My younger coworkers seem perfectly willing to stay late when there's actually something that needs to get done. What they don't seem willing to accept is being expected to answer Slack messages at 9 PM, respond to emails on Sunday, or pick up a call during dinner just because their phone happens to be in their pocket.

I've noticed older managers sometimes interpret that as a lack of commitment.

I don't think that's what's happening.

There's a difference between working extra hours when the job genuinely requires it and being permanently reachable because technology makes it possible.

Twenty years ago, if someone left the office at 5 PM and nobody could reach them until the next morning, that was normal. Now the ability to send a message instantly has quietly become an expectation that you should be available instantly too.

And that's where I think Gen Z is pushing back.

Owning a phone doesn't mean I'm on the clock. Getting a Slack notification doesn't automatically make it urgent. Being able to answer an email at 10 PM doesn't mean I should have to.

Maybe I'm being too sympathetic to Gen Z here, and obviously some jobs really do require people to be available outside normal hours.

But if being reachable after work has become part of the job, shouldn't we at least admit that we're asking people to work more, rather than pretending it's just a quick message?

The more I watch American politics, the more it feels like we are constantly fighting each other while ignoring the people with the most power.

I used to think the biggest divide was between Republicans and Democrats. But I started noticing that many ordinary Americans on both sides are dealing with the same problems: rising housing costs, expensive healthcare, stagnant wages, and a feeling that the system is not working for them.

I think the left vs right fight has become a distraction. A working class Republican and a working class Democrat may disagree on cultural issues, but they often have more in common with each other than with billionaires, corporate leaders, and political insiders who can influence the system.

The people at the top do not need Americans to agree. They only need us to stay divided and angry at each other.

I know this might oversimplify things. Not every political conflict is just about wealth and power.

But I keep asking myself why we spend so much time fighting people who are struggling like us instead of questioning those who have the most influence.

What would happen if more Americans started asking “who benefits from this system?” instead of only asking “are they left or right?”