With a word like “fatigue” defining the year, it’s no wonder workers turned to Glassdoor for validation from fellow job seekers time and time again while navigating work in 2025. Whether it was in a Glassdoor Community Hot Seat or onstage in a room full of employers, career experts like Adam Grant, Linda Raynier, and more said a lot of what was on job seekers’ minds. Here are six quotes that helped workers feel seen and made us want to say “preach” (with a hands-raised emoji) on behalf of professionals everywhere.
- “What people want is not unreasonable levels of balance. What they want is a job as opposed to indentured servitude.” - Adam Grant
Gen Z workplace trends continued to shift the traditional playbook for what success at work looks like. We explored the balance Grant speaks of to glean some tips for other generations at work and learned that 68% of Gen Z workers said they wouldn't pursue management if it weren't for the paycheck or title*. Their approach to work, which we coined as “career minimalism,” is more about the day job funding the passion project, with identity and fulfillment coming from entrepreneurial pursuits, creative endeavors, or social causes they care about.
- “We’ve traded the rigid career ladder for the career lily pad - a path where we can jump to whatever opportunity fits best at the moment. In the long run, that kind of flexibility is more sustainable, more realistic, and better suited to today’s workplace realities.” - Morgan Sanner
The traditional corporate ladder? Gen Z isn't interested. Morgan Sanner, Glassdoor’s Gen Z career expert and founder of Resume Official, describes the "career lily pad" approach as hopping from opportunity to opportunity based on personal and professional goals at any moment. With 70% of Gen Z workers saying AI has made them question their job security**, they're responding by building diverse skill sets and multiple income streams rather than betting on one corporate track. Side hustles aren't backup plans — they're central to identity. As one Glassdoor community member put it: "I always joke that I don't dream of labor... Passion is for your 5-9 after the 9-5." And when Gen Z does enter management, they're rewriting those rules too.
- “It's so hard to do the job search alone, because it magnifies our fears and insecurities. You can (even) be a really experienced executive – everyone feels this way.” - Phyl Terry
The job search can feel isolating, and that loneliness amplifies every rejection and moment of self-doubt. Terry points to a fundamental shift needed in how we approach the hunt: stop spraying and praying with hundreds of online applications. Instead, focus on what Terry calls "candidate-market fit," understanding both what you want and how the market actually perceives you. This means conducting listening tours, treating your skills as a product you're bringing to market, and building a support network. With over 85% of jobs filled through word-of-mouth and networking rather than online applications, the traditional solo approach isn't just emotionally draining — it's strategically ineffective.
- “Only until you realize that the belief (that speaking on your accomplishments is bad) is coming from a fear-based mindset can you then replace it with a more positive one that says 'sharing my wins and accomplishments is a natural way for people to understand that I'm a good match for them.’” - Linda Raynier
For introverts and quiet achievers, self-promotion can feel uncomfortable, almost like bragging. Raynier, career strategist and author of "The Quiet Achiever," knows this personally. Being told she was too "proud" as a child planted seeds of doubt about celebrating her accomplishments. But confidence isn't about being boastful: it's about stating facts. Raynier recommends building a "treasure chest of stories" about projects where you made an impact, and writing your own resume rather than outsourcing it. If you can't sell yourself on paper, you'll struggle even more in interviews. The connection between how you present yourself in writing and in person is stronger than most realize.
Check this out: Tips for thriving at work as an introvert
- “Too many leaders treat burnout as a personal issue to manage instead of an organizational problem to solve. If multiple people are exhausted, it’s not in their heads — it’s in your culture and structure.” - Adam Grant
This year, Glassdoor data showed reviews mentioning burnout increased 32% year-over-year as of Q1 2025, and in a poll asking whether news events were draining workers' energy, 78% of professionals said yes. Grant called this "chaos fatigue," the stress from relentless, turbulent world events. But what stood out most wasn't just his advice about individual resilience strategies. It was his insistence that when multiple people in an organization are exhausted, the problem isn't personal, it's systemic. It’s important for leaders to reduce overwhelming workloads and increase control, giving people both skills to handle challenges and permission to set boundaries and take breaks.
- “After over four years (of return to office mandates), there’s no discernible benefit for the company’s bottom line — period — of dragging people back to the office.” - Adam Grant
Grant didn't mince words when discussing return-to-office mandates this year. Research examining over three million tech and finance workers found that after RTO mandates, firms lose star employees and struggle to attract new talent. The workers most likely to quit? Senior, skilled, and female employees. A study of federal patent examiners showed remote work actually increased productivity. Grant's frustration centered on work policy decisions being made based on opinion rather than evidence. The RTO debate arose when federal employees were ordered back into the office full-time in early 2025. Grant's message remained clear: showing up is an act of compliance, not commitment. What matters is the value people create, not the place they inhabit.
Methodology:
*The poll ran from July 28, 2025, through July 29, 2025, and was answered by over 1,000 U.S. professionals. Respondents could answer with either “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Would you pursue management roles if it weren’t needed for career and income growth?” For subgroup breakouts, including age group, all categories received at least 100 responses from U.S. professionals on the platform.
**The poll ran from June 18, 2025 through June 20, 2025 and was answered by over 1,000 U.S. professionals. Respondents could answer with either “Yes” or “No” to the question, “Has AI adoption at work made you question your long-term job security?” For subgroup breakouts including age group, all categories received at least 100 responses from U.S. professionals on the platform.