Matthew Lau — Memo to Gen Z: Work from the office |
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Matthew Lau — Memo to Gen Z: Work from the office
Working from home may be comfortable and convenient but mentoring, guidance, instruction and example occur in the office. Don't stay away
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Many university students are now writing final exams and will soon graduate and head into the workforce. Here is critical advice for the Class of 2026 and other Gen-Z workers: if you have the choice, always work from the office. Even in hybrid workplaces where you’re only required to show up two or three times weekly, be there every day. Working from home may be more comfortable and convenient but it is a huge mistake.
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People who hire “are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication and relationship-building skills they perceive in Gen-Z and younger workers,” according to global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry. Even as companies pile billions of dollars into Artificial Intelligence investments, which would seem to favour younger, tech-savvy workers, hiring managers say remote work and other factors have “so eroded the interpersonal skills of younger workers that their deficiency is outweighing their digital acumen.”
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Everyone knows AI is shaking up the workplace. But a key insight from Korn Ferry is that in-office presence may be even more important than AI and technological proficiency. They report that 40 per cent of leaders say Gen-Z is unprepared for the workplace, while hiring managers increasingly believe older workers are more attractive hires than Gen-Z because it is easier to develop employees’ technical AI skills than their critical soft skills.
As Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, explained at the Hill and Valley Forum on March 24, remote work “doesn’t work for training young kids, it doesn’t work for developing your EQ (emotional quotient) very well, it definitely doesn’t work for management.” In a subsequent CBS News interview, Dimon said it is important for companies to provide flexibility, such as for employees who take care of young children or elderly parents, but many of the outcomes of remote work are “outrageous.”
Young workers learn by watching and interacting with their more senior colleagues. “We saw people, when they weren’t coming in — younger kids — being left behind. They weren’t developing their EQ as much, they didn’t have as many friends, they didn’t have much knowledge, they weren’t being assigned stuff,” Dimon said. Someone once suggested to Dimon that young workers should not come into the office because it was “unfair.” His reply: “Really? You’re going to tell the kids they can’t have an ambition?”
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Dimon, whose bank is the largest in the world by market capitalization, is absolutely right. Young workers who want to climb the corporate ladder need to be in the office. When working from home, they are less accessible to their managers, have less chance to see how their more senior colleagues think and make decisions, have fewer interactions to learn and benefit from, develop their strategic and critical thinking skills less and receive less mentorship and training. It is through face-to-face interaction and working shoulder-to-shoulder in the same physical space that more-senior workers become invested in the development of their junior colleagues, which is vital to young workers’ learning and progression.
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Especially for Gen-Z workers and new graduates who do not yet have significant caregiving responsibilities at home, working from home is, despite its obvious attractions, a very bad choice. Success in the workplace requires effort and grind, not comfort and convenience. The data show remote workers receive fewer promotions and learn less than those who do go into the office.
In addition to Dimon, many other business leaders — particularly at top firms — emphasize the importance of in-office presence. According to another Korn Ferry article, “This year’s World’s Most Admired Companies report finds that the best firms … want workers in the office.” The report, which is produced by Korn Ferry and Fortune, surveys executives, directors and financial analysts to identify companies with the strongest corporate reputations. Apple, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Nvidia, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway top the list.
In Canada, many leaders have the same view: working from the office is what works. Banks, insurance companies, the provincial government, technology companies and others are increasingly pushing their employees back to the office. As a result, the demand for office space in Toronto is, as Colliers’ national head of research said recently, “roaring again.”
Most top employers and business leaders understand that in-office presence is what helps their companies and employees succeed. As a result, they want their people in the office. The graduating Class of 2026 and other Gen-Z workers should want to be in the office, too. For many, their career success depends on it.
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