Career Minimalism: How Gen Z Is Redefining Success At Work

There is an unspoken rule in the workplace: keep climbing the career ladder or risk stagnation. Professionals often feel pressured to chase promotions, titles, and more prestigious positions to achieve the elusive idea of “career success.”

But Gen Z is doing things differently. Glassdoor’s most recent data reveals that many young professionals refuse to chase status. Instead, they are prioritizing paychecks, security, and balance.

Her Agenda spoke with Morgan Sanner, Glassdoor’s Gen Z Career Expert and the founder of Resume Official, about Gen Z’s shift toward career minimalism. She shared how this is reshaping what leadership looks like and the lessons all women can learn from it.

Glassdoor’s report shows that 68% of Gen Z workers would not pursue management without the pay raise or title. This is a key difference between career minimalism and the eager career climbing of previous generations.

“Gen Z has really redefined success where, for previous generations, your title at work was a status symbol, the same way a nice car or nice clothes are,” Morgan said. “That is no longer the case for Gen Z. We see Gen Z only being interested in climbing the career ladder if it comes with some kind of pay raise.”

This shift is already affecting leadership demographics. Gen Z managers now make up one in ten leaders, bringing a new perspective on what ambition and success look like.

Gen Z, like other generations, have concerns about AI. Seventy percent reported questioning their job security to Glassdoor. As a result, many Gen Zers are prioritizing job stability over prestige when making career choices.

“Specifically for Gen Z women, it’s looking at different types of jobs, even in some cases looking more toward blue collar or in-person roles that just cannot be automated,” Morgan said. “A lot of high-paying jobs like coding or computer science have typically been very male-dominated, but now many of those are becoming automated. It’s going to be super interesting to see how these next few years play out.”

Morgan also mentioned that some of the fields Gen Z women are moving into, like nursing and teaching, are traditionally lower-paying than many remote-eligible jobs. This highlights how career minimalism values long-term job security and peace of mind over prestige.

Another piece of the career minimalism formula is the need for flexibility and an outlet for creativity and passion. For Gen Zers, this looks like a side hustle — and 57% say they have one, compared to much lower rates in other generations.

“Side hustles are critical, especially for working mothers and caregivers,” said Morgan. “I’ve watched many women try to figure out what returning to in-person work will mean, and the difference between women who have side hustles and the women who do not is astounding. We see corporations are not necessarily as flexible as side hustles can be.”

With side hustles, it is important to consider the risks. Some companies worry about conflicts of interest if the side hustle overlaps with your field. Others flat out do not allow side hustles. Morgan recommends checking HR policies or speaking with your manager. But from a Gen Z perspective, companies that do not support side hustles are not worth working for.

For Gen Z, the final piece of career minimalism is the importance of boundaries for sustainable success. The Glassdoor data revealed that 31% of workers expect flexible hours from Gen Z managers, and 58% of Gen Z employees ease up at work during the summer compared to 39% of older generations.

“We’re discovering how important it is to have work-life balance throughout your career because we now understand the impacts of burnout, especially long-term burnout,” said Morgan.

Unlike other generations, Gen Z is less likely to work long hours in their full-time roles, especially if they are unpaid hours. Morgan explained that Gen Zers prefer to dedicate those hours to a side hustle and extra income.

The lesson here is clear: success does not have to be constant career climbing. Gen Z’s career minimalism means stability, purpose, and boundaries — and a reminder that while a career is important, it should not be our entire identity.