Free overtime? Natural for Gen X, absurd for Gen Z

If we go into a bakery and ask for a kilo of bread, we won't get 1.2 kilos for the same price. In fact, if we insisted that we were entitled to it, we would most likely be quietly escorted out of the shop. Yet, in many places in the world of work, the unwritten rule is that we add two or three hours of overtime, a few weekend emails, and a little presentation preparation in our free time to a "kilogram" of work—for free.

Why? How did this become the "norm"? And is it still realistic to expect this from employees today? That's what this article is about, which I hope will prompt many managers and business owners to rethink this issue. 

The origins of unpaid overtime: a generational legacy

In most corporate cultures, especially in multinational companies, the practice of unpaid overtime did not arise out of nowhere. In the second half of the 1990s and early 2000s, large companies appeared en masse in Hungary, attracting young graduates with the promise of stable salaries, career opportunities, and prestige. Many of the Generation X employees, who were around 25-30 years old at the time, entered the corporate world and employee life without families, devoting all their time and energy to proving themselves.

They were the ones who voluntarily and even proudly took on after-hours customer calls, project deadlines that spilled over into the weekend, and the "I'll pop in this evening to get it done" mentality. This was not only about career building, but also a generational attitude: "Those who work, work hard." 

Generation X's persistent desire to prove themselves did not go unrewarded. In previous decades, senior and middle management positions in large companies were mostly filled by members of the Baby Boomer generation, who built up strong positions with their experience, connections, and stability gained during and after the political transition. Then came Generation X, which not only adapted to the culture of multinational companies, but also surpassed the Baby Boomers in terms of performance culture, long working hours, and outstanding results. In the end, many of them received the recognition they expected: they pushed Baby Boomer leaders out of key positions and became the new, more dynamic face of the corporate hierarchy. 

The problem is that what they voluntarily accepted at the time has now become part of organizational cultures, meaning that employees are no longer free to decide whether to work overtime, but it has become an expectation. The main problem with this is that twenty years have passed, and the labor market, society, technology, and the values of workers have changed.

As Krisztián Steigervald regularly says in his podcasts and lectures: "Everyone's reality is what they were born into, what they experienced as children, and what surrounded them in their everyday lives. This becomes their norm, their model to follow, their basis for comparison—and this is what they often unconsciously demand of others later in life. " In other words, for most people, the basis of their everyday reality and value system is what they were socialized into, so each generation considers different behaviors to be normal. (Often, even within a single generation, those born at the beginning and those born at the end represent different values.) As I wrote above, for a significant portion of Generation X, working overtime for free, giving our "life and blood" to the company, is a natural way of functioning—and not just at the management level. This creates a lot of tension between employees of different generations, even at the same hierarchical level. It is therefore important for each generation to be aware of the driving forces behind their own and others' behavior and their origins, because only then can understanding and acceptance be achieved, leading to happier and therefore more efficient workplaces.

Generations Y and Z: different worlds, different work

Generation Y (roughly those born between 1980 and 1995) believes in the importance of work-life balance. They have experienced what it is like when their parents—whether for career advancement or financial reasons—overworked themselves for decades and, as a result, were not properly present in their lives, even though they needed them as children. They also saw that their parents' years of overtime had serious health consequences (heart attacks, chronic illnesses, burnout) and, last but not least, in many cases, their "workaholism" resulted in their personal lives falling apart. These childhood experiences and the layoffs that followed the 2008 economic crisis have transformed the outlook of Generation Y: for them, it is no longer important to "work themselves to death." And this has a strong impact on their loyalty and their attitude toward overtime.

Generation Z, ranging from today's 28-year-olds to young career starters, has gone one step further: for them, the integration of work and private life is important. They do not necessarily draw a sharp line between working hours and leisure time, but in return they expect work to fit into their lives, not the other way around. They seek motivation in flexible working, hybrid models, and meaningful tasks—they do not tolerate 60-hour weeks and do not answer company phones after hours. This, of course, is considered outrageous by Generation Xers, who accuse them of laziness.

These differences in attitude mean that many Generation X managers, who themselves voluntarily "invented" the culture of overtime, now find themselves baffled (and, unfortunately, resentful) by the behavior of their new colleagues:

• "We never complained when we had to stay late..."

• "They don't really want a career if they go home after five o'clock..."

• "In the old days, there wasn't all this whining about work-life balance..."

However, if Generation X really thinks about this issue after reading the article, they will realize that these are not "complaints," but simply differences in values.

Why is it a problem if we take unpaid overtime for granted?

1. It distorts the labor market: if actual working hours are never factored into wages, budgets, and capacity planning, companies will continue to build unrealistic expectations in the long term.

2. It causes burnout: those who perform 10-15 hours of "invisible work" per week for years will eventually lose their motivation and emotional energy, and their health will deteriorate.

3. It is unfair to the employee: a professional is not paid to be available around the clock. The employment contract specifies the working hours, and if we regularly expect performance beyond that, there must be compensation: bonuses, time off, extra benefits.

4. It creates generational tension: if a manager automatically thinks that anyone who does not stay late is "disloyal" based on their own experiences as a young person, the relationship with young employees will become conflictual.

5. It damages the company's credibility: a company that communicates about wellbeing in its employer branding campaign but in reality expects free overtime will sooner or later lose its appeal in the labor market.
But who will do the work?

This is the most common question asked by managers. The answer is not simple, but the most important thing is to reframe the question. The task is not to burden people endlessly, but to set realistic goals, prioritize wisely, and organize tasks within working hours.

If a project can only be completed by everyone working overtime on a regular basis, it is not the fault of the individuals. It is the responsibility of the organization: underplanning, too few people, poor processes, or perhaps the result of an unrealistic customer promise.

What is the solution?

1. Awareness and dialogue

First step: talk honestly about the phenomenon among management.

• Is all this overtime really necessary?

• How do we calculate workforce capacity?

• What are the consequences of employees being constantly overworked for months on end?

• How does this relate to turnover and commitment?

2. Individual self-assertion

Employees also have the right to say no when requests that regularly come in after working hours exceed their contractual obligations. This is not resistance or laziness—it is protecting their own interests and those of their families.

3. Fair compensation

If overtime is truly unavoidable, it comes at a price. Either in money (according to the labor code) or in free time. If an employer fairly compensates for the extra workload in the long term, it rebuilds trust.

4. Rewriting the culture

A significant proportion of managers are still socialized to believe that a "good employee" is one who is "always available." However, today's labor market no longer really accepts this. Renewing the culture takes time and awareness. It is not enough to run a campaign saying "Work-life balance is important to us" if, in practice, we send out the last emails at 7 p.m. every evening.

5. Setting an example

Managerial behavior sends a much stronger message than any internal communication material. If management members regularly respond to emails at 10 p.m., the message becomes: "This is the expected norm." However, if they are able to set boundaries, switch off, and encourage others to do the same, then employees will also be more confident in protecting their own time.

Closing

In a store, a pound of bread is a pound of bread. Not a pound and a half, not two pounds. And in the same way, working hours are exactly as specified in the contract. Of course, there are times when you have to be more flexible—but if you regularly take extra effort for granted, after a while there will be no one left to "bake the bread."

It is worth rethinking what loyalty and professionalism mean in the labor market in 2025. A good employee is not someone who quietly sacrifices their life for the company's goals, but someone who gives their best during working hours and is able to live a happy life outside of work, as this allows them to continue their work in a balanced and motivated manner the next day.