The infamous Gen Z individuals have a different work ethic when compared to other generations, as they prioritize their work-life balance heavily. However, billionaire and business mogul, Jeff Bezos, finds this trait to be debilitating.

Many people around the world know Jeff Bezos, the American billionaire, business mogul, and media proprietor. He is the founder of Amazon and is also the second-richest man on earth! According to Forbes, Bezos’s net worth is a whopping 197.1 billion dollars as of 2024. The 60-year-old’s work ethic has given him a huge fortune, keeping him in the top 1% of the world’s richest people.

Generation Z, popularly known as Gen Z, is the generation born between 1997 and 2012. Although most people in this category have only just started working, they have made a name for themselves for several reasons. The most famous one is their work ethic and how they balance work and life activities. However, this has received criticism from older generations, including significant figures like Jeff Bezos.

One of the most common perceptions of Gen Z workers is that they are incredibly lazy. Several people have called them out for being lazy and not wanting to put in the effort required for work. The Boomer generation (people born between 1946 and 1964) is usually quite quick to criticize Gen Z’s work ethic as most of them are their CEOs, team leads, and managers.

On the other hand, most Gen Z workers believe they are not lazy. Instead, they simply refuse to be married to their jobs like most people in the Boomer generation are. Studies have shown that Gen Z workers will quit their jobs faster than other generations if they feel threatened, unhappy, or stagnant. They are also great at finding a good, healthy balance between their jobs and their personal lives.

When the CEO of Axel Springer, Mathias Döpfner, asked Bezos about his opinion on Gen Z members and their work ethic, he had a completely different opinion from what Gen Z workers believe. The former Amazon CEO said that he doesn’t believe in the way these workers separate work from their personal lives. Instead, Bezos believes that one’s work and personal lives are the same.

Bezos also noted that he does not like the phrase “work-life balance.” This is because he doesn’t believe they require a balance. In his opinion, people are supposed to find a level of harmony rather than a balance. Therefore, the billionaire prefers the phrase “work-life harmony” to “work-life balance.” As he is of the Boomer generation, it was unsurprising that he felt this way.

Bezos gave his opinion on this work-life balance style back in 2018 when the other CEO asked him. In his own words, “I get asked about work-life balance all the time,” Bezos said. “And my view is, that’s a debilitating phrase because it implies there’s a strict trade-off.” Furthermore, he explained that an ideal life should not have a balance as he believes it is a circle.”

The 60-year-old billionaire continued to explain his point of view, saying that he is at his best when he is happy at work and at home. Therefore, if one is lacking, it tends to affect the other. “I find that when I am happy at work, I come home more energized,” Bezos stated. He also said that when he is happy at work, it helps him to be a better father and partner at home and vice versa.

Another important thing that Bezos noted was how people have terribly high standards for their jobs. As the second-richest man in the world, he is no stranger to people aspiring to be at the top and hating their jobs if it does not meet their current jobs. Most commonly, Gen Z workers are quick to hand in their resignations seeking bigger jobs and more thrill.

Bezos believes people need to be more open about finding ways to be happy at work rather than quitting immediately. This is because the business mogul believes that not being happy all the time does not mean the job is terrible. He also mentioned that one way to handle this to find a way to be happy 50% of the time as that is a rare feat in itself.

Another important point Bezos made was that it was impossible to have a totally perfect job. Most often, people’s jobs are out of their control, and they have superiors to report to. Therefore, people would be much happier if they stopped trying to change their jobs and found a way to be happy while still working, as there will always be parts they don’t like.

Surprisingly, Gen Z workers are the unhappiest generation even as they greatly prioritize their mental health and happiness. This is because most of them picture a perfect workspace and life and feel unhappy when that is not their reality. However, studies show that as they grow older, there is a chance that they are becoming happier at work unlike the older generations who are almost always content.