Heineken Study Shines Light On Australia’s Workaholic Culture

With work-life imbalance more rampant in Australia than ever before, HEINEKEN is setting out to inspire workers to ditch the after-hours hamster wheel by looking to Gen Z.

New research from the brand shows Gen Z workers are setting a new bar when it comes to boundary setting and keeping a cap on overtime. To empower Aussie workers of all ages to log off without guilt, HEINEKEN will shine a light on the Gen Z approach to work as part of a special Master Class on ‘Go Home on Time Day’ this month, alongside esteemed career coach, Amie Duignan, and Zillennial entrepreneur, Alyce Tran.

The research found over a third (36 per cent) of Aussies always find it hard to log off at the end of a standard workday. In addition, a whopping 86 per cent of workers have had to cancel or delay personal plans due to working late, with almost a third (30 per cent) saying they do this often.

Findings indicate ‘hustle culture’ (workaholics) has become rife, with almost two thirds (63 per cent) of Millennial workers believing their generation subscribes to this approach. Despite its prevalence, most Aussies workers (65 per cent) think ‘hustle culture’ is toxic… and it appears Gen Z has taken note.

Gen Z workers do less overtime than their Millennial and Gen X counterparts (2.1 hours compared to 3.2 hours and 3.7 hours per week, respectively).

When it comes to setting boundaries, the research found Gen Z workers are comfortable doing so, with most (96 per cent) having set clear working guidelines – such as declining when asked to do additional work that falls outside of their job description or contracted hours – with their managers at least once.

While the benefits are clear, this ‘new age’ approach is a source of inter-generational tension. Many Aussie professionals think young workers (aged 18-25) don’t work as hard as them, with over half (54 per cent) believing this generation is more likely than those older to be slack at work (37 per cent) or avoid challenging tasks (39 per cent).

HEINEKEN wants to shift this mindset and inspire Aussie workers to adopt some of the Gen Z ways of working to prioritise their personal wellbeing and spend more time connecting with friends and family by running a tailored Master Class.

“Aussies are known for having an amazing work ethic, but our research shows workplace burnout is a real issue and we want to help fix that,” said HEINEKEN brand manager, Ben Fisher. “We’re inspired by the ways Gen Z workers prioritise their social and leisure time without compromising their professional output. We want to help others adopt such ways of working so have created a Master Class that will map out how they can do that in really practical, tangible ways.”

The Master Class, facilitated by career coach Amie Duignan, will take place on ‘Go Home on Time Day’ (Wednesday, 23 November) and will also feature self-made Zillennial powerhouse, Alyce Tran.

“I was immediately inspired when I heard about this campaign, when I was younger I definitely worked around the clock and that took a toll on my personal life,” said Ms Tran. “With technology, it’s so easy to work around the clock without even realising it, but the reality is, if we’re to preserve our mental health, we all need to disconnect at the end of the day. I’m looking forward to sharing the ways I’ve learnt to do that as part of this Master Class.”

The virtual Master Class is open to the public and being run free of charge. To register, sign up here

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