“Generation Toolbelt” is a column dedicated to exploring Generation Z, its relationship to the workplace and its role in helping fill construction’s labor gap.
Corey Silverman has a passion for poker.
He got invested in playing Texas Hold ‘em in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reading books and watching YouTube videos to delve into the math and strategy behind the game.
Silverman, 29, works as a safety specialist for construction risk management platform Highwire. There, he says he has the time to pursue both professional goals and personal interests.
“I have a lot of hobbies and interests outside of work, and I really view work as a means to support me, give me stability, so I'm able to pursue those hobbies,” Silverman said.
Work-life balance means different things to different people, especially across generations. Billionaire Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank fame decried the notion, saying he hopes people seeking work-life balance go and work for his competitors, per Fortune.
"I view work as a way to support my life outside of work, not as my identity.”
Corey Silverman
Safety specialist, Highwire
But Generation Z, or those born starting in 1997, puts immense value on work-life balance, with some even taking charge of creating that harmony regardless of their work situation, according to a 2024 report from SurveyMonkey.
That presents construction employers, eager to capitalize on Gen Z as “The Toolbelt generation,” with a gamble. Do they fold and walk away from potential workers who see a job as a means to an end, or go all-in on helping the emerging workforce optimize both their time at work and away from it?
Gen Z isn’t clock-watching
Silverman started his career at a general contractor. He made the change from working for a builder to a tech startup because construction was known for its long, unpredictable hours. Building a structure takes as long as it takes. Meeting the timeline often means early mornings and late nights.
“For me, I felt like I wanted something that would give me more time outside of work to pursue the things that I really care about and want to spend my time doing,” Silverman said. “I view work as a way to support my life outside of work, not as my identity.”
Hannah Hsi, 25 and an assistant project manager at San Jose, California-based electrical contractor Rosendin, said she has worked with bosses from previous generations who come in early and leave late. That attitude of living at the workplace to show dedication is common among older workers, according to the Gen Zers interviewed for this column.
In Hsi’s experience, it led to whole teams staying on site for longer hours, which didn’t necessarily correlate with a boost in output.
“I don't always think it's more productive just because you're staying at work longer,” Hsi said. “I think that you can get a healthy amount of work done in eight hours that you may not need an extra two or three hours. It may not have that much more benefit just if you're just staying there to stay at work.”
Nonetheless, Gen Z professionals said the industry has evolved.
“I feel at least the people that I've been lucky enough to work with have been mindful to outside-of-work things and haven't ever given me that much pressure,” said Lauren Welsh, 25 and assistant project manager at Skanska.
Output still matters
Gen Z construction professionals stressed that they understand work still needs to get done, and on schedule. That can mean long days.
Fulton Cure, consultant for Baltimore-based Well Built Construction Consulting, said when he first worked in the field, he knew longer hours were required. Now, Cure, 28, has a daughter, which he said has changed his attitude in the last couple of months.
“I try to manage it as best I can. I try to be done as early as I can,” Cure said. Even then, sometimes he works for an hour or two after he’s put his daughter to bed. Welsh, too, says she often ends up taking calls or emails after normal work hours if necessary.
On balance, those examples show Gen Z workers put more value on what they got done in a given day than the amount of time they spent doing it.
Cure says he’s set a boundary at work, taking off a little early on Friday afternoons to spend time with his daughter. Even still, that’s not something that’s handed to him.
“I'm only able to do that because I get my stuff done and because they trust that I'm going to get it done,” Cure said.
