Gen Z Doesn’t Work? Employee Stays in Office Till 1 AM as Entire Floor Leaves

A Gen Z employee’s Reddit post about working alone in the office until around 1 am has sparked discussion about workplace stereotypes, employee skills, and the risks of depending on one person for critical work.

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Employee Says He Was the Only Person Handling the Work

According to the employee’s post, he was still working around 1 am while the rest of the office floor had gone home. He said he was handling month-end closing work and was the only person on the floor equipped to complete it.

The employee said he was serving his notice period at the time. He also said there was no overtime compensation because management had not specifically asked him to stay late.

He said he genuinely enjoyed the work and had developed strong knowledge of the role. According to his account, an earlier mentor had helped him learn the work and build expertise in the process.

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Workplace Dependency Raises HR Questions

The account points to a common HR and business issue: dependence on a single employee for an important process.

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The employee said colleagues and managers had recognised that he was the only person handling the work. A senior had reportedly suggested that a backup should be trained, but the employee said an effective replacement was not trained before his departure.

He was later asked to document his knowledge in Excel and Word files so that others could take over the work.

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For organisations, the situation highlights the need to:

• Train more than one employee for critical processes
• Document important work and process knowledge
• Identify dependency risks before an employee leaves
• Distribute workloads so that critical work does not rest with one person

Beyond the Gen Z Stereotype

The employee’s experience also challenges the common perception that Gen Z employees are unwilling to work beyond fixed hours. However, one employee’s account cannot be used to make a broader claim about an entire generation.

The larger HR issue is how companies manage specialised knowledge and employee workload. When only one person can perform an important task, the organisation can face difficulties during leave, resignation or periods of high workload.

The employee also reflected on the importance of maintaining boundaries and not allowing work to take over personal life.

His account offers a workplace lesson that goes beyond the Gen Z debate: employees may develop valuable expertise, but organisations also need proper knowledge transfer and backup arrangements.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is based on an employee’s Reddit post. The claims and workplace details shared in the post have not been independently verified. The company involved was not identified.