The era of the cubicle worker is not entirely dead
No, Gen Z does not want in-person work to entirely end. In fact, some of the Gen Z marketers who spoke at Ad Age’s recent event prefer going into the office.
Mar Elia said her last internship was in-person and she prefers that experience. “Having conversations during breaks and talking about some random assignment you had to complete today, you can really learn a lot from each other,” she said.
Employees engaging in both planned and spontaneous in-person interactions with colleagues spark ideas and feedback that in turn helps the work, Mar Elia said.
“Team camaraderie is the biggest thing,” Baseil Massa said on the benefits of being in the office. “My first job out of college I worked with a lot of Gen Zers so we were super verbal over Slack, sending memes and gifs. When you have a multigenerational workforce, that culture can’t become completely virtual.”
Also read: Why agencies should go fully remote
Being in the office can be crucial to fostering a good culture, Baseil Massa said.
Still, what Gen Z wants most is the ability to choose where they work.
Baseil Massa advised employers to “trust” in their employees to make decisions based on how they feel they will be most productive.
“I’ve never worked in an office job and I’m three-plus years into my career,” Baseil Massa said. “Things will ever go fully back to the way they were. Especially as we know that we are as productive, as effective at home. We can collaborate via Zoom.”
Statman is a proponent of hybrid work and even started to go into the office once a week when it wasn’t required at her first job at an ad agency. “I did notice my mental health detonating when I was constantly in my room,” she said.