Gen Z is the least likely generation to work from home – eschewing stereotypes that youngsters are work-shy – according to new data from the Office for National Statistics.
Only 31 per cent of workers aged between 16 and 29 said they had worked from home in the past seven days (at the time of survey), compared to 53 per cent of those in the age group 30-49, showing a clear generational difference.
Legal counsellor Amira Rahman, 27, feels a discrepancy between the freedom her boss has to make use of flexible work hours compared with the strict expectations on her to work in office.
She said: “If your boss isn’t considerate of your working flexibility needs, like in my situation, I think it’s unfair – it also makes you feel kind of paranoid and on guard.
“I feel like it makes it harder to be productive because you need a boss that can give you a good level of senior support rather than spending all their time policing you on whether you’ve come into the office or not.”
Research by charity The Marmalade Trust found that 48 per cent of Gen Z say home is where they feel most lonely, suggesting that young people may use the office as a way to socialise and feel connected.
Amira agrees, saying: “I feel like for social interaction, especially if you’ve moved from your job and don’t have many friends or you live alone, the office can be a good place to take your mind off things like that.”
The Guardian also says Gen Z are following a trend of ‘conscious unbossing’, suggesting many younger workers don’t aspire to have management positions.
They’re also more likely to be paid less and work in entry-level positions than other generations – meaning they have limited choice over how often they come into the office or not.
Right-wing rhetoric often claims Gen Z are an idle generation, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggesting the age group has been raised with “silver spoons in their mouth” – making them lazy – in an interview with Fox News earlier this month.
Rather than shunning work, the figures suggest Gen Z’s office attendance is shaped more by career stage, workplace expectations and a desire for social connection than by a lack of work ethic.
Featured image credit: Pexels
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