While older generations may spend their down time chatting up coworkers at the water stand, Gen Zers are using spare time at their 9-to-5s propping up their phones and filming videos on TikTok.
In the videos, younger workers are showcasing the grind—not with singing or viral dances, but with the same mundane meetings, keyboard clacking and lunch breaks any other office worker partakes in. And they’re turning these everyday activities into viral videos racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
One of the most popular trends recorded? Eating at their desks.
what i ate at work 👩🏼💻💓 #wieiad #whatieatinaday #worklunch #lunchboxideas @Stanley Brand @Grillo’s Pickles
Do yourself a favor during this heatwave – go eat some ground beef / avocado to cool off #whatieatinaday #fulldayofeats #consistency #9to5 #office #work #coffee #healthy #groundbeef #avocado @Drink LMNT @MUSH Overnight Oats @trident gum
#MicrosoftStorePartner *thinks about it for the next week* #wfh #corporate
Aside from just sharing parts of their lives on social media for fun, Gen Z is also known as being the side hustle generation, finding ways to supplement income outside of their regular jobs.
“If they can make a little bit of money on the side while they do it, then more and more power to them, I suppose,” said Daniel Zhao, chief economist of Glassdoor.
Another reason Gen Zers are spending their work days making a glorified show-and-tell of their lunch items throughout the day? Brand reputation.
“Somebody who has developed a following is able to leverage that in order to find those future opportunities,” he added.
In fact, there’s a term for workers that are hesitating to put effort into climbing the corporate ladder and get that corner office: it’s called “conscious unbossing.”
“We are seeing rising disengagement from employees because of the state that the job market is in right now,” Zhao said.
Though social media could be an outlet for younger workers to engage in expression, they may want to think twice before pressing record on that “day in my life” video.
Some managers may not be thrilled when people start recording at their jobs, since certain environments could contain sensitive information in plain sight.
In the new age of social media, Greenwood explained that employers should update their policies and regularly remind employees of confidentiality obligations, including the risks of social media misuse.
“Most employees are bound by written contracts, workplace policies, or non-disclosure agreements,” the law firm said. “Recording internal processes, client interactions, or colleagues without consent may violate these obligations.”
