Yes. Slightly 'older' people - 45 plus - do call the younger generation snowflakes for not wanting to work an enormous amount of hours, and wanting to drop to say, 4 days a week, and for having mental health issues - and finding work too much of a strain sometimes.
I was working in the late 1980s, 1990s, and very early noughties in a job where I was told to work work work train train train, get up the ladder as high as you can.
And I was royally mocked by my manager for having the temerity to walk out of the door at 5pm - my finishing time, and called spineless, weak, part-timer, and all sorts of names, followed by a bellowing laugh to try to make out it was a 'joke.' I went part time when I had a couple of children (3 days one week/4 the next,) but still had the same amount of work given to me as when I did 5 days a week. And they said 'as soon they go to school you can work full time again.'
I would even have some days where I turned up 20 minutes early because that's what time the bus got me there (next bus would have made me late,) and I would think 'cool, I can get a coffee and sit down and send a few messages to people,' (and then start work at 8.30am.) Within 2 minutes of getting in, the Manager would barge into the office I worked in and say 'your 8.30am interview is waiting!' I'd say 'but it's only 8.13am.' He'd raise his voice at me and say 'just get off your arse and do your job - they're here now. Get in there and interview them!' So I started to turn up at no earlier than 8.25am to stop this happening. (Just took a slow walk from the bus station and had a little walk through the little park nearby.)
It got me down so much and put me on the edge of a nervous breakdown - and I actually ended up giving the job up. I started working part time as a waitress in a Chinese Restaurant for 16 hours a week for minimum pay. I was happier in that waitressing job than I'd been in the 13-ish years in the previous workplace. I stayed there (in the Chinese Restaurant) for 2 years before retraining and getting an admin job with the council. 2 days one week, 3 the next. And I was given a reasonable and moderate amount of work!
I've got two DC both late 20s, and the older one worked for the local authority for quite a while, and then she decided she wanted to go into the private sector doing a 'dream job' - and she started working for and up and coming new company. They did nothing but work her to the bone, and some days they said 'no-one gets to leave until this certain project is done.' Some days she was working 8am til 9pm. It was fucking disgusting. 70 hours a week some weeks. She was an absolute wreck - and again she was laughed at and mocked for having audacity to want to work 'only' 9-10 hours some days.
So she ended up going back into the public sector. She now does 4 days a week. She still gets about £40K - so she's fine. and her partner gets £60K so they're doing all right. My other DD and partner both work for the Government, and are happy in their work. They've got a lovely work life balance - and do 9 day fortnights. They all have a good amount of holiday leave too. And they get paid in full if they're off sick.
@Usunshine You definitely need to find another job. This sounds like a horrific place to work. I was hoping this type of workplace was burning itself out now, and thought this ballbreaking attitude had been consigned to the past, but my older DD's experience proved it hasn't! And so does yours!!!
I grew up in an age where women were supposed to have it all ... Have children, and the home, and be a good wifey and mommy, and have a successful career - training and training to get the top of the career ladder. (My workplace used to virtually force people to do an HNC, and even in a few cases, a degree, but it was in a subject related to the job, not a subject that interests them.)
Unfortunately, while women were working their finger to the bone at work, nobody else was doing anything in the house - so the woman had to go home and do everything; cook, clean, housework, any evening activity with the children etc... And children were just pushed out to childminders.
I don't think you can have a career that involves working 60+ hours a week or more, and be a really good parent. I'm sorry, I just don't think you can. You can't do both. They're both demanding jobs. I don't mean you can't be a working mom, but you can't be working 60-70 hours a week and be a good parent - you just can't. I chose to be a good parent. Fuck work.
It was when my children got to 4 and 5, that I gave up my horrible demanding job, and just worked 16 hours a week at the Chinese Restaurant, and then as I said, went to work for council 2-3 days a week after 2 years - in a much less demanding role than I was in my old (horrible!) job...! My 2 DD loved me being at home much more, and I never went full time again... They're now both nearly 30...