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Judge Judy is known for her no-nonsense attitude and straight-talking advice\u2014and her assessment of Gen Z\u2019s work ethic is no different. However, the veteran reality TV star and former prosecutor, whose real name is Judith Sheindlin, says parents are to blame for the younger generation\u2019s struggles at work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey grew up with a different philosophy and they are the products of the philosophy of everybody gets a trophy,\u201d the 81-year-old told Fox News<\/em><\/a>, adding that it\u2019s a world away from how she was raised in the 1940s.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I grew up, you ran a race, you came in first, you got a trophy,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes you even got a second-place prize. Even the Olympics<\/a> have three prizes. But if there are 20 people in a race, and everybody gets a trophy, you get a trophy for first, second, third, fourth, Most Congenial, Best Outfit, Best Sportsmanship, Most Personality, Best Joke. So everybody gets a trophy.\u201d<\/p>\n Sheindlin suggested that the lack of competition experienced in childhood is reflected in Gen Zers\u2019 careers today and that it stems from parents trying to be friends-first with their children.<\/p>\n \u201cYou grew up with that group of kids with parents who I think mistakenly wanted to be their friend more than a parent,\u201d she sympathized. \u201cAnd it may be that they were busy working households and both their ABCs and their morality were taught in school, which to me is a big mistake. You\u2019re supposed to learn good things at home and ABCs in schools. Easy.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Sheindlin blamed pandering parents for setting Gen Z up to fail in the corporate rat race, she warned young workers that they\u2019re aren\u2019t exactly helping themselves either.<\/p>\n Echoing the words of Sister Act<\/em> star Whoopi Goldberg, who claimed that the generation \u2018only want to work 4 hours\u2019<\/a> a day, and the Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster, who complained that Gen Zers don\u2019t show up to work until 10:30 a.m.<\/a>, Sheindlin showed no sympathy for those who don\u2019t want to put in the hours.<\/p>\n \u201cYou only get a bad rap if you deserve it,\u201d the former Manhattan family court judge warned. \u201cIf you have a bunch of kids entering the workforce who say, \u2018I don\u2019t like to work past 4 o\u2019clock,\u2019 \u2018I don\u2019t work on Saturday,\u2019 \u2018Sunday is football.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cWell, if you want to be successful in what you do, you\u2019re supposed to be first in the morning, and close up shop. Somebody will notice that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Fortune<\/em> reached out to Sheindlin for comment.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just seasoned professionals like Sheindlin who have taken stock of how different the latest youngest generation of workers is\u2014even Gen Z who have entered management are complaining about their own cohort\u2019s work style.<\/p>\n Recent research from Resume Genius highlighted that 45% of employers find Gen Z the most difficult generation to work with, with 50% of Gen Z hiring managers agreeing with the sentiment.<\/a> <\/p>\n Today, young workers want more than a paycheck (read: four-day weeks, sustainability policies<\/a> and boundaries<\/a>) and studies show<\/a> that they are even willing to earn less to join a business that matches their values. <\/p>\n But\u2014aside from being a logistic nightmare for management\u2014that isn\u2019t necessarily a bad thing: With employee stress and burnout<\/a> rapidly on the rise and mothers still heavily penalized<\/a> by traditional working norms, having a generation that\u2019s demanding more balance from work may benefit all.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGen Z has already shaken things up, but they\u2019re not here to break things: They bring a unique blend of talent and bold ideas that can rejuvenate any workforce,\u201d wrote Geoffrey Scott, senior hiring manager at Resume Genius.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, according to the research, Gen Z managers are most likely to make hiring decisions based on what candidates put down as their \u201chobbies and interests\u201d on their CV, over professional experience.<\/p>\n \u201cGen Zers might have a bad rep, but they have the power to transform workplaces for the better,\u201d Scott concluded.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nBut the generation isn\u2019t exactly helping themselves either<\/h2>\n
The youngest generation of workers are different\u2014but it\u2019s not a bad thing<\/h2>\n