We aren’t living how humans are supposed to live. Millennials are questioning a social and economic system that prioritizes productivity and profit over human well-being, and blaming relentless pressure to succeed for warping the perception of work and leisure — leaving the entire generation feeling exhausted and disengaged.

Modern work ethic ties identity and self-worth to career achievement and financial success — an ideological complex deeply tied to contemporary capitalism. People are working longer hours, glorifying the idea of overwork, and refusing to rest in fear of falling behind or being viewed as lazy. This has led to a mental health crisis, widespread stress, and increased burnout.

The mental health implications of this are hitting thirty- and forty-somethings hard. Hearing their peers talk about how busy they are has caused many to internalize the idea that they need to be working all the time. This is when they stop prioritizing rest — like not using their PTO — and start experiencing burnout, eventually leading to an inability to perform even the most mundane of tasks.

Physical health may also be compromised. A study found that working 55 or more hours per week — in comparison to 35-40 hours — leads to a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

Millennials’ drive to work may not have to do with their own preferences but the economic contexts they’ve lived through. In contrast to Gen Z, which entered the job market during a period of low unemployment, millennials began their working lives during and in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis — not exactly a period in which entry-level employees had room to dictate employment terms to their bosses.

Student debt and falling real wages have also put real pressure on millennials to earn: In the US in particular, high student debt has left millennials with less household wealth on average than previous generations had at their age. Meanwhile, in the UK, falling real wages have seen millennials earn an average of 8% less at 30 than Gen X did at their age.

TL;DR: Whether the result of a toxic culture of capitalism, the relationship to work they cultivated early in their careers, or — per the Boomers — a plain lack of perspective, millennials are feeling overworked, underpaid, and increasingly unhappy with the status quo. With many of them aging into positions of authority at work and elsewhere, their discontent is something employers and employees will increasingly need to contend with — no matter which side of the pecking order you stand on.

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