I didn’t downvote you even though I disagree with you.
All of the examples you gave of differences have a distinct difference between working in the 90s and now. In the 90s we did all of the things you cite aren’t happening today because it paid off with something better later. It could be a raise in pay, a promotion, or even just experience that could be leveraged at a future job earning more. It was also the time of the final Gen-X’ers entering the workforce, and there were far fewer of us than prior generations that age. This meant there was at least a form of scarcity of entry level workers so anyone that wanted a job could get one that would cover their basic bills. Employers would also train entry level people because there weren’t other options for bodies to do the jobs. We put up with being treated like crap in the hierarchy because we saw that if we worked the hierarchy we would rise. We took risks professionally that would be innovative or creative that created a great product for our employer that would frequently work out. If the professional risk didn’t pay off, we’d likely still be employed or at worst could get another job of near the same level without issue.
In short, we did all of those things in the 90s for the promise of a better tomorrow, and back then, there was one. Workers today know there isn’t a better tomorrow, likely only a worse one. So why should they take the same risks we did professionally if they are not only far less likely to benefit, and are in a much more precarious position with far higher debts (student loans) and far few resources (lack of savings or real estate ownership)?
A younger worker today can do zero doom scrolling and still see their 6 figure student loan debt statements every month. They can look at their take-home pay after subtracting their high living expenses then checking the cost of real estate to see that owning a home going to be perpetually out-of-reach. They can look at the last 4-5 years of their income and see that any appreciation going forward isn’t likely to change their situation.
This is another change from the 90s to today. In the 90s it was a given that there are opportunities and a better tomorrow. We were raised with actual first hand experience of optimism in the working world. For today’s younger workers it has declined to a possibility of opportunities and a better tomorrow. Don’t discount Millennials that entered the workforce right as the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 was starting. As young adults in the 90s as GenX, we had nothing like that. The worse we had was the dotcom bubble burst in 1999 or 2000, and even then it just meant finding another jump of which there were many. Gen Z saw Millennials trying to be successful do what we Gen X-ers did and failing (because the game had changed). Is it any wonder Gen Z isn’t even trying to play the old game when they see the game is now stacked against them?