As of: March 11, 2024, 5:26 a.m
By: Vincent Fischer
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Generation Z is increasingly absent due to illness.
There is great distrust of young people.
Generation researcher Rüdiger Maas classifies the allegations.
Munich – Generation Z doesn't have an easy time of it for many people. Psychologist Rüdiger Maas from the Institute for Generation Research in Augsburg has been studying this phenomenon for years.
In the interview, the 44-year-old classifies how Generation Z deals with the topic of illness.
Mr. Maas, three quarters of all employees say that Generation Z calls in sick even though they would actually be fit.
Where does this distrust of young workers come from?
That depends on several things.
I can imagine that many older people would have dragged themselves to work sick, and the younger people would simply pay more attention than the older ones.
Many then say from their CV: 'Oh, I wouldn't have dared to do that back then, I would still be at work.'
The problem with such studies or surveys is that we have no comparison of what it was like ten or 20 years ago to find out a generational effect.
This is just a guess at first.
But it is known that Generation Z has a different approach to working life than their older colleagues.
That's right.
We know that, on average, younger people, for example, work much less overtime.
In surveys among younger people, we often heard answers like: 'The average person in my industry is sick for over 25 days a year.
I've only had 10 days of illness, I still have 15 left.'
This is new; previous career starters had never expressed it in this form.
This is a completely different perspective on work.
It may be that this mindset will pass from Generation Z to the others in a few years.
We talk about interaction effects.
Of course, this is not a good forecast for employers.
Generation researcher: Generation Z with “enormous increase” in mental illnesses
Why do younger people report sick more often than older people?
Younger people often suffer from daytime illnesses.
If you have a cold or something minor, you stay at home now.
But mental illnesses among younger people have also increased rapidly.
If we compare today's younger people with younger people ten or 20 years ago, we see a huge increase.
Psychologist Rüdiger Maas (44) is one of the best-known generation researchers in Germany.
© Rüdiger Maas
What exactly are the differences?
We have an increase in depression, adjustment disorders and anxiety disorders.
These diseases are now taken more seriously than before, but at some points they are also overinterpreted.
That means it would still be possible to go, but I still have sick days.
And not so much happens to me anymore if I'm just sick for longer or sick more often.
Colleagues will no longer sanction you.
What can of course be very good in the case of a real illness, leads
to an increased number of days absent in the case of aggravation
(the conscious exaggeration of existing symptoms of illness, editor's note) .
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Rüdiger Maas: “Younger people no longer identify themselves through work in the same way”
Where do these ways of thinking come from?
There are many reasons for this.
We have an increase in overprotective behavior from parents, who overinterpret things and possibly suggest clinical pictures.
The parents of the previous generations were often more relaxed, perhaps even too relaxed in some places.
In addition, today you can 'Google' any clinical picture and quickly get to grips with it.
But in the end, it is doctors who give sick leave to the relevant patients.
Nowadays it is simply socially desirable that younger employees no longer work themselves to death like their parents.
Younger people no longer identify themselves through work in the same way.
Many of Generation Z have a clear separation between work and free time.
To what extent does the phenomenon of so-called helicopter parents influence the work ethic of Generation Z?
Overall, we have an increase in helicopter or lawnmower parents.
If parents always take on a lot, children are less able to develop coping strategies.
It's like a learned helplessness, because my parents always made sure that everything worked, I never learned to try it myself.
A lot of things quickly seem unchangeable because the environment appears overwhelming.
Generation researcher calls on employers to act: “There is also a reason”
What consequences should employers draw when dealing with sickness reports from the younger generation?
At the end of the day, employers also have to look at the people they hire.
And if I have a high level of sickness among Generation Z, also for psychological reasons, or if many are simply less willing to come, I have to react.
For example, it's about group dynamics.
There's also a reason why I let my team down.
We have to take all of these things into account.
Do you still have hope for Generation Z?
The problems with Generation Z in the world of work only ever apply to a small proportion.
And now the term Generation Z has such a negative connotation that we no longer see this large part that also brings many innovations and ideas into the world of work.
We're not talking about those who perform.
There are a lot of them.
Dangers of social media for Generation Z: “Social media makes you sick”
What role does social media play in this?
There are many dangers lurking in the social media world.
There are very interesting studies that say that young people feel worse than before after spending several hours on social media.
The unhappiest people are from Generation Z.
This has a lot to do with this sensory overload, this constant choice.
So social media makes you sick?
Yes, I would say that.
But you always have to put that in perspective.
There is no causal connection.
Social media can make you sick, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. It's also about the mass consumption.
How would you advise young workers?
If someone is sick, they are sick, then they have the right to be at home.
It's not my place to judge that.
What I would like, however, is that the younger people don't break down at every little thing, but instead pull themselves together.
That they develop a tolerance for frustration and stick with it longer, even when things get unpleasant.
Because it can also become something pleasant that you can be proud of.
We should all take a healthy middle path.
Staying home because of every little thing is just as bad as never accepting that you are sick.
Interview: Vincent Fischer
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