As the title suggested, I had to endure a lecture from a colleague today who told me that "my generation is lazy and has no work ethic anymore" (I'm in my 20's).

He regularly does the extra 20 mins or so on his shifts, but doesn't asked to be paid for them because he owns his own house and is just saving for retirement now. His wife has a very well paid job still and they own their own car and regularly take trips abroad.

He was trying to enlighten me about a conversation he'd had recently with a friend of his who is in his forties and concludes the same about my generation.

After he'd finished I simply said, "well, if I was nearly retired and owned my own home, car, and had enough to holiday every year. Maybe then I'd consider working for free.

Why is it that just because I know my worth as a worker and my time is far more valuable to me than to waste it working for free for a company that doesn't even pay minimum wage, it makes me lazy?!