Gen Z Is Trashing Their Employers Online, Here’s Why

Nearly half of Gen Z admitted to complaining about their jobs or employers online in a new report from Owl Labs.
The rate of Gen Z-ers trashing their companies online was considerably higher than the rest of employees. While 34 percent of all U.S. workers posted negatively about their jobs on social media, 48 percent of Gen Z employees said they spoke critically about their employers online.
Posting negatively included making comments on Instagram or X as well as TikTok content, recording conversations at their employer or posting anonymously on Glassdoor.
“What we’re seeing is a generation refusing to put up with the same workplace injustices that previous generations might have accepted,” HR consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek. “Are some workers just looking to be snarky and unhappy where they are? Sure. But generally, these acts aren’t about being ungrateful or entitled. These acts show awareness.”
The complaints arrive as more and more companies are mandating office work and reversing prior work from home or hybrid work.
In the report, 62 percent of employees said they were working in the office in 2024, compared to 27 percent who had a hybrid schedule and 11 percent who worked fully remotely.
A quarter of employees also said their companies had changed their hybrid and remote work policies just over the past year.
But for Gen Z, who has grown up in an era of social media, posting negative comments online about their employers can actually expose outdated practices and inequities, Driscoll said.
“This generation doesn’t feel the need to pay their dues just because that’s how it’s always been done,” Driscoll said. “They see their value, and if their employer doesn’t, they’re not going to quietly endure it.”
For companies hesitant to employ Gen Z based on these statistics, Driscoll said they should be more concerned about why employees are airing their grievances rather than just trying to silence them.
“If employers want loyalty, they need to earn it, not expect it,” Driscoll said. “This shift should be a wakeup call to employers. They can’t keep pushing the same old toxic environments and expect Gen Z to stay silent. Employers who refuse to change will find themselves with a serious retention problem and a tarnished brand reputation.”
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, said Gen Z isn’t alone in making negative comments about their employers online either.
Roughly one in three of the larger worker group admitted to this practice, and workplace criticism has become increasingly common, Beene said.
“It’s the result of these online spaces becoming more of an extension of our everyday discussions than separate digital venues to post professional content,” Beene told Newsweek. “Gen Z, which grew up with these virtual services, view them as online spaces where they can be just as vocal as they would chatting with a friend after hours.”
Still, Beene cautioned Gen Z or any employees from using their social media as a soap box.
“Many employers rightfully don’t like to see their businesses get attacked online by their own employees,” Beene said. “Yes, you certainly have the right to say what you want to say online, but if what you’re saying could cost you your job or at least the goodwill of your employer, it should give you pause.”