Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Generation Z workers in the U.S. are the least likely among all age groups to favor working entirely remotely, according to Gallup’s latest survey.
Just 23% of Gen Z employees who are capable of remote work say they would choose to work fully from home. By comparison, 35% of remote-capable employees in older generations—including millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers—prefer a fully remote setup. Across all generations, however, full-time on-site work remains the least preferred option.
When asked about their views on how coworkers should work, a plurality of hybrid employees across generations said their organization’s current balance between remote and on-site work is ideal. Still, Gen Z stands out as the most likely to say they’d prefer colleagues spent less time working remotely. In contrast, millennials were the most likely to want others to work from home more often.
Millennials Most Committed to Remote Flexibility
Among hybrid workers, millennials exhibit the strongest personal attachment to remote work. Forty-one percent of remote-capable millennials said they would be extremely likely to look for another job if remote work options were reduced or eliminated, which is significantly higher than the share in other age groups.
Millennials also tend to believe they are more productive when working from home. Nearly half (49%) say they do their best work remotely, compared to only 19% who feel most productive in an office setting.
Gen Z’s view on productivity is more mixed. While 37% say they are most effective when working remotely, 32% report being more productive on-site, and 31% believe their work location doesn’t impact their performance.
Parenting and Remote Work Preferences
Family responsibilities may influence how different generations view remote work. Few Gen Z employees are parents, but among those who are—along with young millennial parents (born in 1989 or later)—39% favor fully remote work. This is higher than the 29% of non-parents in the same age group who prefer the same. For older millennials (born 1980–1988), parenting status doesn’t seem to affect remote work preferences, with 36% of both parents and non-parents preferring to work fully from home.
This generational divide in family status may partly explain Gen Z’s relatively lower interest in remote work. But other factors appear to be influencing their preferences as well.
Loneliness and Lack of In-Person Connection Among Gen Z
Gallup’s research shows that Gen Z workers report feeling more isolated than any other generation. They also have the lowest levels of well-being at work. Compared to Gen X and baby boomers, Gen Z is significantly more likely to report feeling lonely during the day.
Hybrid Gen Z workers may also be experiencing fewer meaningful in-person interactions. Two-thirds say they are required to be on-site for a certain number of days each week but can choose which days. Additionally, they are twice as likely as older employees to say they are encouraged—but not required—to go into the office. This may lead to situations where Gen Z employees come in on different days than their peers, missing opportunities for connection.
How Employers Can Support Gen Z in Hybrid Workplaces
While Gen Z shows a strong preference for hybrid work arrangements, they may not be reaping the full social and collaborative benefits if they frequently work on-site alone. To address this, employers can adjust hybrid schedules to support more overlap among team members, especially younger employees.
Even more effective is promoting open dialogue within teams about individual work preferences and coordinating in-person days to ensure better collaboration and stronger workplace relationships.
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