Are they revolutionizing the workplace or simply being Gen La-Z?
Zoomers have become notorious for seemingly committing myriad workplace faux pas, from picking up the phone sans speaking to dressing like slobs at the office. Now, a young clock-puncher is dividing people online after telling the boss they were taking a vacay because their energy felt “off,” per a viral Reddit Post by said employer.
The supervisor, who manages a group of 3 Gen Z interns at an AI startup, shared a screenshot of an email they received from one of their young underlings on apparently short notice.
“Feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the work and my energy feels a little off so not getting that vibe right now,” it read. “I’ll be out from 28th July to 30th July (pls don’t miss me).”
The boss was taken aback by the ballsy message, especially as said worker was announcing rather than “asking” for leave as is customary — a far cry from the quiet vacationing trend.
“[The] corporate world is not ready for Gen Z,” they declared in the caption, adding that they found the “language fascinating.”
Despite the seemingly brazen demand, the manager said that they appreciated the intern’s honesty and ultimately ended up acquiescing, writing, “Anyways, she was frustrated with all the work, so I approved it.”
The correspondence sparked mixed reactions with many commenters praising the employee’s candor.
“Based, based, based. I f–king love our generation,” declared one fan, lauding the intern’s apparent moxy.
“It’s about time some blow-back happens,” vented another. “Trained under old school Boomers and ugh if I hear about getting ahead by being consistent and working hard ever again.”
They elaborated, “Well, I’m almost 40 now and own nothing. Worked hard and consistently at top quality my whole life, but homes are starting at 1.5 mill[ion] and I made the stupid mistake of being born without money or much family.”
“People need to give reasons for taking time off?” spluttered a third. “At my job, we just book it, and if no one else’s off, we get it lol.”
However, others deemed it ludicrous that an intern would need to take a mental health week.
“We had someone in our company who sent a similar email,” wrote one critic. “They cc’d our client even though they shouldn’t have, and it almost cost us a multi-million-dollar contract and numerous jobs. Our boss held a short training on how to send an email to both coworkers and clients.”
“Why are you praising this failure?” criticized one viewer. “If you are that overwhelmed at work, you ask for help … If the first reaction is to quit, do not be shocked when the company tells them to stay home. You gave this baby too many tasks.”
They added, “In any real company, if any intern does this, it will prevent from full-time employment.”
One appreciated the content but not the tone, writing, “Look, I’m Gen Z and I get the desire for a break, but there are better ways to say you’re taking one. I find this embarrassingly unprofessional. Nothing wrong with honesty, but so many better ways to say this.”
While Generation Z defenders claim Zoomers are just striving for a better work-life balance, their so-called trailblazing behaviors have often been perceived as entitled and lazy by other generations.
Coincidentally, a recent study found that a good percentage of Zoomers won’t consider taking a job unless it has nap rooms, ping pong and a pet-friendly policy.
Source – https://nypost.com/2025/08/05/lifestyle/gen-z-intern-sparks-debate-over-bizarre-time-off-request/