Ohio’s Gen Z employees pursue life satisfaction outside of work
By John Engoglia/Kent State NewsLab
Justus Doornbos is a 23-year-old assistant dairy manager at Heinen’s Grocery Store in Mayfield Village.
His days usually start at 6 a.m. He spends hours in a 32-degree Fahrenheit cooler as he breaks down large pallets, holding dozens of products, some weighing up to 50 pounds. By the time everything’s put away his shift is over, and he heads home to get some rest before doing it all again the next day.
“It’s like clockwork,” Doornbos said. “It definitely can get repetitive and very… depressing over some time.”
Doornbos feels grateful to be employed and have steady income, and he considers it a “safe option.” The grocery business wasn’t Doornbos’s first choice — he explored options in culinary and considered joining the military before he was turned away due to his poor eyesight. But he’s scared to leave Heinen’s to pursue something else in such a difficult job market.
The unemployment rate currently sits at 4.3%, which is moderate. However, a March 2026 survey from Gallup shows workers losing confidence in the job market. More than 60% of Gen Z workers are looking, actively or passively, for new jobs. But just under half of job searchers say it’s a bad experience, with long search times and few interviews.
“Everday I feel like I can go do something else and progress in life,” Doornbos said. “But also, you see nowadays in the news that people are applying everywhere, and they’re not getting accepted into their jobs of choice.”
‘They want to see real life impact’
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 50% of Americans are very satisfied with the work they do. But 12% are not at all satisfied. While that number may seem small, it translates to more than 20 million workers in the U.S.
Gen Z in particular is struggling to find happiness in the workplace. A 2023 Cangrade study found that Gen Z was the unhappiest age group at work — 59% happy, compared to 76% of Millennials and Gen X. And a 2024 ADP study found that Gen Z was more likely to quit their job over unhappiness compared to other generations.
Corey Seemiller, a professor in leadership studies in education and organizations at Wright State University, said that all generations have different motivations for why they work.
Seemiller said most of Gen Z grew up during or after the 2008 recession, which caused them to develop a distrust of the economy. She believes those feelings have become the norm.
“What is a COVID-proof, recession-proof and AI-proof job?” Seemiller said. “They’re trying to balance their pursuit of happiness in a particular job role, but also something that’s sustainable that will have money coming in.”
At the same time, members of Gen Z “want to see real life impact, so if they feel like they’re sort of a cog in a wheel but don’t see what that wheel is for, there’s going to be some disconnection,” Seemiller said. “In other generations, that hasn’t been front and center.”
These generational differences stem from how the workplace has changed over time.
Gen Z has a reputation for challenging traditional workplaces on issues like work-life balance, mental health and worker authenticity. They’ve also been exposed to options like remote work, self-employment and freelancing.
“They actually have a choice that other generations didn’t,” Seemiller said.
Workplaces are changing in some ways that align with Gen Z preferences. Hybrid working options and flexible hours are the most well known. But Seemiller said arguably the most important is the concept of intrapreneurship, which allows workers free range to focus solely on one specific project.
“That really keeps Gen Zers engaged in that workspace where they can say ‘OK, I own something start to finish’ and can see the impact,” Seemiller said. “[They can] see how what they’re doing culminates in something bigger.”
Why the sad face? You’re on the clock
Following high school graduation and with seemingly no career direction, Doornbos’s father, a Heinen’s manager himself, encouraged him to apply. Now, Doornbos is trying to become a manager like his father. But he’s finding the career path difficult.
“Some days are good, some days are bad,” Doornbos said.
Heinen’s is also a small company with relatively few manager positions. Due to this, daily performances and interactions matter to make the best possible impression. But Doornbos says he has little interaction and feedback from his superiors outside of his direct department manager.
These are common experiences, Pew’s survey found that around 21% of employees are unhappy with the amount of feedback they receive and 38% are unhappy with their opportunities for promotion at work.
Kia Afcari, a workplace happiness expert at the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, said happiness at work occurs on three fronts: that individuals feel good at work, they have purpose at work and they feel that the work they do matters.
The first concept is very related to a sense of connection at the workplace, based on relationships with coworkers. Second, Afcari said there are very negative connotations of work that stem from a mechanistic view. This means that workers seem more like a part of a machine rather than humans.
“There’s this idea that workers are cogs in a machine, and that we need to burn the midnight oil,” Afcari said. “People want some sense of meaning if you’re spending so much of your time there.”
Finally, Afcari said worker engagement, culture and treatment is an essential part of being happy at work. That relies on effort from management and leadership to make themselves more relevant in the work lives of their employees.
If employees don’t feel like they’re satisfied in their jobs, Afcari said it’s up to individuals to decide and evaluate when it’s the right time to make a job change based on those scenarios.
“‘No matter what I do, it’s not going to change the container that I’m in,”’ he said.
Finding purpose in a creative side hustle
Doornbos is experiencing some feelings of employee disconnect. But he isn’t alone — many Gen Z workers don’t identify with these concepts at their places of work. Instead, they’re opting for self employment to achieve workplace satisfaction.
Self-employment offers the chance to have more control over their life and find meaning in the work they do. For many, it starts as a side hustle before branching out into a career opportunity.
This is how Nick Zaslov, a 20-year-old content creator from Cleveland, got started.
Zaslov runs social media accounts on YouTube and Instagram related to basketball, which he plays at parks and rec centers across Northeast Ohio. He’s been posting social media content since high school. Today, Zaslov has over 11,000 followers on Instagram and over 4,000 on YouTube, with millions of views on both platforms.
“I really love basketball,” Zaslov said. “I love being able to actually make a real impact on people through the game of basketball and put Cleveland on the map. That’s my goal.”
Content creation doesn’t pay Zaslov’s bills yet, so he also works at a Whole Foods. He’s glad that he’s making a liveable income through his job, but he doesn’t find much passion in it. Like Doornbos, Zaslov said he struggles to deal with management, certain coworkers and the repetitive nature of the work.
On the other hand, he said content creation allows him to tap into a passion of his and find meaning in what he does.
“I feel like I’m more in control, and it’s something I actually love to do,” he said. “I ain’t trying to do this [work at a grocery store] my whole life. I know I can do better.”
Zaslov’s path is a popular one. The 2023 YouTube Culture & Trends Report found that 40% of people aged 18-44 described themselves as video content creators.
“For every like you have as an influencer, you know you’re making some kind of impact,” Seemiller said. “While it might not be something massive like climate change, it’s an impact on someone’s life and that’s enough for many of them.”
Zaslov’s following grew significantly last summer, and he hopes that this year brings similar results. So far, he’s only made a few hundred dollars off of subscriptions, but he doesn’t worry about the money. He appreciates the journey.
“A lot of times in life we just feel comfortable with where we’re at, but I feel like we should always want more,” Zaslov said.
Doornbos, too, said the work he does allows him to fund his personal hobbies and passions. A growing Star Wars Lego collection is among his prized possessions, and he often goes on joyrides on his motorcycle that’s nearly paid off. Although these interests don’t lead to happiness at the workplace, they’ve helped him become content in his personal life.
“Right now, I’m fine with the way [my life’s] going at the moment,” Doornbos said. “Granted, it’s not the best way, and I won’t be the happiest sometimes, but it is what it is.”
This story was originally published by the Kent State NewsLab, a collaborative news outlet publishing journalism by Kent State students.