Gen Z misses the office

The Future. As work-from-home policies become commonplace, Gen Z workers are discovering that they actually miss the in-person experience because of the opportunity and community it provides. To attract young and experienced employees alike, companies may now need to institute hybrid-work arrangements that have specific teams come in on certain days during the week…giving people the best of both worlds.

Take me back
Despite accepted knowledge, it turns out Gen Z actually does miss putting on a pair of pants and showing up to work.

• Per Insider, a group of researchers from Stanford, the University of Chicago, and Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) found that only 24% of Gen Z workers want to go remote full time.
• The number increases as workers age, with 41% of people in their 50s and 60s wanting to go fully remote.
• That’s because, according to Generation Lab, young workers see the office as key to gaining mentorship, networking with colleagues, and fostering community.
• Some are also worried about having a comfortable place to work (because let’s be honest, young workers can barely afford more than a small apartment).
• Also, a 2019 study found that 11% of couples met at work, so no office makes dating that much harder.

The dual pressures — young people who want to be in the office; older ones who would do anything to stay home — are forcing companies to figure out what to do with their offices. Kastle Systems found that a company’s remote policy directly affected how many people showed up to the office (spoiler alert: if you go remote, people don’t show).

As Insider’s Aki Ito says, “the Great Bifurcation has begun.”