Gen Z jobseekers have sparked an online debate after an alleged HR worker complained about candidates asking direct questions about overtime pay, working hours, and after-work messages during job interviews.
The post, titled “Gen Z these days are really interesting,” was shared by a user who appeared to work in human resources and said recent graduates were becoming more direct during interviews.
According to the post, candidates would ask whether overtime was required, whether they would be compensated for extra work, whether the company had fixed working hours and whether they were expected to respond to work messages after office hours.
They were also said to ask about salary ranges, promotion and pay-rise policies, workloads outside their job descriptions and performance evaluations.
Some candidates reportedly asked whether they would receive sufficient training after joining or be expected to start working immediately.
One candidate told the interviewer they wanted a job where they could develop their career without sacrificing their personal life, before asking: “Can you do that here?”
The post said the questions were so direct that the HR worker had to think carefully before answering.
However, many commenters sided with the jobseekers, arguing that the questions were basic information candidates should be able to ask before accepting a job.
“Are these basic questions really that hard to answer?” one commenter wrote.
Others said companies should clearly explain working hours, overtime arrangements and other employment conditions instead of waiting for candidates to ask.
Some commenters also argued that candidates who asked about work-life balance could be looking for a long-term position rather than simply taking a job temporarily.
But others agreed with the original post, saying younger workers today were less willing to accept workplace practices that previous generations had taken for granted.
One commenter recalled seeing a young candidate become impatient after waiting for a few minutes at an interview and ask reception staff whether they could leave.
Another wrote: “People used to work to support their families. Now some work part-time while their parents support them.”
The discussion has since highlighted differences between generations over workplace expectations, with commenters debating whether Gen Z workers are simply more willing to set boundaries at work.
