Office workers head home for the day in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — The so-called “MZ generation,” which encompasses millennials and Generation Z, or those who were born in the 1980s and early 2000s, are most reluctant to join companies requiring employees to work overtime at night or on the weekend.
According to an online survey of 2,708 men and women aged 20 to 39 by online job portal Saramin, the 31.5 percent of companies requiring that employees work overtime topped the list of unpopular employers.
This result can be interpreted as a defining characteristic of the MZ generation, which values life and work balance, personal life and leisure.
The survey also showed that there is a great need for flexible corporate culture, communication and autonomy in the use of vacation as well as better income.
The biggest reason for not wanting to join companies requiring overtime work was individuals wanting to protect their mental and physical health, which accounted for 44 percent.
Nevertheless, 2 out of 10 respondents said they would still work for a company they know for sure they would hate, indicating the severity of the unemployment crisis.
When asked why they would still join a company they hate, the unemployment crisis was cited as the top reason, accounting for 65.7 percent.
Meanwhile, companies with horizontal communication culture were the most desired employers among the MZ generation, accounting for 23.5 percent.
Some 42.8 percent of job seekers thought they “would be able to work for a long period of time,” followed by 40.8 percent citing the “high probability to be guaranteed work and life balance” as for the reasons why they would like to join company with horizontal communication culture.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
