A Day in the Life of a Gen-Z Employee
Before we start… To the future companies that I have applied to and are reading this, please hire me. I swear I can pretend to be normal.
Okay, so I’ve just been asked to document a day in my life as a Gen-Z employee and I honestly don’t know what my director was thinking because he just broke my chains and opened the cage.
I’m a free Flying Donkey now. Bray-hay-hay.
Thanks a lot, Clement of the House Ong, the First of His Name (also the last of his surname in his family, because he’s painfully single at the age of 40 and has no kids), Breaker of (my) Chains, and the Keeper of a Flying Donkey.
If y’all didn’t get the reference, it’s Game of Thrones. If y’all choose to watch it, watch it right up till the last season – DON’T WATCH THE LAST SEASON – and then imagine your own ending. No spoilers to be found here – I’ll let you live through the incestuous joy that is Game of Thrones.
Uncle Ben still dies though.
I have no clue if this article will ever see the light of day, but if it does, I’ll turn to Clement and ask: “What were you thinking?”
I am Donkey. But Flying.
Hi, my name is Poh Hsiao Ying. Most people call me Poh because they can’t pronounce Hsiao Ying. I was born in 1997 and is thus categorised as a Gen-Z even though I’m right on the cusp of being a Millennial. I’m currently a Strategic Communications Manager, which means I handle and approve collateral that’s used to communicate with outside stakeholders of the company and its many subsidiaries.
Yes. That’s me. Clement says that sex sells, which is why I’m putting this extremely sexy photo of myself here.
My job isn’t jobbing right now, though, given what I’m writing. Well, in any case, I’m not particularly interesting, so that’s all I have for an introduction.
If you’re wondering why my moniker is Flying Donkey, please read this article and then ask Clement about it. I have no clue why either. But if you insult yourself before other people insult you, their insults won’t hurt. So I am Donkey. But Flying.
Wakey Wakey, Here’s Johnny!
Ever watched those TikTok videos where they wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:00AM just to work out and prepare breakfast?
Honestly, who does that? Successful people, I guess. But I’m not successful, which is why I wake up at 7:30AM when I need to reach work at 9:00AM.
When my eyes open, I think about all the choices I’ve made in life, such as my choice of bachelor degree (in the wise words of my oldest brother, “You can use that as literal toilet paper once you graduate”). Then I’ll roll around my bed for five minutes, get up to take my first massive dumpity doo of the day, and then shower.
It takes me an hour to get to work, and for that duration plus another two hours at work, my shirt will be sopping wet because who has the time to dry their hair in the morning? Not me.
Great Start to the Day, Squirt!
Once I reach work, Boss reprimands me for the way I dress, because he says it looks like I’m going to the wet market. I say sorry, but don’t actually feel sorry, because clients don’t usually see me anyways, so who am I dressing up for?
Our days at work usually start with a meeting over updates or taskings for the day. I love meetings. They’re so incredibly productive and interesting. I’m always incredibly excited to start the day with a long meeting.
I’m also being sarcastic.
Once that’s over and I’m settled at my desk, I check my emails and to-do list. Surprisingly hinged behaviour, given how unhinged this entire article is working out to be.
Is this what you wanted, Clement? Are you not entertained?
Clickity Clackity, I’m Coming for that Money
I get to clearing my task-list, and by the time the clock hits 11:00AM, I’m thinking about lunch. I have tabs open to google food areas near my office, and I’m thinking of Japanese today – but that’ll depend on my colleague.
*Edit: He said yes to Japanese, so yay sashimi.
**Edit II: Kushi Japanese Dining was pretty dang good. Udon was a tad too sweet for my liking, but the sashimi was amazingly fresh and chonky. It slapped so good. Tempura was pretty lit too. I have a recent obsession with those little tiny fried prawn things called Kawa Ebi and Kushi’s was pretty yum. But nothing tops the one from Fish Mart Sakuraya.
I do a lot of creative work in line with my choice in career (another decision that haunts me to this day). To give you a better idea of what I do, please have a screenshot of the UI/UX design for Purple Rewards. Those cyan lines are guides, because we are not cretins and we value visual consistency.
Those are legitimate offers from our merchants, by the way. We’re also giving away S$100 in Purple Rewards to people who download it so they can spend it at merchants. On top of their usual discounts, Yan Xi Tang is offering a free cup of Sea Salt Lemon to Purple users, and ICON by Hair Visual currently has a 1-for-1 offer for a haircut and a wash at S$40.
Download Purple Rewards today on iOS or Android to enjoy these amazing deals! If you’d like to know more about Purple Rewards, you can have a look at this article. There – I did my job as a Strat Comms Man. Well done, me.
Anyways, I do a lot of creative work, and when things go swimmingly, they go swimmingly. But when I hit a creative rut, time accelerates around me while my brain floors the brakes. Creative blocks suck so bad – you could be staring at a blank document or canvas for hours but nothing happens.
But no matter my levels of productivity at work, I like to reward myself with a grass-touching break. I go outside and stand in the sun to feel a little bit of warmth in my life, and marvel at how green the grass is, and how blue the sky is too.
The rest of the day is just me working. And then touching some grass. And working. And then touching some grass again. And working some more until the clock hits 6:00PM. In case Boss is reading this – I sometimes OT when it’s crunch time. When it’s not crunch time, though, I like to leave promptly at 6:00PM.
Have a Drink, or Maybe Five
After work ends, I typically wind down my day by playing some computer games. Raft’s my recent obsession cause it’s a reflection of my reality. Floating around on a wide expanse of sea fighting for survival against a shark eating your raft and big birds dropping stones on your head whenever they can while you hook pollution from the sea to build said raft that Mr. Shark is trying to eat?
Therapeutic.
If I’m not gaming, I’m reading. If I’m not doing either, I’m scrolling through TikTok. All those are usually accompanied by several glasses of whisky. None of that expensive fancy stuff for me because I’m broke. Bottles & Bottles, Pig’s Nose Blended Scotch Whisky, S$49 for 700ml.
Tasty.
Bring your own bags to Bottles & Bottles though – in line with our Grandpa, one bag costs S$0.50. Pity, cause their bags are really high-quality.
Also, shoutout to Clement for getting me a bottle of Macallan cause he wanted me to try it.
And that’s how a day in my life as a Gen-Z Employee looks like.
Who is That Girl I See?
Writing all of the above down made me feel pretty pathetic about my own life, but that’s okay because I’m still pretty anyways. If you lived through all the drivel that I spouted, congratulations.
No prizes to be won here.
Goodbye.
