‘Like being in school again’
After years of remote work, Gen Z is glamorizing office culture.
From posting “Get Ready With Me” videos modeling their #OfficeSiren and #CorpCore looks to bragging about free snacks, Gen Z is thrilled to be going into the office.
“It was exciting — I was coming from a job in retail and it was nice to go into the office,” Julia Quag, 23, told PopSugar.
And Quag wasn’t alone.
Only about 11% of Gen Z workers would prefer to be fully remote, compared with 34% of non-Gen Z, a report from professional services firm Seramount found.
The Californian regularly posted videos of herself getting ready but received the most love from her fellow Gen Zers when she started showing off her buttoned-up office looks — which weren’t necessarily appropriate for most office settings.
Quag also loved decorating her desk and having a more regular itinerary.
“It was also cool to have the same schedule every day and having holidays and weekends. It was like being in school again,” she said.
Although those things may seem trivial, experts note that it is standard behavior for young adults joining the workforce — or, really, anyone beginning anything.
“Starting new experiences should always be somewhat exciting, bringing nervousness, joy, and a little fear. If young people want to be excited and romanticize office life a bit, I say let them go for it,” career coach and University of Cinicinnati assistant professor Nadia Ibrahim-Taney told PopSugar.
The expert also noted that some of Gen Z are likely more excited about being in the office compared to previous generations after spending their first few years in the workforce isolated at home.
They’re also less likely to have children to care for and more prone to less sufficient space for a home office.
The digital natives are also used to romanticizing all aspects of their lives — especially on social media — from going on a walk (#HotGirlWalk) to snacking for dinner (#GirlDinner).
Gen Z is also enticed by the prospect of getting more learning experience and making a work bestie by coming into the office in person.
“These social touchpoints are more important than ever for young people,” Ella Halstead, a senior analyst at the market research firm Canvas8, told Fortune.
But as with any new situation, once the initial glitz of office life wears off and the honeymoon phase passes, Gen Z will probably settle into their 9-to-5 routine with less pep in their step.
Quag, for one, already quit her office job to be a full-time content creator and sell glasses she used to style with her office looks.
It turns out a new strict dress code was the tipping point for the Gen Zer.
“They changed it to be that we had to wear black blazers and trousers all the time. I said, ‘I really don’t want to work here if they’re going to give me this uniform,’” she said.
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