want to pursue the role of middle management at all. 16% refuse to take on roles that take on others.
The economy has evolved to stand out Gen Z and all workers for a variety of ways of working. The rise of Gig economy, side hustle, project-based work It means there are many ways to achieve career satisfaction and economic stability without becoming a “boss” in the traditional sense. Other leadership writers theorize Gen Z I long for a real, transparent workplace When leadership roles are achieved through proven influence, not mere tenure or politics. They prefer mentors and facilitators over authoritarian managers.
It’s more authority than you think
Despite the “no boss” rhetoric, Glassdoor’s Zhao has discovered that Gen Z is achieving business conditions on schedule. In fact, he added that if the current trend continues, it is likely to outperform the managed rank baby boomers by late 2025 or 2026.
Zhao climbing to management is one of the most effective shortcuts to boost wages and accelerate career growth. In 2025, workers transitioning from individual contributor roles to managers saw an average salary increase of 11%. For every talk about dismantling the hierarchy, Gen Z appears to be voting on their feet, realizing that material benefits are related to management.
Earthly reality
So, what happens when the “conscious amboss” generation becomes boss? That’s where the story plunges into the headwinds. While employees overwhelmingly say that “emotional intelligence” is a requirement from managers, Zhao’s collection of data and anecdotal evidence shows that employees’ living experiences are not transformative.
Simply put, burnout is on the rise. The mention of burnout in workplace reviews has been stagnant or even reduced this year, with 73% burnout before 73% in May 2025 and access to potentially reduced burnout benefits, such as flexible scheduling and mental health care. For example, access to short or flexible hours decreased by 2.2% year-on-year, while working from home fell by 1.7%. Still, since 2019, the benefits of working from home have increased by a whopping 20.4% and mental health has increased by 17.9%.
Zhao notes that these support systems have not expanded at the rates workers expect, despite the likely increasing overall focus on overall welfare. Instead, businesses are more likely to invest in benefits such as health savings accounts and fertility assistance. Although positive, it probably doesn’t directly relate to the emotional aspects of the job that Z-Manager is supposed to advocate. Zhao said Fortune Intelligence In an interview, he was surprised in a way that “thing hasn’t necessarily gotten worse” for workers since January, but he said, “I don’t feel like they’re in a great situation yet.” At least things don’t seem to get any worse, he added.
“Bossing” or adaptation?
Data draws complex pictures. Gen Z is invading undeniable management and is perceived as poised to prioritize happiness and flexibility. However, the actual pace of change in issues such as workplace flexibility and burnout remains slow. In fact, rising generations of all generations, including Generation Z, have inherited economic uncertainty, budgetary pressures, and long-standing inertia of workplace norms: inherited constraints.
A close-up shot? Gen Z may want to “amboss” the workplace, but the traditional levers of career advancement remain intact. “Management isn’t for everyone, it’s fine,” he said of what his data shows, “But it’s still considered the perfect path to climb the career ladder.” For better or worse.
For this story, luck Generated AI was used to assist with initial drafts. The editors checked the accuracy of the information prior to publication.