Gen Zers are embracing remote and flexible customer service jobs — but the freedom comes at a cost

Remote roles are often portrayed as good for mental and physical health, but that isn't always the case.

• Some Gen Zers appear to be gravitating toward customer service roles for a better work-life balance.
• These roles can often be remote, flexible, and relatively well-paid,. 
• But they can also be stressful and have a significant mental health toll.

For Gen Z, it's all about working smarter, not harder.

And there seems to be an unlikely role that is getting a boost from this trend: customer services.

"The pay is usually decent, most companies are looking for work-from-home type of employees, and there is often schedule flexibility," said Dave Hoekstra, who has spent his entire career in customer service.

According to an analysis of a dataset of over 75 million white-color professionals by Jason Saltzman, the director of growth at Live Data Technologies, which is a provider of real-time employment data, Zoomers in customer success roles have increased in the past few years.

"Since 2021, Gen Z professionals make up a 22% greater share of the white-collar workforce," Saltzman told Business Insider — an increase from 5.1% in 2021 to 6.2% in 2024.

"In the same period, Gen Z employees now make up an 82% greater share of customer success roles," he said, increasing to 12.2% in 2024 from 6.7% in 2021.

The ultimate remote job?

Zoomers are playing a big role in transforming work culture. They say no to climbing the corporate ladder when they see limited rewards for doing so and place more value on time off than overachieving and staying late at the office.

Part of this is embracing "lazy girl jobs," a term coined by the TikTok content creator and "anti-work girlboss" Gabrielle Judge. Judge previously told BI that a lazy girl job is any well-paying role that is low-effort enough so people still have the energy to invest in the things they care about.

These jobs often offer hybrid or working-from-home options and are increasingly being considered as a low-stress option due to high levels of burnout felt by millennial and Zoomer workers.

In one video, Judge listed customer success manager as one example of a lazy girl job. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for this position is between $66,000 and $118,000 a year.

With a flexible schedule, a livable salary, and the ability to gain significant social media followers on the side, customer support roles may be an obvious choice for Gen Zers entering the workforce.

A focus on empathy

Hoekstra, who works at the workforce management platform Calabrio, told BI that the customer service industry "looks very different" compared to the late 1990s.

The average annual salary for a customer service rep in the US is $34,000 - $46,000, according to Glassdoor.

"If the employee doesn't mind being tethered to a headset all day and doesn't mind focusing on their job, then it can be a pretty rewarding experience as they look to the future," Hoekstra said.

Brittany Betts, who is on the cusp of millennial and Gen Z and handles customer service at a small travel company, told BI that "it allows you the opportunity to embrace your inner emotions and empathy with other people while simultaneously helping them find what they need.

"Gen Z has been known for many things and I know 'hardworking' hasn't generally been one, but we are definitely understanding if not anything else."

Social media side hustle

Customer service positions can give workers the freedom to be creative with a social media side hustle. On TikTok, videos under the hashtag #customerservice, where creators either show one side of a customer support call or reenact difficult interactions, can rack up millions of views.

Daineshe Sutton, for example, has gone viral with some of her videos, in which she shows how she handles escalations and steps in if customers are rude and cussing at other agents.

Sutton believes the influx of Gen Z and millennial workers is mostly due to remote work becoming the norm. She said these roles also don't come with the pressure to dress up every day or the fear of being judged on one's appearance.

"Remote work is focused solely on skills, knowledge, and the ability to effectively assist customers and not what you look like while doing it," she said.

Another creator, who posts anonymously under the name Disney Mom, has amassed 138,000 followers for her no-nonsense calls with what she describes as "entitled" customers.

"The fact I can work in my PJs without a bra on is my biggest flex," she said. "I hate driving in traffic, especially morning rush hour, because people are beyond nuts trying to rush to work."

The mental health toll

But while such remote jobs are often portrayed as relatively stress-free, the reality is much more complex.

A 2024 Zendesk survey of 2,500 global consumers and 4,500 business respondents found that 21% of Zoomers had higher customer service expectations since the pandemic. Almost 50% also said an "unfriendly support agent" was what they found frustrating about a negative customer service experience.

The industry generally has a bad reputation. Customers feel exasperated when they can't speak to real reps and get enraged when their problems are not immediately solved, or they feel they are being passed from agent to agent with no answers.

One of the biggest downsides of the career is dealing with angry people, Sutton said. She can take anywhere between 45 and 100 calls per day, and it can be physically draining to maintain empathy and professionalism, which can take a toll on her mental health.

The job "requires a lot of patience and resilience," she said.

"Managing the diverse range of emotions and attitudes from callers is mentally and emotionally taxing," she said.

The creator known as Disney Mom agreed, saying she has had to deal with a lot of "dumb situations" and a significant number of calls where customers can be "rude, racist, and sexist."

Sutton started posting on TikTok because she saw "an opportunity to shed light on the realities of customer service." She wanted to provide a behind-the-scenes view of what happens when you call up a company to complain and challenge the mantra that "the customer is always right" — particularly when they are difficult.

More generally, remote jobs can often lead to a feeling of isolation.

"The lack of face-to-face interaction makes it harder to build rapport and convey empathy," Sutton said. "Requiring extra effort to ensure that the caller feels heard and understood."

Sutton hopes to be part of the industry changing for the better.

She never thought she'd gain traction, but when one of her videos amassed more than three million views, she realized how much it struck a chord with people.

"Ultimately, it's refreshing for viewers to see the work we do and the interactions we handle daily," she said.