About a month ago, Fortune released an article titled “Bosses are firing Gen Z grads just months after hiring them—here’s what they say needs to change.” The article said that six in 10 employers have already fired some of the fresh graduates they hired. Between 14 and 17% said they’re hesitant to hire Gen Z college grads because they’re “unprepared and unprofessional.”

To that, I say bullshit.

Gen Z is not “unprofessional.” Rather, our standards of professionalism are adapting and straying farther from the generations before us. We do not feel the need to conform to society’s rigid workplace standards, and I don’t think we deserve to take the flack for that.

I attended the Women Lead Change conference over fall break, and I took many valuable insights away from it. However, some of the advice given to students made me cringe. 

We were told to stick to neutral tones of blacks, whites and grays in our professional wardrobe to not draw attention to ourselves in a bad way. I like a pop of color to express myself and establish my personality before I’ve even opened my mouth. I embrace my femininity in my style because that’s my preference. Sure, I could wear a blazer, but I could also wear a dress and don my kickass heels and still have something valuable to contribute in meetings.

Kristin Economos, director of the Adams Leadership Institute at Drake, always shows up to campus in chic, colorful outfits with big, flashy earrings. She is widely respected on campus, and I’ve never seen her in a gray blazer.

In one of the keynote addresses at the conference, Dr. Claire Musselman said the key to a good introduction is a strong handshake. I cringed. I deeply wish we could move away from the handshake as a society. After a global pandemic and living with an immunocompromised parent who had an organ transplant, I wish denying a handshake was not seen as disrespect. I still want to display my openness and gratitude for meeting without having to touch a total stranger.

I think corporate leaders and HR departments forget that those they are hiring right now lost several key professional development years to quarantine lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. Sorry I missed out on those years of practicing sitting through corporate meetings all day because I was too busy rationing toilet paper and hand sewing face masks.

I promise that Gen Z individuals are still valuable additions to companies and organizations across the country. We need some extra investment that might come at the cost of your bottom line for a bit but could prove to be the best gamble ever made.

Gen Z is learning to take mental health breaks and prioritize balance. Are we going to climb the corporate ladder as fast as our grandparents? Nope! But the ladder isn’t really a ladder anymore. It’s a jungle gym. (Thanks, poster outside Associate Director of Career Services Timm Pilcher’s office.)

Does it really matter if we secure that billion dollar deal in our Lululemon leggings and our Taylor Swift Eras tour sweatshirt? Does it really matter if we don’t want to shake hands with the executive vice president if they are impressed with the pitch we finished three days before the deadline? Does it really matter if we tell a client they’re giving main character energy if they sign off on our ambitious strategy?

Our generation is realizing that we don’t have to put up with the same challenges previous generations did. Following standards just to land a secure job where we aren’t appreciated or satisfied in our work isn’t cutting it anymore. What employers see as “unprepared and unprofessional” might just be our generation demanding our worth.

At the end of the day, this workplace dilemma boils down to acceptance of changing opinions of professionalism. If managers and HR leaders can accept that times are changing and accept that maybe Gen Z deserves a chance to prove their worth, then we might just prove to be the most valuable employees you ever had.