Gen Z is often associated with cancel culture. Still, I believe the issue is more complicated than simply asserting that the younger generation has become too sensitive or too eager to pass judgment.

For many members of Gen Z, the aim of calling someone out isn’t usually to punish but to promote accountability. This is because they have grown up in a world in which social media gives individuals, employees, customers, and communities a public platform, and in which companies and public figures can be challenged instantly. Looking at it that way, remaining silent can sometimes seem like accepting behavior that they think should be questioned.

At the same time, cancel culture can easily become counterproductive. There is a clear distinction to be made between holding someone responsible and permanently defining a person based on a single mistake, a misphrased opinion, or something they said many years ago. If every point of disagreement is treated as a moral judgment, then there is little room left for context, conversation, learning, and change.

What is especially interesting in the workplace is that members of Generation Z are bringing these expectations into professional settings. They generally pay careful attention to a company’s values, how its leaders behave, matters of inclusion, ethical questions, and whether the organization really lives up to what it says in public. This can lead companies to become more transparent and accountable, which is beneficial. However, it can also cause tension when complicated situations are reduced to clear-cut right-or-wrong categories.

Maybe a more useful question to ask is this: rather than judging whether cancel culture is good or bad, should we aim to create a culture in which people can be held accountable without taking away their ability to learn, grow, and rejoin the discussion?

It is important to be accountable, and it is also important to have the possibility of growth.

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