Dollar Tree manager posted sign against hiring Generation Z workers
A Dollar Tree manager is no longer with the company after posting a sign at a Bremen, Indiana, store warning that it wouldn't hire Generation Z workers. The sign complained that the store was forced to close after two young workers quit.
"My 2 new cashiers quit because I said their boyfriends couldn't stand here for their entire shift," according to a photo of the hand-written note posted to social media. "Don't hire Gen Z's. They don't know what work actually means. NOW HIRING. Baby boomers ONLY. Thanks."
If you’re seeing @DollarTree on your timeline that’s because they’re under fire after a manager in Indiana posted ‘help wanted’ sign but only for Boomers and not Gen Z because they “don’t know what work actually means.” (📸: @dollartree) pic.twitter.com/MmWESDP8NK
— What's Trending (@WhatsTrending) April 26, 2022
Citing privacy reasons, Dollar Tree didn't disclose whether the employee, who wasn't identified, left on their own volition or was fired.
"Of course, we do NOT have a policy against hiring Gen Z workers. We absolutely do not," Randy Guiler, vice president of investor relations at Dollar Tree, told CBS MoneyWatch in an email.
Members of Gen Z are people born between 1997 and 2012, or those who are now 10 to 25 years old. More employers are turning to younger workers to fill their staffing gaps, with teenagers last year experiencing their best year for summer employment since 1953.
The incident comes as many employers around the U,.S. are scrambling for workers. There are almost two job openings for every unemployed American, which is giving workers more leverage with employers. Some workers are jumping ship for better pay and conditions elsewhere.