Millennial Boss Shows The Reality of Managing Gen Z: 'A Different Breed'

For most people, there's a difference between their professional persona at work, and how they act around friends. But one millennial manager has shown that, when it comes to Generation Z, they're more than happy to blur the boundaries.

After hiring her first Gen Z employee in early 2024, Jamie Lynch, 33, it didn't take long for her to see that they have a very different approach to the work-life balance. She told Newsweek that managing five Gen Zers has been an eye-opener—and even entertaining at times.

While in the office, Lynch, from Ontario, Canada has to field numerous phone calls from her staff, often sharing why they can't do something or might be running behind schedule. She explained that she usually sees the funny side to their chaos, but it can be "frustrating when they're being lazy" or don't want to overexert themselves.

She said: "They have very strong personal boundaries when it comes to their wellbeing. If they're tired, they won't push themselves and they won't kill themselves for work. I respect this about them because when I was their age, my managers would tell me I was fired if I called in sick.

"Sometimes they are hard to motivate, and they call in for crazy reasons, but they are fun and give us a fresh perspective. I am also a little jealous of their personal boundaries—I still haven't used a vacation day this year as I am so dedicated to my job. Maybe I should be more like them."

Soon after taking on the younger employees, Lynch started documenting their unpredictable antics on Instagram at @onelookjamie. Many of her clips have gone viral, with one even generating over 8.8 million views and more than 151,000 likes.

Lynch has loved seeing the positive reaction to her social media videos, as many people can't stop watching the videos, or relate to what she deals with on a daily basis. Lynch told Newsweek that her clips "struck a chord" with other managers who are often left dumbfounded by Gen Z.

"The reactions have been great. I have had hundreds of messages from people in similar positions saying they deal with the same phone calls all the time," Lynch continued. "They have brought a level of playfulness to our company that our clients have responded to and motivated me to start making this content."

Some of her Instagram videos have even been watched by her very own staff, who seem to enjoy the idea of being internet famous. However, they aren't so happy about the negative portrayal of their generation, so Lynch says they're making a concerted effort to be more professional.

"They are a different breed for sure. We have lots to teach them, and lots to learn from them. They bring a light and fun to the team that we were previously missing—even if it is having a laugh at their insane phone calls," she added.

For those who have no experience of working with Gen Zers, Lynch's videos are certainly a shock, while those who know exactly what it's like are eager to share their own experiences.

This has led to over 2,000 comments on just one of her posts, as one person wrote: "I thought she was talking to her kids."

Another person responded: "I can no longer tell what is parody."

While another comment reads: "Gen Z are what everyone thought Millennials were going to be."

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