‘Gen Z ain’t ready’: Man loses a job offer over a missed deadline — calls it ‘discrimination’

A TikTok video about a canceled job offer has started a big debate about work expectations and how younger workers view their jobs.

Creator @reesesaun shared his story of losing a cybersecurity job offer just three days after getting it. His video got people talking on social media about being professional and committed to work. The problem started when @reesesaun said yes to a job offer and right away asked to start six weeks later because he had travel plans. The company said okay to his request. But then he missed a 72-hour deadline to take a required drug test. He said he did not see the email in time. When he asked the recruiter for more time, she told him the company had taken back his offer.

The story got a lot of attention online, and many people said it was his fault. “Gen Z ain’t ready for this job market,” wrote X user Uche Perkins. “Y’all may not like what I got to say, but if an employer tells you to jump, you better ask how high, because the pendulum has swung in their direction.” Other people also criticized him. One person wrote that he showed no sense of urgency and another said he must have only needed the job a little bit, not a lot.

Why do companies give 72 hours for drug tests

The 72-hour deadline for work drug tests is normal in many jobs and has a clear reason. As one person explained in the original TikTok thread, companies use this short time so people cannot spend a few days getting clean before taking the test. Missing this deadline can make employers think someone is not serious about the job or make them wonder about drug use, even if that was not what the person meant.

@reesesaun first said that racism might have been part of why the company made this choice. He hinted at deeper reasons for what happened. But in later videos, he said it was his mistake. “It’s my fault, I missed the drug test,” he said. He also shared that this actually happened over a year ago, not recently. 

He told The Daily Dot that he still thinks asking for the six-week delay was okay, but he now gets how missing the deadline looked bad. “The missed deadline, likely signaled lack of commitment. While that wasn’t my intention, I completely understand how it could be perceived that way,” he said. The recruiter also told him this was strange because the company had never taken back an offer before and usually gave people more chances.

This story has become part of a bigger talk about Gen Z work habits. Studies show that Gen Z workers stay at their first jobs for only 1.1 years on average during their first five years of work. This is much shorter than older workers. By 2025, this group is expected to make up 27 to 30 percent of all workers. This means companies need to understand what young workers want and expect from their jobs.