CURATED READS FOR GEN Z—AND THEIR Z-CURIOUS COLLEAGUES

This week we’re talking hybrid work—is it the best of both worlds?

FIRST UP

Much of Gen Z has never known a workplace that wasn’t flexible, and it looks like hybrid work is here to stay. It’s popular overall, but young people are especially attached: workers 18 to 34 years old are 59 percent more willing to walk than older colleagues if it’s taken away. 

Once you’ve had the sweet, sweet taste of working in your jogger set from your couch, it’s hard to give it up. Plus, having no commute can mean a better work–life balance, something workers are looking (and looking elsewhere) for.

These new views on flexibility might require employers to relax where, when, and how work gets done—does it really matter if the person did their work at their desk or a coffee shop, as long as they made their EOD deadline? Four out of five hybrid or remote workers say that having control over how work is completed was a reason they took their current job. 

We’re still looped in all the time: your coworkers are only an email or a virtual meeting away. Or a DM. Or a text. Or a call … 

Still, it’s not all thumbs up for employers: rolling out the virtual welcome mat and helping new coworkers feel a sense of belonging can be difficult, and harmful “in group” and “out group” dynamics can crop up. Real inclusion is hard enough, and creating a better company culture without everyone in the same room is a work in progress. 

Offices are evolving, looking toward the future, thinking about new—and different—talent, and just taking in Gen Z’s new vibe: we’re often less formal, look for personal investment from our bosses, and question the status quo. Having a hybrid work option goes on that list too.

Where’s your head at on hybrid? Let us know how you’re making sense of it at newideas@mckinsey.com. 

visualize it

In the US, workers have left jobs with uncaring bosses, unsustainable expectations, or no growth opportunities and gravitated toward those with workplace flexibility.

Quote us on it

“I think it’s a unique opportunity for employers to say, ‘We see you. We hear you. And we understand what’s going on, and we want to meet you there.’”  
—Senior partner Bill Schaninger on hybrid work and the rise of worker power in a recent episode of the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast

WAIT, DON’T SCROLL

Missing the mark. Does your boss focus only on the numbers? What seems like strategy can quickly become “a toxic mess of wishful thinking combined with a jumble of incoherent policies,” according to management thinker and author Richard Rumelt. Here’s how to … not do that.   

Fixing the problem. Diverse organizations are key for business, but inclusion is something that needs to be nurtured—it’s not a box you can just check off. So how can real change come about? A new podcast episode dives deeper.

Refreshing for the future. The founding director of the Harvard Center for Public Leadership thinks it’s time for his baby boomer generation to pass the baton to young leaders in business and public service.  

NOT US; STILL GREAT

Catch a vibe. Gen Z is ditching uncool emojis (tip: a quick laughing react can be 💀; avoid 😂 at all costs), asking to leave when they’ve wrapped up work for the day, and boldly proclaiming their values—making older workers ask, “What is going on?” [NYT]  

For what it’s worth … A full 96 percent of Gen Z workers say it’s important that they feel valued in the workplace, and 79 percent want a manager who’s invested in them personally. That can be a big change when it bumps up against company culture. [Forbes]

Coworkerzoned. Want insight into how younger colleagues think about their work and their personal identity? Check out this Gen Z worker’s take on why young people aren’t looking for friends at the office—it’s part of decentralizing the workplace from your life overall. [Boston Globe]

KNOW WHO ELSE HAS A GOOD HYBRID CULTURE?  

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On our Careers Blog, Teresa, an engagement manager in Dublin, was surprised by the level of support in her close-knit office 

A QUICK WORK BREAK

— Edited by Sarah Skinner, Gen Z curation editor, New York