Gen Z employee asks manager, “Reels scroll karun?” after she has nothing to do; sparks debate on productivity

A surprising message from a Gen Z hire to her manager has set social media abuzz—after claiming she had “nothing to do,” the young employee asked, “Reels scroll karun?” (Can I scroll Reels?), sparking laughter, criticism, and debate about modern work culture and generational expectations.

The incident was shared by the manager on Reddit, who noted that just three months into leading a Security Operations Center (SOC) team, she received the message via WhatsApp while sitting next to the employee. She wrote, “My junior texted me this … she asked if she could scroll reels since she had no tasks.”

Manager’s challenge: juggling guidance and autonomy


In her post, the manager acknowledged that she had been busy and had not been able to guide the newcomer closely. She said, “I started leading the SOC team 3 months back. Recently Gen Z girl joined my team. She’s good at work. I was too busy to guide her tasks, but look at this Gen Z attitude.” Her remark reflects tensions many leaders face today: balancing delegation with mentorship. Mixed reactions from social media

The manager’s post struck a nerve online. One commenter remarked, “If the work is done, is it necessary to keep someone under pressure? You can politely say, ‘Go chill and come back, then we’ll review.’” The original poster replied that she takes a laid-back approach, and said the employee was “just teasing me. Even if I tell her not to, she’ll keep scrolling anyway.”

Another user lamented, “I wish my manager was like this — mine scolded me 15 minutes ago because everyone was on their phones.” A third said, “This attitude is actually kind of cool. If someone doesn’t have work, either assign them something or let them scroll—but communication matters.”