Every generation looks at the one before it and wonders how certain things were ever considered normal. For Gen Z, scrolling through workplace forums and social media threads, a handful of old-school habits from the boomer playbook stand out as particularly baffling. Some of it is cultural whiplash, some of it is genuinely outdated advice that has not aged well in a world of remote work, instant messaging, and shifting social norms.
What follows is a look at eight habits that regularly get called out by younger workers and observers, along with the context that explains why they made sense once but feel out of step now.
1. Calling instead of texting for anything and everything
1. Calling instead of texting for anything and everything (Image Credits: Unsplash)
For many boomers, picking up the phone was the default way to confirm plans, ask a quick question, or check in with family. It was efficient in an era before texting existed, and it carried a sense of immediacy that felt polite rather than intrusive. The unspoken rule was that a call meant you cared enough to make time for a real conversation.
Gen Z largely views unscheduled phone calls as a mild emergency signal, something reserved for genuinely urgent matters. Texting allows people to respond on their own time without the pressure of live conversation, which many younger workers see as more respectful of everyone’s schedule. A surprise call from an unknown or even known number can trigger low-level anxiety rather than the warm reaction it once did.
2. Expecting loyalty to one employer for decades
2. Expecting loyalty to one employer for decades (Image Credits: Pexels)
Staying at a single company for twenty or thirty years used to be a mark of stability and often came with a pension, steady raises, and a gold watch at retirement. That model was built on a different economic contract, one where companies generally reciprocated loyalty with job security and long-term benefits. Many boomers still view frequent job-hopping as a lack of commitment or focus.
Younger workers came of age watching layoffs happen even to loyal, long-tenured employees, which reshaped how they think about job security. Staying too long at one company without moves is increasingly seen as a missed opportunity for salary growth, since raises within a company often lag behind what a new hire can negotiate elsewhere. The idea of a single-employer career now reads less like dedication and more like a risk in a labor market that no longer guarantees anything in return.
3. Not discussing salary with coworkers
3. Not discussing salary with coworkers (Image Credits: Pexels)
Keeping pay private was practically gospel for much of the twentieth century, often reinforced informally by employers who benefited from workers not comparing notes. Many boomers were raised to see discussing income as impolite, boastful, or simply nobody else’s business. That silence became deeply ingrained as basic workplace etiquette.
Gen Z has pushed hard against that norm, treating pay transparency as a tool for fairness rather than a breach of manners. Sharing salary ranges openly, whether on social platforms or directly with coworkers, is viewed as one of the few ways employees can catch wage gaps or being underpaid relative to peers. In the United States, employees have long had legal protection to discuss their wages under labor law, a right many older workers were simply never told about.
4. Answering work emails and calls after hours
4. Answering work emails and calls after hours (Image Credits: Pexels)
Being reachable around the clock was often treated as proof of dedication, and many boomers built entire careers around the idea that answering that late-night email showed you were a team player. Overtime without complaint was frequently seen as the price of climbing the ladder. The boundary between work life and home life was blurry by design in a lot of workplaces.
Younger employees increasingly treat after-hours availability as something to actively resist rather than prove themselves through. Several countries, including France and more recently parts of Australia, have introduced “right to disconnect” laws that formally protect workers from being penalized for ignoring work contact outside their hours. For Gen Z, constant availability is often read less as commitment and more as a sign of poor boundaries or a company culture that does not respect personal time.
5. Judging others based on appearance or dress codes
5. Judging others based on appearance or dress codes (Image Credits: Pexels)
Strict dress codes, from suits in offices to specific grooming standards, were once treated as non-negotiable markers of professionalism. Many boomers grew up in workplaces where visible tattoos, unconventional hair colors, or casual clothing could genuinely limit career advancement. Appearance was frequently used as shorthand for judging competence or seriousness.
Gen Z tends to see that link between appearance and professionalism as outdated, especially as remote work and casual office cultures have become more common since the pandemic years. Surveys of younger workers repeatedly show a preference for workplaces that judge output over outfit, and visible tattoos or piercings are far less career-limiting than they were a generation ago. The pushback is not necessarily against dressing up, but against the assumption that appearance says something meaningful about ability.
6. Avoiding mental health conversations entirely
6. Avoiding mental health conversations entirely (Image Credits: Unsplash)
For much of the boomer generation, mental health struggles were something to manage quietly, if they were acknowledged at all. Therapy carried a stigma, and phrases like “toughen up” or “just get over it” were common responses to anxiety, depression, or burnout. Seeking help was sometimes seen as a personal failing rather than a legitimate health need.
Gen Z has been notably more open about therapy, medication, and mental health days, treating them as normal parts of maintaining wellbeing rather than admissions of weakness. National surveys have consistently shown that Gen Z reports higher rates of anxiety and depression than older generations, but they are also far more likely to seek professional support and talk about it openly. That openness is often framed as long overdue rather than oversharing.
7. Buying a home young as the default life milestone
7. Buying a home young as the default life milestone (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Many boomers bought their first homes in their twenties or early thirties, often on a single income, when home prices were far lower relative to wages than they are today. Homeownership was treated as an achievable and expected step, almost a rite of passage tied to adulthood itself. Advice like “just save more” or “skip the coffee” reflected a genuine belief that discipline alone could close the gap.
Housing affordability has shifted dramatically since then, with home prices in many markets rising far faster than wages over the past two decades. Younger buyers are increasingly locked out of the market not because of spending habits but because of structural changes in housing costs, student debt, and stagnant wage growth relative to inflation. The old advice about saving harder is often seen by Gen Z as tone-deaf to a fundamentally different economic reality.
8. Treating retirement savings as something to figure out later
8. Treating retirement savings as something to figure out later (Sustainable Economies Law Center, Flickr, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>)
Pensions were common for much of the boomer generation’s working life, providing a guaranteed income stream that reduced the urgency of personal saving early on. Many boomers entered the workforce when Social Security and employer pensions were expected to cover most retirement needs. Long-term personal investing was often something started later in a career, not immediately at a first job.
Pensions have largely disappeared from the private sector, replaced by 401(k) plans and other defined-contribution accounts that put the responsibility for saving squarely on individual employees. Financial advisors and younger workers alike now emphasize starting retirement contributions as early as possible, since compound growth over decades matters enormously and Social Security alone is not expected to fully cover retirement needs for most people. Gen Z’s early focus on investing apps and retirement accounts reflects a system that no longer offers the safety net boomers could count on.