Hybrid Work: Surprising Lessons From Gen Z
What does Gen Z really want from hybrid work? This brief video shares advice for leaders on how to turn Gen Z’s preferences into overall culture improvements.
Many stereotypes and anecdotes surround Generation Z’s supposed work styles: Maybe you’ve heard “They don’t like to work very hard” or “They don’t want to come into the office.” Has research on Gen Z — people born between 1997 and 2012 — found that there’s any truth to these stereotypes? No — and what’s more, believing these stereotypes can deprive managers of valuable allies in the fight to improve hybrid work culture for all employees, argues Brian Elliott, an MIT Sloan Management Review columnist and coauthor of the bestselling book How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do the Best Work of Their Lives (Wiley, 2022).
Elliott argues that, as digital natives, Gen Z workers have unique insight into how hybrid work actually does and should work. That means managers should listen carefully to what employees from that generation have to say about digital work culture, from team norms to in-office time that builds connection, not resentment.
In this video interview, Elliott shares tips and tactics for leaders who want to leverage Gen Z’s insights and make sure that this fast-growing segment of the workforce remains positive and productive, both in the office and remotely.
For even more ideas on how to make Gen Z employees your allies, not your detractors, check out Brian Elliott and Amanda Schneider’s article, “When Hybrid Work Strategy Aggravates 20-Somethings.”
Video Credits
Leslie Brokaw is a contributing editor at MIT Sloan Management Review.
M. Shawn Read is the multimedia editor at MIT Sloan Management Review.