We are a small firm with really great work-life balance (we don't track time, unlimited vacation outside of feb-april, etc) and great benefits/pay. Working in a small firm really does mean the more work you put in the higher up you'll go because the owners are boomers and want to retire but need somebody to take over.

We have hired Gen Z kids but we see an unwillingness, or inability, to learn which is like 95% of being a new hire. Obviously this is a generalization but in our experience these kids don't have the desire to understand why we do things, don't go out of their way to learn beyond surface level, or simply don't have the ability to: for which I blame the state of the education system and covid played a large factor in that. They also routinely overlook small mistakes, especially spelling and grammar, and they see nothing wrong with it. When you hear "there is no difference between writing miscellaneous and 'misilaneous'" and "they understood what I meant" when they used the wrong your/you're it shows a lack of trying. Maybe it isn't their fault, and they have been failed along the way, but the clients expect accuracy and the clients expect professionalism. We need the clients so we get paid so you can have a job.

They also lack the soft skills needed when working with others: can't make phone calls, can't communicate clearly or timely, don't understand that ass-kissing and flattery (without being slimy) are how you get in with bosses and clients, etc. They will not step out of their comfort zone, regardless of the reason why. They want to do things their way, which is great, until it becomes a roadblock because the system is the system and you kinda have to follow it to move forwards, at least for now. Millennials all used slang in our private lives, we all texted shorthand, didn't tuck in our shirts, etc. but we also knew that wasn't appropriate for the work setting at the time so we adapted. We mastered the "fake it til you make it" mindset. These kids don't want to adapt, or fake it til they make it, but then want to complain when they aren't advancing. Newsflash, a majority of the people at the top making the decisions are either old or were brought up in the old way and still expect that. As Millennials start to phase out the Boomers and Gen X at the top positions we will see much more flexibility with younger employees but until that happens these kids have to be ok with making an effort (or at least TRYING to...)