Episode: 208

Episode Title: Who’s Ready to Come Back to the Office?

As employers start reopening their offices, is the tech-savvy Gen-Z ready to give up remote work to come back? Stay tuned for more, coming up next on the Syndicate.

Ep 208 show:

Welcome—you are now in The Perna Syndicate! All around the country, employers are facing the question of if, when, and how to bring their employees back to the office. And employees are facing another question: do they actually want to go back to in-person work?

Gen-Z is known for being tech-savvy and you might think that working from home was a natural fit for them. But in reality, the shift to remote work hasn’t been a smooth one. 

A recent study from Washington State University found that while a third of older workers complained about remote work, almost half of younger employers reported that working from home has negatively impacted their mental health.

Compared to older employees, Gen-Z employees are more likely to be impacted by distractions at home, decreased ability to focus, and a disrupted work/life balance. They also thrive on social interaction and connectedness—something they missed big time while working remote. 

Additionally, having been in the workforce for such a short time, many have not yet built meaningful career connections or experienced the full company culture, which can be disheartening.

As offices reopen, many workers will soon have the option of in-person work again. And this is good news for every generation.

Tomorrow: how do employers view Gen-Z? Are they raw material to be molded, or do they bring something of their own to the workplace? Find out tomorrow at the Syndicate. We’ll see you then!