Dive Brief:
- The chasm between the traditional in-office work experience and the desires of Generation Z continues to widen: 82% of Gen Zers surveyed by Indeed said they have never worked in an office environment full-time.
- Within that majority, almost all (92%) said they feel like they’re missing out on the traditional work experience. Most (85%) are also worried that they’re at a disadvantage for developing “soft skills,” due to their lack of in-person experience.
- Additionally, within that group, 87% of Gen Z respondents said that the benefits of working from home outweigh the perks of working in-office full-time.
Dive Insight:
Indeed’s findings are on par with what HR experts know about Gen Z leading the Great Reshuffle. Likewise, this report builds on previous data wherein Gen Z feels disconnected and disadvantaged due to working remotely. In February 2022, Washington State University’s Carson College of Business reported that most of their Gen Z survey-takers felt that the COVID-19 pandemic stifled their career.
That being said, Indeed’s May 2022 report contextualizes these concerns and despair with fresh insight. Put plainly: just because Gen Z feels like they’re missing out on office work doesn’t necessarily mean they want to start working in-office full time, if at all.
Offering flexibility, among other perks, can help attract and retain young talent, the latter being a point which Indeed researchers highlighted explicitly. Per Indeed’s May 2022 report, 95% of those Gen Zers are considering a job with more work-from-home flexibility and 78% are actively looking for one.
Generally speaking, 47% of Gen Zers told Indeed they’re very likely to change jobs within the next 12 months — more than the slightly older cohort, millennials. Of those Gen Zers making moves to jump ship, 61% were driven by employers' implementation of a return-to-office plan conflicting with their work from home desires.
Despite their concern — for example, more than half of Gen Zers interviewed by talent acquisition firm Lee Hecht Harrison reported career anxiety — young professionals don’t appear to be compromising on their values anytime soon. In fact, they want employers whose moral code matches theirs.
