The pandemic changed the landscape for remote work, and Gen Z was the first generation to fully embrace remote positions as the norm. In fact, since much of their education was disrupted by the pandemic (which resulted in a largely virtual education environment for at least a few semesters), embracing remote work has been a natural transition for Gen Z to make.
As the world adjusts to a post-pandemic reality, many companies have found a happy medium in hybrid positions. With workers going into the office part-time and working from home part-time, recruiters and employers are wondering: what working environment does Gen Z prefer?
To get a sense for how internship and entry-level job candidates feel about going into the office today, we surveyed nearly 3,500 Gen Z students and new grads about their preferences for remote, hybrid, and in-person work, and compared it to data we collected in August 2022 and March 2022. See below for what we’ve found:
Despite the sensationalizing of remote work, the data we collected does not show that Gen Z has a strong preference to work from their living rooms. In fact, we found that across all three data sets, Gen Z candidates who are looking for internships or jobs actually prefer hybrid work environments, and the data we collected most recently (heading into Spring 2023) shows a growing preference for fully in-person roles, with 21% of Gen Z candidates today wanting to show up the office everyday (compared to 19% of candidates in Fall 2022 and 13% of candidates in Spring 2022).
We found that 63% of candidates today prefer a hybrid work setting, with a larger share of candidates (36% compared to 27%) preferring that their employer designate which days they must come into the office, rather than it be their choice. This is understandable seeing as how internship or entry-level candidates may not feel confident in making the decision of when and how many times to come into the office without having been in the workforce for some time and, consequently, gaining an understanding of the unwritten rules of the office.
While Gen Z has shown a preference for hybrid work across all three of our data sets, their specific preferences for how they want to work have shifted over time. For example, while in Spring 2022 55% of candidates preferred a hybrid work setting based on personal preference, that number dropped to 27% one year later.
And while we noted that overall Gen Z today does not have a strong preference for fully remote work, the number of candidates who favor remote work has grown from 11% in Spring 2022 to 16% in Spring 2023. At the same time, the increase in popularity of fully in-person work has seen even more significant changes, with 13% of candidates in Spring 2022 preferring to show up to the office everyday, compared to 21% of candidates today.
It’s still a competitive market out there for talent. One way you can set yourself apart from your competitors and break through the noise is to offer Gen Z work opportunities that match their preferences — in this case, a hybrid work schedule based on company distinction. By showcasing that you both trust Gen Z to work from home AND want to welcome them into the office, you’ll be in a better position to attract internship and entry-level candidates to your open roles.
It goes without saying that if you are going to offer a hybrid work environment, you should ensure that your office culture is positive and welcoming, and that you also create ways to keep Gen Z engaged on the days they work from home. The latter could mean ensuring they have all the equipment they need for a comfortable workspace at home, and tips on setting up a home office and remaining focused at home. When employees do go into the office, it’s a great chance to showcase your company culture through planned, in-person activities. By creating an easy and enjoyable in-person and remote working environment, you’ll be setting yourself up to attract top Gen Z talent.
Interested in learning more about Gen Z in the workplace? Be sure to tune into our panel on building a better experience for employers and Gen Z candidates featuring internship and job seekers today by RSVPing here. If you can’t make it live, you can access the recording with the same link.