By Dan Kolen

In 2024, in a partnership with Pollfish, Resume Genius conducted a survey with 625 hiring managers. It found that 45% of those surveyed described Generation Z as the most challenging to work with, compared with 26% for millennials, 13% for Generation X, and 9% for baby boomers. While the survey did not include the number of Gen Z hiring managers polled, even 45% of Gen Z hiring managers said that their own generation was the most difficult to work with.(1)

Gen Z — categorized as those born between 1997 and 2012, according to the Pew Research Center — are generally new college graduates and the youngest hires at dental offices today. Along with Gen Z, baby boomers, Gen X and millennials generally comprise the workforce today. Baby boomers are the only generation that were officially designated by the U.S. Census Bureau and were born between 1946 and 1964. They received their name because of the steep increase in birth rates at the conclusion of WWII and the precipitous fall after 1964. Gen X (1965–1980) grew up during major advancements in computers, while millennials (1981–1996) came of age during the ubiquity of the internet.(2)

Various internet articles and pop psychology pieces use these generational labels to attribute certain general characteristics to entire generations — baby boomers are loyal and don’t like change; millennials like constructive feedback; Gen Z are self-centered — but how true are these assumptions? Can dentists rely on any of these stereotypes when they evaluate potential job candidates, especially those from Gen Z? If not, what information should they base decisions on?

What’s in a Name?

While people who grew up with smartphones listening to One Direction had a much different childhood than those raised with typewriters listening to The Beatles, using generational labels has been fraught with controversy when it comes to actual research. Generalizing based on age groups can push stereotypes rather than reporting on data that has been collected over time about specific age cohorts, according to Pew.(3)

“The field [of studying generations] has been flooded with content that’s often sold as research but is more like clickbait or marketing mythology,” wrote Kim Parker, director of social trends research at Pew. “By choosing not to use the standard generational labels when they’re not appropriate, we can avoid reinforcing harmful stereotypes or oversimplifying people’s complex lived experiences.”(3)

This online sensationalism in the field has caused Pew to take a step back and reassess how it conducts research. It will now look at age groupings according to major events like the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and the invention of the iPhone, rather than using a generational label that spans 15–18 years, according to Parker. “Period effects” — major events that affect the attitudes of all age groups and changing demographics — make certain issues more related to demographic shifts and not generational ones. Others researching this topic have found that similar nuance is needed when looking into the topic of generations.

Experts further warn against using generational labels in the workplace. “What we find is that the macroeconomic environment is a much bigger factor than the generation, and another big factor is life stage,” said Jennifer Deals, senior research scientist at the Center for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

Deals said that factors such as if someone entered the workforce during a recession or if an employee had young children at home would have much bigger implications on these employees’ day-today lives and career trajectories than the so-called generation when they were born. Deals said, “Label is fundamentally immaterial. What is material are the details of the person sitting in front of you.”

What Dentists Are Noticing

Dan Ninan, DDS, FAGD, has been practicing dentistry for more than 15 years and is based in Arizona. He recently collaborated with a number of professionals who are a part of Gen Z, and he has been impressed by their capacity to integrate technology.

He’s also seen some areas for improvement in his youngest collaborators. “I have observed a number of Gen Z team members struggling with developing professional habits, such as consistent follow-through and punctuality,” Ninan said. “I see this less as a generational trait and more as a reflection of the early stage of their career. With appropriate mentorship and clear expectations, I expect that these individuals will improve and adapt.”

Various researchers have observed similar phenomena among recent graduates, no matter the generation. The transition from school to work has an enormous impact on the way people view their roles in the world and themselves. In one 14-year longitudinal study, self-esteem scores of newly minted graduates slowly rose within a three-year window after graduating and entering the workforce. While many factors were at play, including if they had gone from high school to either work or college, across the board it took a series of years for the new hires to grow in confidence in their capacity as professionals. With self-esteem comes both success at work and well-being, according to the researchers, and self-esteem growth is a predictor of positive outcomes.(4)

There is also a period of lag time when newly graduated hires begin working in which they initially feel lost in their new work environments. In one 2012 study, researchers polled companies where 89% reported that their newly hired and newly graduated employees experienced a “lost in transition” phase that lasted six months to a year as new workers adjusted to their jobs and workplaces.(5)

In a theoretical framework, researchers report there’s a complex dynamic in which newly graduated employees are forming a professional identity. This is comprised of “self-realization, development, inner integrity, personality determination, adequacy and stability of its self-concept regardless of situation changes, [and] identity with the profession and the professional community.” Entering the workforce is a major life change that affects a whole host of aspects of the new employee as a person.(6)

Aaron Glick, DDS, FAGD, made one new Gen Z hire a patient coordinator in his office in Texas. He has been thrilled with the results.

“I’ve found that my new employee from Gen Z is more comfortable with social technologies. This has been helpful to the practice, specifically in marketing and communicating with others in a similar age range. Now, we’re integrating social technologies in a way that has made our community as a whole more aware of our office,” Glick said.

“Bottom line: I think the most important thing in hiring anyone is viewing the personal characteristics of the individual. That matters much more than a generational label. In an effort to improve staff retention, it’s important to remember the general principles of team management and understand the personal motivations of our new hires.”

Mental Health of the Youngest Workers

There has been an observed rise worldwide in mental health problems in the younger age demographics that corresponds with when smartphones became ubiquitous, according to Deals. She said, “The smartphone enables endless connectivity, which isn’t healthy. It isn’t good for us. When you see the adoption rates of smartphones go up, you see a slight delay [in the anxiety and depression rate] and then an increase in anxiety and depression in young people. And this is global.”

Some studies have reported startling trends in mental health problems, including a 2013 study that found in Ontario, Canada, 24% of teens reporting “moderate to severe mental distress.” In 2015, that number rose to 34%, and, by 2017, 39% of teens reported this level of distress. In the United States between 2008 and 2015, children and adolescent hospital admissions for suicide ideation and/or attempts nearly doubled, with the highest percentage being among girls. In a similar period of time, cell phone ownership and persistent use of social media more than doubled.(7)

“Although most existing data are observational, making causality difficult to establish, findings from a few longitudinal, randomized and controlled studies suggest that social media and smartphone use may be contributing to the rising burden of mental distress among youth,” reported Abi-Jaoude et al. in their 2020 article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.(7)

The rise in mental health problems of people raised in a world with widely adopted smartphone use is having a significant impact on the workforce, according to Deals.

“There has been a massive increase in anxiety and depression in the younger age cohort, which has been affecting people’s work, because when you have anxiety and depression, you have an increase in absenteeism. You have an increase in the use of medical care,” Deals said. “If you’re dealing with a small office and someone frequently has to take time off work to deal with a real medical condition, that affects everybody else in the small office because the work still has to get done.”

Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence have been observed to have serious effects on people once they begin their professional lives. One 18-year study that tracked more than 1,000 adolescents found that mental health problems at a young age had a cumulative snowball effect when people entered the workforce. First, it impacted how people performed in school, which affected what job opportunities they were able to obtain, and, finally, it diminished their job performance once they entered the workforce. By age 29, they were experiencing “lower work functioning” across the board.(8) Combining data on the increased rate of mental health issues among young people and the previously studied impact of adolescent mental health problems on work performance, the impact on the professional space could be significant. Further, a Gallup survey from 2022 found that 68% of workers born in 1989 or later were experiencing workplace stress, and 34% felt burned out. Millennials born before 1989 were at a 63% stress rate and 34% burnout rate. This is compared with 40% of baby boomers feeling stressed and 18% burned out. Burnout is linked to job-hopping, poor physical health and strained relationships. Burnout and stress also affect work performance and long-term career progress. In this survey, younger millennials and those from Gen Z were experiencing the most burnout and workplace stress, with younger millennials being defined as those born after 1989.(9)

Another major issue affecting many in Gen Z while they were coming of age was the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of remote school. While some in the generation were 23 and had already begun their professional lives, others were first graders and are now entering sixth grade. Pew (which decided against using generational labels in many of its studies) conducted a study in 2024 on the effect of the pandemic. In its analysis, the youngest age cohort polled were those between 18 and 29. This would include the older end of Gen Z and younger millennials. It found those between 18 and 29 were the most likely age group to report a “major toll” from the pandemic at 35%, compared with 16% of those 65 and older.(10)

Hiring and Working with Gen Z

“I started working in this field when Gen Xers [those born 1965–1980] were the horrible young people that everybody hated. It’s cyclical. Humans are humans. Fundamentally, younger humans are irritating to older humans, and older humans are irritating to younger humans. This happens in fairly consistent patterns over time,” Deals said. Ninan said in his collaborations with younger professionals, using a generational label will only hamper their work together. What will help everyone is seeing the person for their strengths and what they are bringing to their work. Ninan said, “In professional and medical environments, relying too heavily on generational labels risks overlooking critical differences like a huge range of life circumstances. This can lead to incorrect assumptions, misunderstanding and ineffective communication.”

Dan Kolen is a freelance writer and media producer based in Chicago. To comment on this article, email impact@agd.org.

References

1. Chan, Eva. “2024 Hiring Trends Survey: What Makes a Great Job Candidate?” Resume Genius, 13 June 2024, resumegenius.com/blog/job-hunting/hiring-trends-survey.

2. Dimock, Michael. “Defining Generations: Where Millennials End and Generation Z Begins.” Pew Research Center, 17 Jan. 2019, pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/.

3. Parker, Kim. “How Pew Research Center Will Report on Generations Moving Forward.” Pew Research Center, 22 May 2023, pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/05/22/how-pew-research-center-will-report-on-generations-moving-forward/.

4. Filosa, Lorenzo et al. “Self-Esteem Development During the Transition to Work: A 14-Year Longitudinal Study from Adolescence to Young Adulthood.” Journal of Personality, vol. 90, no. 6, Dec 2022, pp. 1,039-1,056.

5. Webb, Jonathan, and Shwery, Brett. Collegiate Design: The New Driver for Workplace Design. KI and Furnishing Knowledge, 2017, p.widencdn.net/r29wel/Collegiate-Design-White-Paper.

6. Kriukova, O. V., and Reva, M. V. “The Development of Professional Identity and Professional Mentality in Youth.” Journal of History Culture and Art Research, vol 9, no 4, 2020, pp. 87-97.

7. Abi-Jaoude, Elia, et al. “Smartphones, Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health.” Canadian Medical Journal, vol. 192, no. 6, 10 Feb. 2020, pp 136-141.

8. de Groot, Samira, et al. “Work Functioning Among Young Adults: The Role of Mental Health Problems from Childhood to Young Adulthood.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine, vol. 79, no. 4, 2021, pp. 217-223.

9. Pendell, Ryan, and Sara Vander Helm. “Generation Disconnected: Data on Gen Z in the Workplace.” Gallup Workplace, 11 Nov. 2022, gallup.com/workplace/404693/generation-disconnected-data-gen-workplace.aspx.

10. Tyson, Alec, et al. “5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19.” Pew Research Center, 12 Feb. 2025, pewresearch.org/politics/2025/02/12/5-years-later-america-looks-back-at-the-impact-of-covid-19/.