Here’s a new reason why ‘fragile’ Gen Zers are leaving the workforce

Gen Zers are leaving jobs not just because of pay or flexibility, but because they don’t feel up to the task.

Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder said it was becoming increasingly common for young people to quit their jobs because they were worried they weren’t up to the job.

Calder told news.com.au that Gen Zers can be so worried about doing a bad job or not knowing enough about a role that they will leave jobs for it.

The recruitment expert notes the tendency for young people to be “fragile” and truly worrying that they won’t shine.

“When you enter the workforce, you have to be eager to learn and accept that part of learning is making mistakes and that doesn’t mean failure,” she explained.

She has noticed a trend of young women struggling with confidence in the workforce and even walking away from roles because they don’t have enough confidence in themselves.

“It seems gender-based to me. Men are more likely to do it and do it. Women are more likely to say, ‘I’m going to do this until I know 100 percent how to do this,'” she said.

There’s also the added issue of Gen Zers thinking that any extra responsibility they’re given means they’re entitled to a paycheck.

Calder said Gen Zers constantly ask employers, “What are you going to pay me?” when they are being trained to do new things.

“It costs more for the employer to train you to do these things. If they’re training you, it’s because they see potential in you,” she said.

Young worker Anna Fountain left her well-paying career because she was constantly afraid of being replaced.

The 23-year-old from Melbourne has been working on social media for three years, but has never felt confident in her role.

“I became unhappy in my role as I had this constant fear of being replaceable. As a social media manager, in my experience, you are also expected to be a graphic designer, writer, videographer and photographer. All qualities that involve extensive training and practice,” she told news.com.au.

“As a 20-23 year old, unfortunately I did not possess these skills which I developed in the hiring processes of my roles; however, I was scrutinized throughout my employment and had expectations beyond my skills and training.”

Fountain has always been a dedicated employee, but she didn’t feel like she was getting enough feedback from her input.

“I believe that I am an extremely hard worker as well as a people pleaser, so I went above and beyond when working on social media to show employers; however, the hard work was never recognized,” she explained.

“Social media management isn’t necessarily hard work, but it wasn’t very rewarding, and the stigma around social media management being easy made people around me in the workforce look down on or underestimate my intelligence and the importance of my role.”

The 23-year-old realized she wanted to change careers when she was sitting in her office and asked herself: “Am I making a positive difference in this world?”.

She also asked if she looks back on her career and feels satisfied with her achievements.

“The answer for both of them was ‘no, probably not,'” she said.

Fountain said another part of her career journey has been learning to deal with rejection, which wasn’t always easy and was sometimes overwhelming.

“To be completely honest, there have been times when I have been asked to leave rather than resign. I was unhappy in these positions, so in hindsight, I’m glad they made the decision for me; however, dealing with the rejection was extremely difficult,” she said.

“Being a 23-year-old living out of the house paying rent and bills and groceries, and trying to enjoy being in my 20s by going out and spending money on clothes and food, being unemployed in different periods it has been terrible”.

At this point, Ms. Fountain feels like she’s been “scorned” too many times in the social media industry to want to spend the rest of her career doing it.

“I think that’s why I can look back on my resignation or dismissal as liberating and empowering. I am stronger than ever and I know my worth,” she said.

The 23-year-old emphasized that just because she is leaving her career behind does not mean that it was all bad.

She met some incredible people, had some amazing opportunities and learned so much, but she’s also just realized that it’s not for her.

Fountain also knows she “can do anything I put my mind to,” so she’s decided to work part-time in social media while she returns to university to study law.