41 Percent of Gen-Zers Get Prenups. They Want the Same Clarity at Work

Mark Zuckerberg allegedly had a contract with then-girlfriend Priscilla Chan that if she moved to Silicon Valley, he would spend at least 100 minutes per week outside the home and office with her. It may seem like a particular and odd thing to put in writing, but Chan wanted to know what she was getting into before uprooting her life for a boyfriend.

Increasingly, people want clarification before entering into serious relationships, including marriage. According to a 2023 Harris Poll, “(41 percent) of Gen Z and (47 percent) of Millennials who are engaged or have been married said they entered a prenup.” In the 1990s, that number was 8 percent.

Consider that wedding site The Knot reports that 53 percent of couples date for two to five years before getting married, and 17 percent for six or more years, and yet they feel like life is uncertain enough that they want to lay out relationship expectations and what happens in a separation before getting married.

You spend maybe three hours talking to a potential employee before hiring them. And while Chan asked for 100 minutes of date time per week, you ask someone to be with you (in the office or virtually) for 2400 minutes per week, generally with a poorly written job description and thinly veiled promises.

What should be in a job description

Just like a prenup doesn’t mean you expect a breakup, a job description doesn’t mean you expect conflict — it means you expect clarity.

You should have a job description for every position, but many companies write job descriptions for marketing purposes when hiring, but don’t update them. In many jobs, what was on the job description bears little relationship to the actual job — especially years later, as things evolve.

While there are good legal reasons to have accurate job descriptions — like having proper descriptions of any physical aspects of the job can protect you against a lawsuit based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, legal protection isn’t the only reason to have a good job description.

A good job description gives the following information:

Key functions of every job. Sure, job descriptions generally contain the phrase “other duties as assigned,” and that’s okay. But they should also have the core functions. If a person in this job must present monthly reports to the board of directors, the job description should say so.

Physical functions of every job. Does this job require standing? Crawling? (Not uncommon in IT jobs, where employees may have to crawl under desks to set up equipment). Do you have to lift things? And are these duties core functions? For instance, you might want to write, “Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs,” on a job description. That’s a core function in a warehouse job, but not a core function for a receptionist who occasionally has to put away a paper delivery. Requiring that skill for a receptionist job could land you in trouble with the ADA.

Reporting structure. While you wouldn’t necessarily put this information on a job you posted on Indeed, you would want to make it very clear who this person’s boss is. That may seem straightforward, but there is often confusion over who the boss really is. Put it in the job description!

Travel expectations. Does this job require constant travel, no travel, or in between? Does the person need to maintain a driver’s license? Is the travel local or does it require overnight stays? Make it very clear so everyone knows just how much they’ll be on the road.

Qualifications for the job. This is important in a job posting, but make sure that they are correct. Does the person really need a specific college degree, or do they just need the skills that are (theoretically) acquired in college? If you say “5-10 years of experience’ do you mean that they need at least 5 years of experience, but maybe a bit more, or are you saying someone with 15 years of experience can’t do the job? 

Clear expectations are a kindness

As a solopreneur for the past 16 years, I know that new tasks and obligations pop up all the time. I had no idea how much time I would spend on marketing, for instance. And in small businesses, employees will need to be flexible because things happen.

But clear expectations aren’t the problem. They don’t prevent flexibility. They do help people feel secure in their understanding of what they need to accomplish. They keep arguments over who is responsible for what to a minimum.

If you find you repeatedly need to pull someone into a different task that isn’t on their job description, talk with the person and formally change their job description. Depending on the task, you may want to offer a pay raise with the description change.

The younger generations are finding the value of setting expectations in romantic relationships, and will undoubtedly appreciate setting expectations at work because 40 hours is a lot more than the 100 minutes in the Zuckerberg-Chan agreement. Transparency isn’t just compliance — it’s compassion.