7 things that have accepted millennials-but genes

I am now 36, and after more than ten years I have a seat in the front row for a quiet generation revolt in the front row.

Millennials and Gen Z grew up on the same streaming platforms, but the lessons we have accepted about work, money and life could not be more different. Here are seven ideas that many of us older millennials have accepted as gospel that honestly throw in the recycle container.

1. HUstle hard, sleep later

Millennials were aged at Gary Vee Rants and #Risandgrind -Memes. Pulling 70-hour weeks was an honorary badge. Gen z? They are open to Hustle. A study of 2024 examined by experts showed that Gen Zer’s “Work-Life Balance” rated as the top career priority and saw chronic overtime as a health risk and not as a flex.

Add into fresh surveys that show 90 % of gene Z that a four -day working week is the case improve Your mental health and you can see why the silence on Tikok became viral.

Bring away: Gen z measures success in “reclaimed for hours”, not “working hours”.

2. BUy a house as soon as you can

For millennials, getting into the real estate manager felt like step one of “adults”. But in 2025 half of gene Z and younger millennials say that homeowners are simple unaffordable and can never happen

Instead of saving for a deposit, many cash in brokerage accounts, crypto or “rental population” (rent where you live, buy, where it is cheaper). The dream has shifted from a white strike pace fence to place Freedom and a robust emergency fund.

3. A College degree is the only ticket for a good life

Our parents drilled it: Degree = job security. Gen z observed how US Five figure collected and thought: “Hard Pass”. Polls almost show 50 % From gen z, ask the value of traditional university formation and research cheaper, faster paths such as boot camps and apprenticeships.

While the total registration was taken with in 2024 9.9 % Compared to the previous year and 28 % above the level of 2019, which put four years of growth in the shade.

Bring away: Skills> Schaffell. If a conclusion does not provide a clear return, Z continues.

4. PIck on the phone – it’s professional

Do you remember that the telephone calls to communicate the polite, efficient way that you communicate the polite and efficient way that you communicate? Gen z names this Telephone phobia. A study in 2025 showed that 59 % of the employees of Gen ZE emails or instant messaging prefer, and over half are concerned about making business calls.

Why do Slack, Discord or a fast loaf video achieve the same result without the small talk tax? For them, forcing a call feels intrusive – as in the door of a person, it is unannounced.

5. STail with trustworthy well -known brands

Millennials idolized legacy labels – think of Nike, Apple, Cola. Gen z cups their iced-hanker-milk latte, who shrugs and asks what the company stands for. Edelmans 2025 Purpose & Incusion Index shows 74 % Consumers under the age of 30 prefer brands that openly advance social progress.

They will change loyalities overnight when a rival counts higher in sustainability, diversity or advocacy for mental health. Another cross-market study showed that 59 % of gene Z likes to pay more for goods from specially driven brands.

Bring away: Mission beats logo. If the values ​​of your brand are out of focus, Z ghosts can and will be ghosts.

6. SHase everything online – transported the community converted

Older millennials documented every brunch on Facebook. Gen Z, which is increased in the middle of data leaks and doxxing, is far guarded. Security Magazine Notes a year a year in the previous year Waste Among younger consumers who feel comfortable to act personal data for personalization.

You prefer short -lived content (stories, bending), private discorders and finstas. In other words: they are extremely Online but check the narrative with anonymity levels.

7. SAs high in the office from 9 to 5 to prove commitment

For many millennials, “Butts-in-Sats” signaled the dedication. Not for gen Z. only for genes Z. 10 % From gen z workers want to be full -time in the office.

Flexibility is not negotiable; 91 % want a mixture of remote control and on site with which you can manage energy, mental health and side books.

Companies that enforce hard return-to-office mandates

Why is this important for the rest of us

Gen z is not for fun. They react to the world that they inherited-ky-high rent, a student loan traan and burnout headlines. As an employer, I found three ways to meet them halfway:

1. Results about optics. Take care of the creation, not the desk time.

2. Advantages that are important. Reporting on mental health, learning scholarships and schedule for autonomy defeat free pizza.

3. Go with the conversation. If you claim a purpose, you prove this – publicly and with numbers.

Z may reject our hand-me-down rules, but they do not reject ambition. They just want to build success on their conditions – and they could be on something.