Gen Z rejects job offer after being asked to work occasionally on Saturdays; internet says ‘huge respect'
Gen Z kids have no patience, no loyalty, no hunger," a LinkedIn user Riya Dadhich - an HR professional - says that she has often heard this. However, her interaction with a 25-year-old woman, whose bold yet "respectful rejection" of a job offer left her heaping praise on Gen Z - the demographic cohort born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s - has challenged that notion.
Dadhich, who is a Talent Acquisition Specialist at Firstsource, feels that "they're not the problem, and are instead the correction".
In her LinkedIn post, Dadhich recalled her interaction with the 25-year-old candidate who turned down a job offer after being asked if she was open to working occasional Saturdays. Her response – 'I'm commited to delivering my best - but I don't want a career that burns me out by 30" - is now earning widespread praise online.
The HR professional stated that initially, she felt "irritated," but later developed "deep respect" for the candidate as she voiced what many young professionals feel, and what many seasoned workers never dared to say out loud.
"Because let's call it what it is: She had the guts to say what many of us never could. We were taught to stay silent. To smile while working late. To see burnout as ambition. To say yes when we should've said no.
And now?," she wrote.
The post ends with a striking line that many are calling a generational wake-up call:
"Maybe it's the culture we survived and now subconsciously try to uphold.
It made me tougher. No. It made us tired.
They're the correction," she wrote.
As the post gains traction, it's becoming a rallying point for conversations around mental health, work-life balance, and the evolving definition of ambition in the modern workplace.
A user wrote: "Oof, this one hits harder than a Monday morning meeting invite!
Love how you've put the 'corporate cult' under the microscope — Gen Z isn't here to sip the coffee, they're here to stir the pot."\
Another said: "This is so relatable. I was offered a similar job – six days working, no weekend off. I didn't take it forward to talk about the pay. I did consider taking the role because it is difficult as a fresher to find a job, but then I thought about it a lot.
Even though I want to be independent soon and start earning, I don't want that at the expense of my mental health. I want a job that values work-life balance.
I did try to negotiate with them about my day off or a change in the department but unfortunately, rules were rules.
At first, I was regretting my decision to turn them down, but I think my future self will thank me for it. I completely respect the company's rules, but I have to think about myself first."
A third user said: "I agree, although we were taught to stay quiet, say yes, and equate burnout with success. Gen Z challenges that and honestly, good for them.
Their courage to speak up is something many of us never had. That said, there are times their approach can come off a bit sharp, and it does hurt – especially when experience is dismissed too quickly.
Maybe it's not entitlement. It's evolution, with room on both sides to grow."
First Published: 4 May 2025, 09:27 AM IST
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