There is an uncomfortable conversation happening in workplaces, and perhaps we need to stop pretending it does not exist. Experienced professionals often complain that younger employees are entitled, impatient and unwilling to pay their dues. Younger professionals argue that previous generations simply normalised burnout, poor boundaries and blind loyalty to companies.
The truth is probably somewhere in the uncomfortable middle.
I have personally come across people who simply do not seem to take their jobs seriously. They want flexibility, recognition, progression, competitive salaries and respect, but sometimes their behaviour does not reflect the same level of professionalism they expect from everyone else.
What frustrates me most is seeing people demand respect while refusing to give that same respect to the next person. You cannot demand that people respect your time while constantly wasting theirs. You cannot insist on professional communication while communicating poorly with colleagues. You cannot demand understanding every time you miss a deadline while becoming defensive when someone asks why the work was not completed.
Respect is a two-way street.
Not Everything Is Toxic
We now have important workplace conversations about burnout, mental health, boundaries, psychological safety and toxic environments. These conversations were necessary because many workplaces genuinely treated employees badly for years.
However, we should be careful not to turn useful language into an escape route from accountability.
A manager asking you to redo poor work is not automatically toxic. Being questioned about a missed deadline is not necessarily micromanagement. Receiving uncomfortable feedback is not automatically bullying.
Sometimes you simply did not do the job properly.
There is a difference between being disrespected and being held accountable, and I sometimes wonder whether we are becoming afraid to acknowledge that distinction.
Doing Your Job Does Not Always Require Applause
Another thing that bothers me is the growing expectation of constant recognition. Good work should absolutely be recognised. People who go beyond expectations, solve difficult problems, support their teams and produce exceptional results deserve acknowledgement.
However, doing the basic responsibilities of your job cannot require a standing ovation every time.
Meeting an agreed deadline is part of your job. Responding to important communication is part of your job. Attending meetings prepared and completing your responsibilities to an acceptable standard are part of being employed.
There is nothing wrong with wanting appreciation, but there is a difference between appreciation and constant validation.
Professional maturity sometimes means doing excellent work even when nobody is clapping.
Older Generations Are Not Completely Right Either
Before older professionals celebrate too quickly, we also need to address the nonsense that previous generations accepted in the name of “work ethic.”
Working yourself into exhaustion is not a personality trait. Coming to work sick should never have been celebrated. Missing important family moments because the company needed something urgently did not necessarily make someone more committed.
Suffering at work is not a qualification.
There is no reason younger professionals should inherit unhealthy workplace practices simply because previous generations survived them.
In fact, younger workers have forced organisations to have conversations about flexibility, fair compensation, mental health and work-life balance that should have happened decades ago.
That is progress.
Loyalty Has Changed Because Employment Has Changed
Companies also need to stop being surprised that employees have become more transactional.
Businesses restructure, reduce headcount and make difficult decisions when commercial circumstances require them. Employees have watched this happen and learned an important lesson: companies will ultimately protect the interests of the business.
Employees are therefore increasingly protecting their own interests too.
You cannot offer poor progression, below-market compensation and unreasonable workloads and then become offended when someone accepts a better opportunity.
Loyalty cannot only be discussed when someone resigns.
If organisations want committed employees, they need to create workplaces worth committing to.
But Boundaries Cannot Become an Excuse
Healthy boundaries are important, but boundaries should not mean refusing every inconvenience.
There will occasionally be difficult deadlines, unexpected problems and situations requiring additional effort. The problem begins when those exceptional circumstances become everyday expectations.
The same applies to employees. You cannot expect endless flexibility from your employer while refusing to offer reasonable flexibility when your team genuinely needs you.
Flexibility cannot permanently travel in one direction.
Maybe Both Generations Need a Reality Check
Perhaps the biggest problem is that both sides have become convinced that the other side is responsible for everything wrong with modern work.
Older professionals need to stop believing hardship automatically builds character. Younger professionals need to stop believing discomfort automatically means exploitation.
Managers should not demand loyalty they have not earned. Employees should not demand promotions they have not demonstrated they are ready for.
Companies should pay people fairly, respect boundaries and create genuine development opportunities. Employees should bring accountability, professionalism, curiosity and effort.
Sometimes the workplace really is toxic.
Sometimes the manager really is unreasonable.
Sometimes the workload really is ridiculous.
But sometimes you simply need to do your job.
Not every deadline deserves an argument. Not every piece of feedback is disrespect. Not every completed task deserves applause. Not every uncomfortable conversation is an attack on your wellbeing.
A career should never require you to destroy yourself to prove your commitment. But building one will sometimes require resilience, accountability and doing things you would rather not do.
The future of work cannot be built on burnout, but it cannot be built on entitlement either.
Perhaps that is the reality both generations need to accept.
