A recruiter says a Gen Z intern asked for a 5-hour work day in an interview, sparking debate about work-life balance

• One recruiter tweeting about an interview with a Gen Zer who wanted a 5-hour workday has gone viral.
• Twitter users are divided over whether Gen Z workers are demanding too much in job interviews.

A recruiter has said she was left a little puzzled and awed after interviewing a Gen Z applicant who demanded a five-hour work day and a $600 stipend upfront.

India-based Sameera Khan, a director of people success at InFeedo, an employee-experience platform, wrote about the experience on Twitter.

She wrote on 19 July: "I was interviewing a GenZ intern today and he says he is looking for work life balance with not more than 5 hours of work. Doesn't like the MNC [multinational corporation] culture so wants to work at a start up. Also, wants 40-50k stipend. God bless the future of work."

The post, which has more than 700,000 views, sparked a social-media debate about Gen Z behavior at work.

"I hire genz every quarter and they can't take pressure at all but do expect a huge amount of money. They are creative but they are taking jobs for granted," one user commented on the post.

Others disagreed saying: "Thank god at-least GenZ is setting up expectations and not agreeing to be a corporate slave with no life and all work. Good for them."

Khan further commented on the post on 21 July saying: "Here's my take: Prioritising work life balance early on is great but while looking for the first few internships one should look for learning, growth, good projects & peers. Balance gets struck eventually."

She added: "Imagine having work life balance but hating the 5 hours of work you have to do or the people you have to work with."

Gen Zers are relatively new to the workplace, and have a reputation for demanding flexibility and work-life balance after growing up watching parents or older siblings overwork for little pay and security.

However, experts warn that young jobseekers should research their industry before rattling managers with questions about how many hours they have to work, Insider's Alexandra York and Josée Rose previously reported.

Industries like finance and banking that traditionally have intensive hours are less likely to look kindly on open demands for work-life balance.

Steven Sibley, a clinical assistant professor of finance at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, told Insider at the time that investment banking candidates should steer clear of this or their application is likely to be denied.