Gen Z has frequently been told by their seniors that they don’t know how to behave in the office. Earlier this month, Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster complained that they don’t use proper grammar and stroll into work at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Alex Mahon, the boss of a major British TV channel, Channel 4, complained that the youngest generation to enter the workforce doesn’t have the skills to debate, disagree, or work alongside people with different opinions.
But the youngest generation of workers aren’t entirely ignorant of their flaws.
New data compiled exclusively for Fortune by Harris Poll reveals that young workers are acutely aware of where they fall short—and it could cost them a promotion.
In fact, 65% of Gen Z workers admitted that they don’t know what to talk about with their coworkers, compared to around a quarter of older workers. This is heightened for young staff who entered the workforce post-pandemic; the COVID-era cohort is more than twice as likely to struggle with plucking up a conversation with colleagues than those who worked before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, both younger workers and post-pandemic new hires are significantly more likely than their older peers to feel like their coworkers all seem to be closer to one another than they are.
What’s more, without a spouse, pet, or children to talk about, most of the Gen Zers surveyed said they feel like they can’t relate to coworkers who are in a different life stage than their own.
In the end, it might be damaging Gen Z’s career prospects. Research has consistently shown that face time with management can increase your odds of winning their affection and therefore scoring a promotion or a raise.
Likewise, Fortune’s Harris Poll survey of nearly 1,000 knowledge workers of all ages highlighted that over two-thirds of employees firmly agree that those who socially connect with senior coworkers are more likely to be promoted.
Still, even though Gen Z knows that cozying up to their seniors could boost their career game, they’re still playing it cool and leaving the conversation ball in baby boomers’ court: Three-quarters of young hires revealed that they would only talk more to their senior coworkers if the latter made the first move.
Employers are stepping in to plug the gap
Making small talk may seem like common knowledge, but it’s one of many “basic” soft skills that Gen Z missed out on learning while coming of age in isolation during the pandemic—and now, employers are being forced to make up for lost time.
Take the world’s Big Four consulting firms, for example. Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY are now all offering extra training to young new hires who have “less confidence doing basic tasks” such as making presentations and speaking up in meetings.
As Jackie Henry, Deloitte’s U.K. managing partner for people and purpose, told the Financial Times, “There is a greater need for employers to provide training on basic professional and working skills, that wasn’t necessary in prior years.”
Similarly, the consulting company Protiviti has expanded its training for new hires to include a series of virtual meetings that focus on issues like how to make authentic conversation and how to tone an email, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Meanwhile, other companies are creating comprehensive work-from-home policies that have relaxed requirements for senior staffers but summon young workers into the office to plug that knowledge gap.
For instance, David Meads, Cisco’s UK and Ireland CEO, told Fortune that the tech giant isn’t mandating people come to the office—except for Gen Z, who are largely expected to show face three days a week.
“Actually, we’re finding that in the vast majority of cases, they want to be in more often than not and the average of three days might mean some of them are in more,” he said. “That’s not something we’re having to beat people up to do. In the vast majority of cases, people are wanting to do that anyway because they recognize the professional experience, learning, and social aspect of that.”
“If I reflect back to my early years in sales, I didn’t learn just by online videos or in a classroom, I learned by osmosis,” Meads added. “Whereas if you are in your forties or fifties and you can be maybe more productive working at home on your own and you don’t need to be collaborating with others, then you don’t need to be in the office on a regular basis.”
This article is part of Fortune’s New Normal at Work quartet in conjunction with the Harris Poll.
