Expert Reveals: Gen Z and Millennials Susceptible to Burnout Due to Loss of Hope
JAKARTA – The debate surrounding young people in the workplace has resurfaced in recent years. Gen Z and millennials are often described as more susceptible to burnout compared to previous generations. They frequently face stigma as workers who lack stress resilience, demand excessive work-life balance, or show insufficient loyalty to their employers.
According to workplace expert Jack Welch, young people do not experience burnout from working harder, but rather because they have lost faith that hard work will deliver commensurate results. Welch shared this perspective during a conversation on the Masters of Scale podcast, subsequently reported by Fortune. He argues that the fundamental difference between young and previous generations lies in their expectations regarding future careers and economic life.
Welch explains that work intensity is not the primary factor distinguishing young workers from earlier generations. In his podcast discussion, Welch recounted his own experience as a young worker, saying he worked almost relentlessly in his early career. However, he felt satisfied because he believed hard work would bring advancement.
According to Welch, the fundamental difference emerged when he spoke with a 25-year-old freelancer. The young worker asked Welch to produce more content about workplace fatigue experienced by his generation. The response Welch received fundamentally shifted his perspective. The young worker simply replied: “But you had hope.”
Welch subsequently acknowledged this statement was accurate. He said: “And I had hope. We all had hope. We believed that if you worked hard, you would get rewarded. And that is where the gap lies.”
Welch views this expectation gap as the primary cause of burnout among young workers. He describes this situation as a “crisis of expectations”, arguing that many young workers no longer believe their efforts will lead to a better life.
One frequently cited factor is continuously rising living costs. Housing prices and basic necessities have increased far more rapidly than wage growth. Under these conditions, many young workers feel that hard work no longer guarantees financial stability or economic mobility.
This situation leads young people to view their future with greater scepticism compared to previous generations. A 2024 Gallup survey showed that only approximately 31 per cent of workers under age 35 feel they are “thriving” in their lives.