Cut Gen Z some slack—job hopping isn’t all that bad
Every week, PhilSTAR L!fe explores issues and topics from the perspectives of different age groups, encouraging healthy but meaningful conversations on why they matter. This is Generations by our Gen Z columnist Angel Martinez.
Not a lot of people know this about me but earlier this year, I tried my hand at a proper full-time job. After four months of freelancing with a tech company, I was offered a position in the realm of social media and content marketing. Having spent most of my career in solitude, I craved the familiar pantry banter that only an office barkada could provide; the excitement that came with organizing and attending events; heck, even the early morning adrenaline rush triggered by a commute to Makati. (Obviously, not everything can be romanticized.) So, I said yes.
Two weeks later, I quit.
The startup scene, I would later learn, is a difficult beast to conquer. Tasks were iterative by default, with requirements often getting scrapped as I was in the middle of accomplishing them. As someone who thrives on structure and order, it became difficult for me to make substantial progress on any long-term goals. Despite the relief that came with my regained freedom, I was racked with fear: What would such a short stint look like on my resume? Should it even be there at all?
If many of my friends and acquaintances, as well as the latest global statistics, are anything to go by, my experience is normal and perhaps even a bit mild. Research conducted by US firm ResumeLab shows that 83% of Gen Z employees consider themselves “job hoppers,” or workers who switch to different companies often. Forty-three percent of respondents said they’d stay with a current employer for two years; 22% said they’d do so for three years; while only 13% said they’d stay for four years or more. Back home, Jobstreet reports that Gen Z are the least likely to be satisfied with their current jobs, ascribed to “a widening gap of perceptions when it comes to work culture and work-life balance.”
These statements are enough to send the workforce of yore into a state of shock. “Older generations are the remnants of what the last World War imprinted on humanity: Study well, go get a job, find the right company, and stick with it. It was a foolproof path to stability, if not success,” Nanie Geronimo, HR head of Lapanday Foods tells PhilSTAR L!fe. “If you’re working in a company that honors you, pays you decently, looks after you, you’d be foolish to get out. Which is why many old companies had employees who got them as their first job and stayed with them all the way up to retirement.”
But this is only the bare minimum for Gen Zers, who unapologetically hold higher standards and stronger boundaries. We do not feel beholden to our employer, unlike our predecessors who often consider their workplace as their “family.” Organizations often use the metaphor in business to create a “positive, morale-boosting culture,” but this emotional attachment could lead to an abuse of power when bosses expect unwavering loyalty from subordinates.
Gen Z no longer subscribes to such archaic mindsets, opting instead for continuous growth, an ever-expanding set of skills, and even the opportunity to raise their net worth. Rigid hierarchies rarely add more responsibility than what is required, regardless of tenure or personal achievement. When high flyers feel undervalued or stuck, trust that they will either leave or seek out passion projects or side hustles to fill the void.
Unfortunately, our intentions can easily be misconstrued by the traditional workplace. “Normally, recruiters will look at a job hopper’s resume and all sorts of negative characteristics will come to mind. They want everything instant, they don’t know the value of hard work, they will waste company resources,” Geronimo admits. “I have had employees whose first day was also their last day. They took one look at the office, went out for lunch, and never came back. It’s such a disappointment.”
So while job hopping can be the step forward we seek, I can’t wholeheartedly promote doing so out of impulse. Our access to the internet comes with the illusion of infinite choice: Just because it’s bad here doesn’t mean it will automatically be better somewhere else, and just because we bid goodbye to a company doesn’t mean the pain in the ass we left behind won’t make a reappearance.
Taking the leap should be a strategic move aligned with your long-term career trajectory, not a decision we come to after a bad day. Knowing the difference, though, will require honesty: Where is our dissatisfaction coming from? Could it be the root of self-comparison, a refusal to adapt to change, or maybe preconceived notions about the company or industry? Would you be able to easily explain your reasons why to a prospective recruiter?
“But if you find that your workplace is lacking some of the most obvious requirements—they don’t equip you with tools and learnings to grow, they’re not open and honest, they’re not clear about what they expect from you, they’re unreliable when push comes to shove—there is nothing wrong with sticking to your gut,” Geronimo advises. As we think of the next step forward, we’re encouraged to conduct due diligence (aka put our social media stalking skills to good use) and necessary self-reflection so we can stay longer with our next employer.
After I left my first full-time job, I came to the conclusion that I just really, really want to write, which is why I’m currently working from a cafe and not a cubicle on the sixth floor of some swanky building. Right now, I’m only making the permanent shift to corporate when I find a workplace that satisfies all my non-negotiables, which sounds like a tall order. But modern organizations are aware of the power that Gen Z holds, after all, even if they’re not always willing to admit it. They see our Glassdoor reviews and hear our cries for flexible working arrangements and mental health days. Now, they’re left with no choice but to adapt, or run the risk of falling behind.
“Companies without fresh faces and voices are prone to groupthink, just stuck with the same people who will soon age out and leave. If the company cannot match Gen Z’s expectations, they have to go back to the drawing board and see where they can afford to be more flexible,” Geronimo says. “If we don’t accept job hopping as a prevalent behavior among Gen Z hires, we can miss out on this very energetic, creative, innovative, highly opinionated demographic.”
Generations by Angel Martinez appears weekly at PhilSTAR L!fe.