5 pm and gone: What 7 bosses really think of Gen Z's work style

It’s 4:58 pm, Slack notifications have slowed to a trickle, and somewhere in an open-plan office in New Delhi, a 24-year-old is already reaching for their bag and headphones. The manager notices, because they always do.

Do they say something? No. But they do feel something.

What exactly goes through a manager’s mind at that moment? Is it an annoyance? A grudging sense of respect? Or even a quiet wish they had the nerve to do the same at that age?

With that question in mind, India Today.in reached out to seven managers and founders across Indian start-ups and corporates with a simple premise. Tell us, honestly, what happens when your Gen Z employee logs off at 5 pm sharp? No HR-approved talking points. No LinkedIn posturing.

What came back was surprisingly nuanced, and at times, brutally honest.

THE PRODUCTIVITY DEFENCE, NATURALLY!

Let's start with the argument Gen Z employees themselves would probably make. And interestingly, several managers agree with it. Parijat Tiwari at RateGain puts it plainly, "Gen Z doesn't like to stay in office for the sake of staying in office. They wrap up their work and prefer to leave; it actually makes them more productive on most days."

There's a caveat, though. "During emergencies, it's a bit of a struggle to reach out to them once they've logged out," Tiwari admits. "But once connected, they always show up and perform."

This sentiment echoes across multiple conversations. For many, this 5 pm exit isn't laziness, it's just efficiency. Or at least, that's how it looks when the work actually gets done.

Mehul Yadav, AVP Growth at Square Yards, frames it as a two-way street. "Productivity isn't about being on every minute during working hours, so expecting some balance both ways makes sense. It's really about accountability rather than strict clock-watching."

THE 'BUT WHAT ABOUT EMERGENCIES' CROWD

Not everyone is quite so relaxed about the hard stop though.

Sundeep Shenoy, Business Head for Lending at Innopay, draws a clear line: "It depends on whether the deadlines for the day are met or not. If they are met, then logging off at 5 pm is not an issue. The problem is when deliverables get pushed to the next day."

His bottom line? "One cannot have work being compromised for personal life. So yes, I would respect a Gen Z logging off at 5, if the same person is willing to stretch when there are business exigencies."

That word, stretch, comes up repeatedly.

The implicit contract seems to be this – "you can leave on time, but you'd better be ready to stay late when it matters."

Amit Kumar, MD at Simon Kucher, runs a tighter ship but frames it thoughtfully: "Logging off at 5 isn't the issue, outcomes are. We take work-life balance seriously and prioritise results over hours, while ensuring people are in the office at the right times because in-person collaboration matters."

His team operates in what he calls an "Ownership culture." "If someone logs off at 5 when it makes sense, that's perfectly fine. But just as importantly, our teams step up and stretch when needed to deliver on tight deadlines."

THE QUIET ADMISSION

This is where things start to get interesting. A few managers said something that sounded almost like... reflective?

Yashas, VP HR at Hocco, said, "Gen Z logging off on time isn't a red flag, it's a leadership mirror."

Read that again. A leadership mirror.

"When outcomes are strong, hours shouldn't matter, though there will always be moments that demand extra effort," Yashas continues. "The difference is that high performance relies on purposeful intensity, driven by clarity and trust, not permanent exhaustion."

Mayur Sirdesai at Somerset Indus Capital Partners sees it as an organisational health check: "Employees logging off on time is always a good sign that the organisation can manage its business and employee wellbeing synergistically."

Though he adds a practical footnote to his quote. "Logging off on time has to be combined with logging on time... then the true circle of productivity gets completed."

How can one disagree with this?

THE ENTITLEMENT QUERY

Of course, not every manager views the 5 pm exodus through the same lens.

Karishma Chavan, Co-founder of Sassiest, offers a more nuanced perspective. "Gen Z's approach to work is strongly rooted in self-worth, lifestyle, and expectations of work culture. At times, this can come across as a sense of entitlement, regardless of experience or achievements."

She also adds, "I don't believe there's anything inherently wrong with logging off on time." But she raises a harder question about ambition and trajectory. "If someone aims to achieve significantly more or take on leadership roles, time becomes a critical differentiator. The willingness to invest extra time often shapes growth and trajectory."

For Chavan, the calculation is ultimately practical: "If weekly goals are met consistently, without delays, the exact hours worked become less relevant."

SO, WHAT DID WE ACTUALLY LEARN?

After seven conversations, here's the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to say directly: most managers don't actually care about the clock. Hit your numbers, deliver your projects, respond when things catch fire, and the 5 pm exit becomes a non-issue. Fall short, miss deadlines, be unreachable during a crisis, and suddenly that boundary becomes evidence of a character flaw.

The generational framing might be a red herring. What we're really talking about is the oldest workplace negotiation in existence. How much of yourself do you owe your employer? Ask Gen Z, and the answer is disarmingly simple. “Exactly what I’m paid for, and not a minute more.” This isn’t entirely new. It’s just louder now, more visible, and far less apologetic.

Which raises an uncomfortable question. Maybe the 5 pm log-off isn’t a Gen Z problem at all. Maybe it’s a spotlight, one that’s been waiting to be switched on, on a system that has equated physical presence with productivity, loyalty with overtime, and dedication with self-sacrifice.

Interestingly, the managers who have come to terms with this shift seem to have one thing in common. They have stopped measuring hours and started measuring output.

Because at the end of the day, if your Gen Z employee logs off at 5 pm, the work is done, and the deadline has been met – so, what exactly are you upset about?