Gen Z in the workforce - 3 things..

[upgrayedd]

I used to believe in longterm loyalty to employers until, throughout that time, I saw how it really played out among colleagues. I can't speak for all industries and organizations but in my particular realm of healthcare, there's this facade of caring for the employees. Frequent reminders of "look at all we do for you." There are statements from leaders and policies about your rights as an employee and what you can do when you need help.

In reality, it's all B.S. I saw a longtime leader, a true leader that I trusted, suddenly get replaced with an outside hire. This former leader held a stable department for 18 years and helped employees grow. Turns out, the replacement was friends with the manager that hired him. There wasn't even a job posting, public or internal. He just immediately started. Chaos ensued. I learned that the department from the other hospital he came from did so terribly that it shut down. I started to see why. He began dismantling all the progress and fine-tuning we made over the years. Right away he was rude to colleagues and unprofessional. He would even interrupt patient appointments in exam rooms. Oh, he also can't read or write very well and is generally stupid.

Another one of my longterm, loyal colleagues that I think highly of had some bad experiences with him. I was the only other male in the office and he treated me differently than her. When we would do the same things, he would praise me but talk down to her. The irony is that she has such a wealth of experience and skills, and I learned so much from her. She was wonderful and so valuable to have on the team. She complained, and this company that supposedly supports and cares about its employees, well, they terminated her. Clear, blatant retaliation.

The department continued to fall apart. Increasing amounts of chaos everyday. The medical director doesn't want this guy and refuses to work with him. He is a respected a honored doctor and raised hell about it. Apparently, even he had no power over the situation, so he quit. Our friggin doctor quit. Then shortly after, the manager that hired this guy quit. Then, my former leader, the good one that was replaced, she quit. Every time we lost someone, it left more mounds of chaos. It's been so stressful and everyone I trusted is gone. I can't even reach out to anyone with concerns because it would be used against me.

That's what motivated me to go back to college. I could have crumbled but I responded in a positive way to grow and overcome the situation. Do I believe in company loyalty? Hell no. I need evidence that my employer cares before its reciprocal.