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Billionaire entrepreneur slams job-hopping Gen Z, says parenting is to blame: ‘A generation of nomads’
Elizabeth (Liz) Uihlein is the president of Uline. The company claims to be North America's biggest distributor of shipping, packaging and industrial supplies.
A recent post on Reddit about shipping supply giant Uline’s president, Elizabeth (Liz) Uihlein, expressing her frustration over young employees resigning before completing two years at the company has sparked anger among social media users. In her note, Uihlein blamed free insurance, the pandemic, and parenting for Gen Z’s job-hopping trend and labelled such employees “The Nomads.”
The Reddit user shared a photo of the note published in a magazine, and the same letter was uploaded to Uline’s company website.
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“Job hopping used to be frowned on. Red flags on resumes. Something previous generations did their best to avoid. You stuck with a job, showed stability and worked your way up, but boy, how times have changed,” the billionaire co-founder wrote.
She added, “At Uline, young people are resigning before their two-year anniversary at a higher rate than we'd like. We invest precious resources recruiting, hiring and training new hires, only for them to leave. We call them ‘The Nomads’.”
The company president then listed the reasons she thinks fuel this trend among Gen Z. She blamed free insurance, the work-from-home culture post-pandemic, and parenting that involves affection and "concentrates on fun".
“Employers are always on the lookout for young, talented candidates. It's hard to build a winning team when the rookies you sign think they are free agents before they even take the field,” reads the concluding lines of the note.
Check out the post:
How did social media react?
“I love how she just comes out and says that insurance being tied to the employer is so employees can’t move to better themselves,” posted an individual. Another added, “Honestly, I feel like the real tell is in the last point. She openly believes workers have 'personal responsibility' toward their employers beyond pay. If I am being paid to do a job, I absolutely accept responsibility for what I am paid for. But unless you've paid me in advance, I am not responsible to keep working there. I'll show consideration toward a job that treats me well, obviously, but consideration is things like two weeks' notice. Not just staying there for all eternity. Being bound to a single workplace despite your own will is not a ‘job.’ It is slavery.”
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A third remarked, “And that parents are bad for not teaching kids to just roll over and take it. I take a lot of s**t because I have to, and the hope is that my kids don't. I routinely tell my daughter that she doesn't have to put up with ANY s**t at her job. Quit and she still lives here with me for free. That is to teach my kids they are more valuable than their work. I also hate how homework conditions you to take your work home with you. It's unhealthy.”
A fourth wrote, “Workers will be loyal to companies and care about their success only when companies are loyal to workers and care about their success. And even then, workers will probably get f**ked over. Capitalism is exploitative, full stop.”
Elizabeth Uihlein's net worth:
According to a report published on Forbes, her real-time net worth is $5.8 billion. She started the company along with her husband, Richard (Dick), in 1980 in their basement. It currently has over 9,000 employees. She also appeared on the "America’s Richest Self-Made Women" Forbes list.
The outlet reported that the couple is among the top donors in the United States. Originally Ron DeSantis supporters, they later supported Donald Trump.
Past controversies:
The couple, among Donald Trump’s top mega-donors, were accused of using Mexican workers illegally after complaining about immigrant ‘invasion’, reported the Guardian. Before the 2024 US elections, which saw Donald Trump come to power for the second term, the couple allegedly asked their employees to answer who they would vote for in a survey.
