12 Things Millennials Do That Stress Out Gen Zers

Every generation has its quirks. Millennials and Gen Zers may only be a small number of years apart, but culturally, they often feel worlds away.From the way they communicate to the way they approach work, life and even pop fandoms, their styles can clash ― sometimes in ways that really irritate each other. We asked Gen Zers to share the millennial behaviours that frustrate and stress them out. Of course, many of these habits vary across individuals within the same generation, but certain tendencies and patterns still emerge. Here’s what they had to say:1. Ominous Punctuation“For me, a main millennial ‘ick’ is the dot-dot-dot or period of doom. Getting a ‘Sure…’ or ‘Thanks.’ makes it feel like I’m in trouble.” ― Ethan Hillis, TikTok creator2. Over-Emphasis On Appearances“They have a need to make everything aesthetic. Gen Z is very guilty of this as well, however, I think that millennials grew up with the rise of social media. Rather than listening to their favourite artist at a music festival or sharing a drink with friends at brunch, I think they’re more prone to focus on getting a good Instagram or Snapchat story. This just fuels what it means to live vicariously through social media, rather than in the moment.” ― Madeline Kerestman, TikTok creator3. Passive-Aggressive Lingo“The passive-aggressive work lingo. ‘Per my last email,’ ‘gentle nudge,’ ‘circling back’ ... all of it stresses me out instantly.” ― Hillis4. Getting Competitive Around Generations“Making conversations about economic problems millennial vs. Gen Z instead of realising we’re all struggling, and different times had their own unique problems.” ― AyanaWilliams, digital marketer“Why is this a competition? Why are we battling between generations? I feel like millennials are constantly comparing their generation and saying things like, ‘Oh you guys have it so easy. Back in my day ...’ I think millennials went through a really difficult period, so they might have a lot of resentment toward our generation. But in reality, I feel like Gen Zers are going through a lot of different challenges that the previous generation didn’t go through too.” ― LaviniaGabriele, high growth startup manager and member of The Z Suite5. Lack Of Boundaries“I’ve noticed that a lot of millennials don’t have a lot of boundaries at work ― whether it’s that your work hours are not well defined and you’re supposed to be on at all times, or it’s asking personal questions. Millennials are a lot more open with their thoughts, and I think it’s a little bit stressful when they ask really personal questions about your life when maybe I don’t want you to know about it.” ― Gabriele"Millennials are a lot more open with their thoughts, and I think it’s a little bit stressful when they ask really personal questions about your life when maybe I don’t want you to know about it," said Lavinia Gabriele, a gen Z high-growth startup manager.6. Inability To Relax Until Things Are Fully Completed“I feel that sometimes there is a very strong hustle culture where millennials feel they are always ‘in the trenches’ and life is about surviving rather than experiencing. Of course, Gen Zers are ambitious as well. But when there’s a big challenge or new project at work, I do observe that the millennials on my team are like, ‘Oh, my god. How do we survive through this?’ ― while the Gen Zs are a bit more relaxed and moving through it. It doesn’t mean we don’t care. We’re still going to power through. And I have friends and cousins who are millennials that tend to get really stressed out about planning certain things. Until the plan has reached a certain stage of being completed, they’re super stressed out.” ― Angel Aileen, member of The Z Suite who works in a tech forward beauty company7. Withholding Validation And Information “I think because Gen Zs grew up in a world of social media, we’re conditioned to get dopamine rewards constantly. So at a workplace, how that shows up is if we do work, we really want to feel recognised. Everyone has their different ways of feeling recognised or rewarded. But if they don’t get that, they feel very down. They want to feel seen, so getting a sense of reward or recognition makes a huge difference in the workplace. And millennials don’t necessarily realise that. But I really notice millennials who recognise and appreciate their Gen Z employees have better team dynamics. It’s similar with sharing information because Gen Zers like to see the whole picture of their job. If millennials share the big picture of what we’re all working on, then it’ll feel more like we’re all working toward the same goal and contributing to the puzzle. Gen Zers are happier when they feel a bigger sense of purpose in their work.” ― Aileen8. Overwhelming Communication“Slack novels. A whole LinkedIn-style essay in a quick chat app? I can’t.” ― Hillis“With their communication style over text, they send like a lot of emojis, like a million emojis. And they’ll screenshot a meme and text it to you, instead of sending it to you directly in the app. And then the meme isn’t that funny...” ― Gabriele9. Assuming Gen Zers Don’t Get References“Not recognising some of us are Gen Zennials and very much remember late 90s/early 2000s references and going outside to play.” ― Williams10. The Millennial Pause“The millennial pause at the start of videos. They can just cut that part out.” ― Williams11. Work-Life Balance Overload“They lean a little too far into the ‘work-life balance’ mindset. As a med student myself, I am all about maintaining a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality. I value hard work and believe that while it’s incredibly important to maintain a healthy balance, it should never be used as a way to do the bare minimum. I think the millennial generation introduced this mentality and took it to another level, which has normalised using ‘boundaries’ as an excuse to cut corners.” ― Kerestman12. Taylor Swift Obsession“This is 100% a personal preference, and I know I might get some backlash for this! For some reason, I feel like I associate the millennial generation with the ‘Swiftie’ fanbase. Taylor Swift is iconic and such a talented artist. However, I think her fans take it to an unnecessarily intense level, and I just don’t understand the hype.” ― KerestmanAnswers have been edited and condensed for clarity.Related...Four Generations Of UK Men. Four Very Different Sex Lives. One Surprising Truth.This Generation Of Parents Are 'Cycle-Breakers' – A Therapist Explains Why The Tide Is Turning NowI Wrote A Book Teaching Kids About Gender Equality With 3 Simple Words

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