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These parents are driving their adult kids to work — and driving critics crazy.
Gen Z employees are asking their moms and dads to accompany them on their commutes to their full-time jobs in a new trend sparking serious debate on social media.
“POV: your dad takes you to work,” a creator, who goes by Cee, wrote on a TikTok video that showed her sitting shotgun as her father drove her to the office.
Meanwhile, another content creator shared footage of herself sitting shotgun as she admitted that her dad drives her to the workplace every single morning even though she’s 27 years old.
Elsewhere, another Zoomer admitted that she had her dad chaperone her on a trial commute to her new job.
“My dad took the train with me into the city to practice walking to work cuz my first day is Monday,” the TikTokker, who goes by Meg, wrote on her viral video.
But the trend has been met with pushback from critics who believe the dependant Zoomers should be able to commute on her own.
“I grew up in NYC in the 80s and started taking the train alone at 13,” wrote one viewer of Meg’s video.
Another claimed it should be “empowering” for young people to venture out into the world on their own, without the metaphorical — and sometimes literal — handholding from their parents.
However, other users said the parental support was heartwarming.
“People commenting that they did it alone and it was empowering — yeah, I also did it alone [too] but I think having a supportive parent or sibling there through a big life change would have been even better,” argued one person.
“My dad would do the same. This is exactly how them men in our lives are supposed to treat us,” another weighed in. “Our safety is top priority.”
The phenomenon comes as Gen Zers rely on parents to complete job applications, accompany them to interviews and even phone potential bosses on their behalf.
Managers have even reported that they can tell when parents are applying in their child’s place.
A survey published earlier this year by Resume Templates found 70% of Zoomers lean on their parents for help when searching for a job, while one in four bring their parents to interviews with them.
“It can be looked at as unprofessional, lack of credibility. It could be seen as the person is not independent,” LinkedIn career expert Francisco Tobon told NBC News Miami.
“The person is not taking initiative for their own career, for their own professional journey.”
