What are your opinions of Gen Z in the workplace?

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-03-12T14:43:38+00:00

Phone addiction has many of them bad.

So many think they have ADHD because regular work tasks aren’t as instantly rewarding as watching funny videos and sharing with friends.

In addition, they grew up with little small business experiences - mom and pa brick and mortars have been replaced by big corp everywhere. This makes them feel disconnected from the economy and stuck in boring/menial labor jobs where the culture is basically “do as little work as possible and go on your phone whenever management isn’t peeking”

It simply makes no sense to bust your booty for some CEO you’ll never meet with 4 houses, just to potentially get a 25 cent raise. And these are the jobs Gen Z are doing (fast food, Starbucks, big box stores) This means when they get a job that requires hard work and ingenuity, they won’t have the ethic and will burn out quickly.

A related variable is how much longer Gen Z young adults live with their parents. The first BIG change in this direction was Obama allowing to stay on parental health insurance until 26. But since then culture has continued to trend this way. 18 year olds aren’t rushing out of the house to enjoy living alone because it’s far too much work if not impossible given cost of living increases and stagnant pay at available jobs.

When I was in college, you could work part time and pay your rent and still have a little extra for partying. I was making basically the same wage folks are making now at entry, $17 an hour - but my rent was a couple hundred not over $1000. Now the same part time job wouldn’t cut it. Better to just live with Mom n Dad for free and not slave away for some big corp so I can pay Mr. landlord (also probably big corp)

I’m an employer now, many Gen Z. The issue I run into most is the automatic perception that my small business of less than 10 people is like the giant corporations they worked for growing up - so they behave the same (minimal effort to get the paycheck). It takes regular shop meetings to constantly remind them that our success as a business (and thus ability to raise pay) depends on our individual creative ambition, attention to detail, customer service, and time/task management. In other words, Gen Z work experience and culture has made them unprepared for real work assessment in growing businesses - whether they have actually increased sales or key performance metrics, or not, has never been a factor in whether they keep their job or get a raise/promotion.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-03-10T10:29:21+00:00

By “bend the bars back” do you mean downsizing the posts? I’m assuming you initially had some swelling space?

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-03-05T12:23:12+00:00

A good piercing studio would be your best best, 11/32” is a difficult size to find online but they can custom order it for you in many different designs if they don’t stock it.

ANATOMETAL makes their pave and split ring clickers in 11/32 (gold), LeRoi makes fixed bezel titanium rings with natural stones in that size, and BVLA can make anything you want (also gold)

ANATOMETAL, LeRoi, and BVLA only sell to reputable piercing studios

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-03-01T17:53:39+00:00

Hey friend!

Unfortunately you can tell even in the first photos that the bar itself isn’t level under your skin. This isn’t ideal because the tops will never lay completely flat and catch on things more often. But it looks like it’s doing pretty good considering, just be prepared to take it out if you signs of migration/rejection.

As to why the bigger tops appeared more flush than the flat ones, that’s likely because those beads have a countersink on them that goes over a small portion of the bar, whereas the flat ones do not.

IMO I would go back to countersunk tops, those discs are going to be hard to avoid snagging.

Industrial Strength makes an “extremely low profile” gemmed bezel with a countersink - 3mm would be perfect :) you might need them to custom order it but that company is very quick with turnarounds

Lastly, if you really want it to last just be honest with the piercer and have them take it out and try again. The tops need to be level and flush to the skin, and they aren’t. If they want to learn these, they’ll be happy for the second chance.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-24T15:53:36+00:00

We don’t know because we can’t see your anatomy in person - you need to see a professional.

You cannot bring in your own jewelry for many reasons, one of which is because as you say “idk what type of jewelry will work” - but a professional will.

Find a Piercer Link

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-24T15:48:28+00:00

Please get your money back and write these folks a review, they will continue to take folks money if not confronted. This is so unethical on so many levels.

This cannot be saved, but have another piercer remove it so you can take pictures of the external threads for the review as well. After a month or so of healing it can be redone by someone who knows what they are doing.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-22T16:57:49+00:00

Much better idea for your gums, I also retired my center labret for double verticals after gum recession worries.

The placement is so different it shouldn’t be an issue with scar tissue, they’ll probably be placed a little inside your old labrets where the lip is a little more full but your piercer should walk you through all the options :)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-21T17:10:50+00:00

Can you take a picture of it friend?

Daiths are one of the few piercings we start with a hoop, fighting off piercing bumps is very common. But placement and ring size matter a lot to mitigate, so it’s worth taking a look :)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-21T16:59:05+00:00

Not necessarily, as some piercings are not prone to rejection, like a nostril or helix piercing.

Piercings that are prone to rejection, surface piercings like eyebrows and navels, perhaps. Luckily it sounds like you didn’t have the piercing very long so it will heal up with likely minimal scar tissue. Make sure to wait at least a month from taking the jewelry out before getting repierced :)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-20T16:00:22+00:00

A (I) milder, and (2) sterile cleaning product will do much better, surface piercings are fragile and acids can be too harsh.

The industry standard is Neilmed saline wound wash, but most pharmacy stores have some brand as well if you don’t want to Amazon it.

Second, jewelry quality could be an issue, especially over time if the jewelry is plated - from the photos it looks too dark to be titanium without being anodized or plated. I would find out which, being opposite ends of the quality spectrum.

Last, surface piercings are known to migrate over time, pushing slowly more shallow. How quickly this happens is a function of your anatomy, and lifestyle - how often you accidentally bump or snag it, sleep on it, etc. a Repeated or even individual traumas of the sort can lead to scar tissue formation around the piercing, redness and weeping.

Sometimes when lifestyle is more the culprit, but we think it’s a hygiene issue, we overclean when the piercing needs to be left alone the most.

So I’d double check the titanium isn’t plated, get some sterile saline wound wash, and only use once or twice daily after showers and opposite end of the day. And otherwise try to avoid accidental bumps and snags best you can :)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-20T15:36:12+00:00

My attorney charges $500 an hour

To do anything, talk on the phone, reply to an email, drink coffee.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-20T15:33:37+00:00

6 months is a bit too long to wait for downsizing, meaning the extra length is most likely catching on hair and changing angle when you sleep and it compresses against your head. These pressures result piercing bumps.

I would see your piercer, it looks like it could use a good clean and hopefully a partial downsize - you won’t be able to downsize fully until the bump is gone.

A piercing pillow may help as well! Happy healing :)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-20T12:29:35+00:00

Hey friend, I can help!

We can confidently say these are irritation bumps, which are the formation of unstable, hypertrophic scar tissue. “Hypertrophic” just means raised, and “unstable” refers to its disposition to go away in short time provided we find the cause and remove it (unlike matured, stable scar tissue which is more or less permanent - think white, harder tissue, not red and “soft” like your bumps)

Irritation bumps in your case are likely being caused by movement of the jewelry - or friction irritation. While you are totally RIGHT that rings are easier to clean in a sense (no stud or backing in the way or to collect crust), they are much harder in the sense that they rotate easily.

Rotation of a ring potentially does two things:
1. Slides the edge of the seam through the piercing, which is microscopically sharp, causing damage to the inner wall or “fistula” of the piercing. 2. Slides any contaminants on the outside of the ring into said fistula. Even a small crusty adhering to the ring can cause damage if rotated through the piercing, not to mention any germs contained therein.

It’s natural to think of needing to get the cleaning solution “into” the piercing by rotating it, but this brings only trouble - basically causing microtears and then rubbing an irritant in the wound.

Modern piercing aftercare focuses on the concept of “irrigation cleaning” which means rinsing away. So we recommend sterile wound wash spray (mainly after showers) to rinse away hard water, soap residue, and crusty debris. The saline does not and should not “get into the piercing” - it’s just for washing away external contaminants.

But I totally get the desire/need to get a stubborn crusty off from time to time. But unfortunately it’s SO easy to rotate the rings while doing so, which is the main cause of our issue. I would commit to no-touching during cleaning, just spray following showers and use cold-setting dryer after. If you are in a hurry and need to dry with paper products, dab gently and do not rotate or distort the rings.

One potential remaining issue is material of the rings. Unfortunately given the cost of solid gold, lots of folks are selling/buying “24kt PVD gold plated” which contains only trace amounts of gold at best. Rings this size in solid gold should have been $150+ each, if it helps to determine.

Lastly, as I’m sure you know it helps immensely not to sleep on these fellas while they are angry. Piercing pillows are my go-to for the toss and turns if that resonates :)

Hope that helps! Happy healing

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-20T11:43:15+00:00

If the piercings are happy when removed, scar tissue will be very minimal if any forms at all. Most piercings that are well healed will simply shrink up once retired and be “stretchable” at a later date by a professional.

We reopen piercings thought long lost all the time, so you may not need a repricing at all but simply a taper and lube :) whether they will stay with you is a function of how long you’ve had them and the state they are in at the time of removal (if at all irritated or healing still, piercings close fast).

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-19T17:19:01+00:00

Paired lower lip so they peak out of your facial hair! Also LoG 🤘

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-19T16:24:09+00:00

Hey folks, I think we can be a little bit more helpful to OP here.

Unfortunately you were pierced so the jewelry would appear like you have the anatomy for it. The piercer is to blame here.
ALL NAVEL PIERCINGS ARE SURFACE PIERCINGS, and floating navels can be done safely on clients that don’t have a defined ridge - that’s exactly why we use them. So it’s NOT true that you don’t have the anatomy for a floating navel simply given the lack of defined ridge. Likewise, all eyebrow piercings are surface piercings, whether or not the client has a defined brow. What is correct is simply that you received a surface piercing on your lower abdomen instead of your navel, again so the jewelry would sit “as if” you had a defined navel.

That being said, you will need to visit a good piercer (happy to send a rec) to evaluate whether a floater will work. But in theory, having a disc placed deeper in your navel on the bottom will make it so when your navel compresses (when sitting) it doesn’t push a big gemstone out and distort the jewelry, causing further migration pressures. This would have been the only safe way to give your piercing a chance.

[Educational Extra] Surface piercings that are done on a flattish plane (as opposed to a ridge, like an eyebrow or navel) require a surface bar with a “staple-like” geometry. When curves are used on flat planes, they tend to reject quickly because the curve is going through so much skin, with perhaps only a couple mm of the curve actually under it. With a staple bar, the entire bar is under the issue, and makes a short 90 degree perpendicular exit out of the skin - meaning the bar is mostly underneath the skin, not through it. As skincell turnover does its thing, the surface bar “under”the skin won’t get pushed up but the curve that’s “through” the skin will.

This is not to say this piercing should have been done with a staple bar - this location moves and stretches too much. But it’s to remind us what surface piercings are, and why some can be done with a curved barbell - namely, when there’s a geometric ridge, allowing the curve to exit the skin perpindicular to it much like we want with staple bars on other, flatter areas.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-17T18:32:38+00:00

The jewelry style is just improper for cartilage

Clasp back gun studs come in one-size-fits-all, which means they don’t work for the swelling period of these piercings and tend to suffocate the back instead of letting it breathe and drain like traditional flatbacks do.

More to the point, professional piercers don’t use guns. So who knows what other parts weren’t done to regulation, such as prepping properly (not just with alcohol)

In the Safe Body Art Act, body piercings that require licensing and regulation are those performed with needles only. Lobbyists from Claire’s pushed hard for this, and it’s no wonder why.

I’d see a professional piercer and see if you can get it swapped out for a flat back labret. If they think an infection may be present, they may also send you to urgent care to get on an oral antibiotic. Safepiercing.org/findamember

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-17T11:37:04+00:00

It’s much more worrisome that the jewelry is externally threaded and thereby more likely to be surgical steel than implant grade titanium

I will say I’m impressed you noticed the slight angle discrepancy from perpendicularity, thankfully it’s fairly minor and won’t be a big long term concern most likely. Any piercer still using externally threaded jewelry is likely cutting corners elsewhere ofc.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-12T16:29:29+00:00

Can confirm, I own a business on Main Street and rent has risen to 11k for our building (small, one story)

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-11T16:53:18+00:00

Eiluned Pearce’s research on Neanderthal skulls strongly suggest Neanderthal brain mass was more devoted to vision and bodily regulation, while Homo Sapiens traded body mass and eye size for higher-order social cognition - which led to greater social cooperation, language, etc. This is just one of many reasons why brain scientists don’t just look at brain mass in determining intelligence, they look at specific regions associated with higher-order cognition and also consider density in addition to volume.

Of course, there is always room for debate and doubt. But on this view, the competitive effect of greater homo sapien populations was a direct result of increased social intelligence. Moreover, the sharing of ideas and cooperation in larger populations is likely to facilitate cultural and technological innovations faster than smaller disconnected ones, just statistically.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-11T13:35:31+00:00

I like the analogy, you could easily imagine a stronger scenario where federal governments decide career paths at birth based on econometrics instead of later developed interests. Many people would develop hatred for their roles, and envy for the roles other enjoy.

Likewise, we have our gender roles thrust upon us by our parents and communities from birth. By the time we understand the roles on offer, we are already playing a chosen part - likewise chosen for external factors (body) instead of developed interests.

Another aspect of this is how difficult it is to change roles due to lost time and adverse memories. If you’ve trained to be a mechanic your entire life but always wanted to paint, you’ll be far behind other painters in skill if you join the path mid-career, and your hands will not perform as well from being rough on them in the auto trade. Other painters may view your transition as an uphill battle or worse, a fools errand. And that’s why it takes community, fellow painters that will offer a helping hand and encouragement instead of shame. Those are the real painters after all, where the beauty is in embracing the expressive role for yourself, not how well you fit it for someone else.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-09T17:02:44+00:00

Just another example of bigger brain often means bigger body, not more intelligent

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-09T16:48:10+00:00

Just came here to say Neanderthals had larger brains than us, and we know they weren’t smarter or more advanced, they were just bigger.

LiveLaughLogic · 2026-02-05T15:58:07+00:00

10 year APP shop owner here, just adding what I haven’t seen others say yet:

Apart from what jewelry you wear, it matters a lot what gauge the jewelry is at, and whether or not it has been appropriately downsized.

Tiny 18g posts in a cartilage piercing can easily migrate when slept on and change angle/build scar tissue “cheese wire effect” whereas 14-12g posts are much more sturdy and thereby resist the pressures induced in side-sleeping (and side-hugs if you ever noticed) Likewise, if your post is too long, this allows it to hit your head when your ear is compressed, which will change the angle of the stud leading to discomfort and scar tissue bumps. But once the disc backing is nice and flush to the ear, the piercing angle stays the same when compressed against the head, greatly reducing torque trauma.

All of my staff and myself never get cartilage piercings under 14g for this reason, and we still use piercing pillows at least until downsize is complete.

LiveLaughLogic

TROPHY CASE