Gen Z wants to change the world – or at least the workplace: The Return podcast, season 2, episode 3

That mindset has impacted their job search, to the point they even say no to the highest paying positions to work at a company that closely aligns with their values instead.

Choosing a career that aligns with your values was the case for recent college graduate Aldrin Villahermosa II, who we speak with in this episode. Growing up on the island of O’ahu in Hawaii, he saw a shortage of healthcare workers and systemic issues in the public health sector. That’s why he pursued a master’s degree in public health.

And Gen Zers aren’t just choosing a career that aligns with what they value – they’re joining unions too. We talk to Genessee Floressantos, associate publicist, international sales at HarperCollins Publishers, about what it was like to be a part of the nearly 90-day strike.

Is this generation the first to really shake things up in the workforce though and demand signs of corporate social responsibility? We dive into that with seasoned diversity, equity and inclusion expert Jyl Feliciano who works at sales enablement platform Highspot.

Across eight episodes, season two of The Return lifts the lid on what motivates and inspires the youngest generation of workers, and how they’re not as work-shy as they’re often depicted.

Season two of The Return is hosted by Cloey Callahan, a Gen Zer and senior reporter at Digiday Media’s WorkLife, and produced by Digiday Media’s audio producer Sara Patterson. Subscribe to the WorkLife podcast now on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.