In 2024 there will be a paradigm shift in power and trust between employees and employers. It’s part of a generational redesign of work from being like a game to Tetris to become like a game of Roblox.
Growing up, I spent countless hours playing Tetris on my Nintendo Game Boy. There was something mesmerizing about assembling the flat-sided blocks that fell from above. The game design was clean, precise and simple. This gave the player a sense of order and control. I showed my 12 year old son Tetris and asked him if he wanted to play. “Why would I?” he answered quickly. “You can never beat the system.” And in that sense he is right.
Organizations by design were very much like a game of Tetris— top-down, hierarchical, with clear rules. Work had fixed boundaries around hours, physical locations, and roles. Importantly, these boundaries are set primarily by the employer, not the employee.
While I’m part of Generation Tetris (or Gen X), my son is very much a member of Generation Roblox (Gen Z). In his world, just like in the game of Robloxthere are endless possibilities for realms you can create and roles you can play. You can invent your dream job, build bridges or spaceships, tend a farm or live in a mansion on the coast. in your heart Roblox it’s about self-authorship. But the sense of control comes from being creative, not organizing blocks. He loves Roblox because, in his words, “This is my world and my rules.”
The world of Tetris and the world of Roblox are in many ways a powerful metaphor for a profound shift in power and trust taking place in the world of work. Generation Z (and Y and Alpha, who will begin entering the workforce later this decade) have little interest in a way of working designed as a game of Tetris. Rules, rewards, and reporting structures don’t make sense to them. Given that by 2025 27 percent of the workforce in OECD countries will be Gen Z, this is a pressing issue to address. By 2030, Roblox generation will be the majority, with over 58 percent of the workforce made up of Gen Z and millennials.
According to the World Economic Forum, almost two-thirds of Gen Z would prefer to work for themselves or a startup. 80 percent of Gen Z workers globally are looking to find a job that better aligns with their values. About half report that they would quit their job if it interfered with their work-life balance. The proposed solution to these changing work dynamics is often flexibility. Yes, younger generations want or expect more flexibility, but focusing on where and when people work misses a deeper paradigm shift—the relationship people have with organizations has been transformed.
In many ways, the design of Tetris reflects a “power over” leadership mindset: “If I tell others what to do, they will follow me.” You cannot invent rules and boundaries; they are inherent in a top-down linear system. Robloxon the other hand, it represents a “power with” dynamic. There are no corporate ladders to climb or hierarchies to navigate – unless you invent them. Engagement comes from game design that is collaborative, autonomous, customizable, and peer-driven.
According to a recent Gartner report, employee engagement has 3.8 times more impact on employee stress than the workplace. In other words, how people’s experiences of their daily work – their feelings of engagement and enthusiasm – matter more for reducing stress than where they are doing their job. Game designers understand this, but most organizations don’t. In 2024 the leaders will have no alternative but to accept that you can no longer play Tetris in a Roblox world.
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