Who are Zillennials and why do they find it hard to fit in workplaces?

While every generation is referred with a name like Boomers, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen X, there are multiple micro generations that fall in between and they lose their special identity as they fall both ways.

Zillennials are people born between 1997 and 2002 and they fall in between Millennials (1981 to 1996) and Gen Z (2000 to 2012).

This group of people was born and raised alongside the development of the internet and holds values that differ from the current world scenario. Zillennials try hard to fit into both groups, as they can relate to both Millennials and Gen Z.

Zillennials were the first to experience rapid advancing technology and they lived in a society before the pre social-media and have now adapted to the social media market of Instagram and Twitter and more. They are natives of the digital world with analog roots.

Zillennials have a unique quality, as they fall under both radars, which is why they have a tough time fitting in with workplace groups. Referred to as cuspers, Zillennials fall in the age group where perfection meets procrastination. They often face identity crises, and Lauren Farina, the CEO of Invited Psychotherapy and Coaching, explained to Business Insider that Zillennials are high performer archetypes who seek perfectionism and exhibit pleasing qualities. She added that they face multiple pitfalls of burnout and anxiety, as they cannot completely fit into a group and often feel guilty.

Zillenials are influenced by both Millennials and Gen Z at the workplace. While many companies are shaped by Millenials, they managed to be flexible, work-life balance and had a collaborative work culture and now with Gen Z’s progressive mindset of profession driven work with flexible work timings and preference, Zillennials fall in between and get impacted as they are anxious about their mental health and their work-life balance.

While Zillenials started the workforce in 2016, it was around recession and soon came the pandemic after 3 years which gave them a perception of insecurity over jobs as competition was high and the stability at work place was very wobbly. With multiple companies going bankrupt after the COVID pandemic, the job industry became very unspecific in 2022 and the frequent inflation has disturbed the working mindset of Zillennials.