Gen Z has gotten a bad rap since basically the moment they entered the workforce, and, like most generational criticisms, it says a lot more about the critics than Gen Z themselves. But there’s bristling against generational change, and then there’s what billionaire Uline President Liz Uihlein recently said about Gen Z workers, which is so patently absurd it brings new meaning to the old saying, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
You’re likely familiar with Uline, even if you don’t realize it. Go take a look in your office’s supply closets, and you’ll likely see the Uline logo emblazoned on everything from shipping supplies to garbage cans.
That ubiquity has made founders Dick and Liz Uihlein icons of the American Dream — what started as a small family business has made them billionaires, as well as among the most prolific megadonors to conservative politicians and action committees in America.
So, it’s perhaps not surprising that they wouldn’t be particularly fond of Gen Z workers, who as a bloc not only reject traditional American corporate culture but find the entire notion of the “American Dream” the Uihlein’s represent to be a scam. It’s hard not to feel that way when, you know, you’ve never known a functioning American economy.
But even given those diametrically opposite sets of biases, a recent statement from Liz about why she and Dick can’t seem to keep a Gen Z employee on staff is downright hilarious in its obliviousness.
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The bold statement, posted on the company’s website and inserted inside the company’s catalogmakes it obvious the Uihleins are hoppin’ mad about this new “job-hopping” trend, and from the sounds of it, it’s because Uline has a bit of a Gen Z retention problem on its hands.
Uihlein opened her statement by complaining about young workers staying at the company for less than two years. “We invest precious resources recruiting, hiring and training new hires,” she lamented, “only for them to leave.”
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What is behind this, you ask? According to Uihlein, Gen Z workers, whom she labels “The Nomads,” don’t “prioritize job security and financial stability more” because they’re so privileged and coddled “they don’t have to.”
This is, of course, a fantasy — even many conservative economists recognize that the economy and job market are broken, and Gen Z has never known a functional version of either. Heck, most millennials never have.
This view that Gen Z is spoiled rather than simply unwilling to commit to jobs that pay them unlivable wages in return for their work is nothing more than propaganda — and very dim-witted propaganda at that. But not as dim-witted as where Uihlein took her complaints next.
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What is it that has put Gen Z in a position of such enormous privilege that they “don’t have to” choose security and stability, you ask? Why, Obamacare, of course, or “free health insurance,” as Uihlein called it, which will surely be a surprise to anyone who’s logged into the ACA’s health insurance exchange any time in the last 10 years.
“The Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their parents’ health plan until age 26,” Uihlein griped, which means Gen Z can “quit a job without losing coverage and go where the grass looks greener.”
So, there you have it: One of America’s most powerful, “freedom-loving” conservative billionaires admitting that the point of our for-profit healthcare system is to make sure everyone stays chained to their cubicles like good little indentured servants — er, I mean, “professionals.”
Uihlein went on to blame the pandemic-era stimulus checks, which she said made people refuse to “get off their couches to work.” (Uihlein was an outspoken denialist about the pandemic and the 2020 election.) Never mind that those stimulus checks went out nearly five years ago, and most Gen Z workers were too young to even qualify for them. And, of course, Uihlein saved space to blame Gen Z workers’ parents, too.
Who exactly Uihlein thought this statement was for is a mystery — hurling fantastical insults at young workers is highly unlikely to inspire them to “commit” to Uline. One solution, of course, is to simply pay and treat Gen Z workers in ways that make them not just willing but financially able to stick around. But let’s not be silly — nobody ever became a billionaire political kingmaker doing that.
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John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
