Nov 7, 2026

Empty Promises: Why Gen Z Isn’t Fully Locked Into Their Job ‘Situationship’

Gen Z is redefining what it means to commit to a job.

Remember when “situationship” only meant a relationship that refused to define itself? Carina Hsieh coined the term in 2017 to describe “a hookup with emotional benefits," and Gen Z has since taken it far beyond dating. Now the same ambiguity is showing up at work.

A new survey from PaperOwls found that 21% of Gen Z workers described their relationship with their job as a "situationship," and it's becoming the "dominant employment dynamic for this generation."

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“A job situationship is essentially a relationship without the mutual commitment,” Kolby Goodman, career coach and keynote speaker at Employed By Graduation told MoneyLion. “You show up, do the job, but you're not betting your future on it.”

The catch? Going emotionally uninvested comes with a cost, and it’s your career that pays. Here’s what’s behind the hedge and why it may be stalling careers.

Gen Z Isn’t Buying the Job Security Pitch

The biggest issue here is trust. Gen Z doesn’t trust employers to have their back, and after watching their parents and older siblings navigate two decades of upheaval, that skepticism is hard to call unreasonable.

“Gen Z employees grew up watching job security fade away,” said Jason Leverant, president and COO at AtWork Group.

“Many have entered the workforce seeing those they love or respect be impacted by layoffs, hiring freezes, economic uncertainty and offshoring. This has ingrained the general sense that employers are not to be trusted.”

AI Is Making Job Security Even Shakier

It would be nice if we could have artificial intelligence (AI) and also our jobs, but it’s looking like for many, that won’t be possible. We don’t yet know the extent to which AI will replace human talent in the workplace, but we know major disruption is inevitable.

Research by Brookings, published in 2024, found that more than 30% of all workers could see at least 50% of their occupation’s tasks disrupted by generative AI, and 85% of workers could see at least 10% of their work tasks impacted by AI.

For many Gen Zers, the threat of AI isn’t theoretical, it’s here. They’re in the eye of the AI job displacement storm, and it’s got them on edge.

“They have watched companies cut training budgets and headcount around AI,” said Cheryl Yuran, chief HR officer at Absorb LMS Software. “In our own AI in Learning research, only 22% of L&D teams are even included in their company's AI strategy discussions, so the function meant to develop people is sitting outside the room where the AI decisions get made.

"When you can see that an organization will reshape the work and let people go without bringing development to the table, full commitment starts to look like a bad bet.”

Gen Z Knows It Has Options

Finally, Gen Z may be reluctant to fully lock into their job situationship because they’re confident they can get another job if this one doesn’t work out.

“They know they have options,” said Tishayla Williams, leadership, careers and consumer trends expert at The TW Collective.

“Jobs are posted online every day; recruiters reach out on LinkedIn and friends openly share new opportunities. When you’re constantly reminded that something else is out there, it’s harder to feel tied to one employer.”

Hedging Has a Price

Keeping your distance can feel like the smart move, and in a tough job market it may be the only one available. But there’s a cost. Eventually, your boss or their boss will sense that you’re not dedicated to going above and beyond. Once this happens, you’ll either lose your job or, in the best-case scenario, get stuck where you are and not advance.

“If you never let yourself get invested anywhere, you also never build the kind of deep institutional trust and sponsorship that actually gets people promoted,” said Stephanie Turner, who works with early career coaching and talent development at LaunchPoint Talent.

“Hedging protects you from heartbreak, but it can also cap how far you go.”

The Bottom Line

Gen Z’s skepticism is earned, and nobody should pretend a shaky employer is their soulmate. The goal isn’t blind loyalty, though. It’s protecting your options without quietly checking out.

Keep your resume current, build relationships beyond your immediate team and invest where the return is real, even if the company never fully earns your trust. Your career is the one relationship you can’t afford to ghost.

This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.

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Written by

Nicole Spector

Nicole Spector is a writer, editor and author based in Los Angeles by way of Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in Vogue, the Atlantic, Vice and The New Yorker.

Edited by

Ashleigh Ray

Ashleigh is an editor specializing in personal finance and banking content, with four years of experience — first at GOBankingRates, then at MoneyLion — turning complex financial topics into advice readers can actually understand and use. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of South Florida and brings that same care for clarity and voice to every piece she edits. She's based in Tampa, Florida.