A CEO’s post praising his employee’s candor has ignited a fierce online debate, pitting Millennial “toughness” against Gen Z’s demand for emotional transparency in the workplace.
A refreshingly direct leave application from a Gen Z employee has captured the internet’s attention, triggering a widespread debate about generational shifts in professional culture.
The incident began when Jasveer Singh, the CEO and co-founder of the social media platform Knot Dating, shared a screenshot of an email he received from a young staffer. Calling it the “most honest leave application” he had ever gotten, Singh posted the message on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “Gen Z doesn’t do filters!”
The employee’s request was short and devoid of corporate jargon. It read: “Hello Sir. I recently had a breakup and haven’t been able to focus on work… I’d like to take leave from the 28th to the 8th.”
Singh later confirmed in a follow-up post that the request was “approved, instantly.”
A Generational Flashpoint
The post quickly amassed over two million views, becoming a flashpoint for the ongoing “Millennial vs. Gen Z” discourse. Many commenters, identifying as Millennials, criticized the request as unprofessional and emblematic of a softer, less resilient generation.
One highly-circulated comment drew a stark comparison: “Gen Z breaks up and applies for leave. Millennials broke down, cried in the washroom, and still met deadlines. Gen Z treat HR like their therapist and Outlook like a diary.”
Another user offered unsolicited advice to the CEO, arguing that approving the leave was the wrong move. “You should not have approved the leave and encouraged him to come to office,” the user wrote. “This time loneliness will not be better for him. Should have been a better suggestion from GEN Y to GEN Z.”
A New Standard for Workplace Honesty?
Conversely, the employee’s candor and the CEO’s empathetic response drew significant praise, with many users hailing it as a positive step toward normalizing mental and emotional health at work.
“I would approve it immediately; honesty plus a situation that affects their ability to work,” one user commented. “You can tell they make a good employee with only 2 sentence’s. I see you approved it too, you are a good boss man! Cheers!”
Another supporter remarked, “they don’t even sugarcoat it, grant him the leave😭.”
As the debate continued, Singh remained engaged. When one person joked that “people don’t even take that many leaves for their marriage,” the CEO offered a surprising take of his own.
“But I think,” Singh replied, “breakups require more leave than marriage.”
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