August 6, 2025
Gen-Zers are afraid they are not gaining enough professional development skills through a screen.
A new report has revealed a preference from Gen-Z employees that may come as a shock.
Gallup has reported that Gen-Z employees do not want a fully remote workplace. Instead of the new-age Zoom calls, they would rather connect with colleagues through in-person meetings.
Gen-Z prefers not to have a fully remote setup more than other generations, such as millennials and baby boomers. Findings from Gallup’s survey concluded that only 25% of Gen-Z workers liked an entirely remote schedule. This number differed significantly from other generations, where 35% of workers within these age ranges said they would never come into the office.
Some may find these results surprising, especially as Gen-Z seems more digitally inclined than its predecessors. They can troubleshoot a Zoom call and message easily on a Slack channel, making the virtual day seamless.
“You might think that [Gen Z] just would have an automatic preference for remote work, because they can do a lot of things digitally,” explained Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing at Gallup, to CNBC.
However, an entirely virtual work environment can come with its drawbacks. As Gen-Z enters the workforce, concerns about how remote work can hinder their career advancement have taken a toll.
Establishing key relationships with higher-ranking professionals in the office can be harder online, and Gen-Z has already started to notice. Gen-Z employees understand that its easier to forge these relationships through in-person encounters than a screen.
There are so many things that happen in-person that you can’t schedule for on Zoom calls: random conversations, solving problems, quickly asking for advice,” added Harter. “All of us that have experienced it know the difference.”
Instead, the majority of this age group vastly prefer hybrid work at 71%. With the highest percentage for this work preference among all generations, this group views this option as the best of both worlds. They still widely reject entirely in-person work, with only 6% of Gen-Z workers wanting that option.
Hybrid flexibility includes some remote days, with mandated in-office times. With this, employees can still work from the comfort of their home while building those crucial relationships for advancement. However, hybrid days cannot guarantee that early career employees will receive everything they need to develop. Ensuring this occurs remains up to the initiative of upper-level management.
Another potential reason for this preference could stem from loneliness. As many Gen-Zers were the first to experience remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, this lack of interaction stemming from school days has increased bouts of loneliness. Harter says that the need for “in-person connection” may drive this push for hybrid work options.
The study also confirmed that 1 in 5 employees, and especially those under 35, have experienced significant loneliness. Having all employees in the office on hybrid days can help boost necessary interaction on all levels of a company.
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