Gen Z workers are ditching their Zoom avatars in favor of showing up at the office—where they find themselves thrilled by the novelty of the in-person work experience.
According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 91.8% of U.S. workers aged 16 to 24 did not work remotely at all in February. Of the 18.7 million Gen Z workers counted in the survey, only 3.2% worked fully remotely, while the remaining 4.9% completed hybrid work.
Of course, many young workers hold service or retail jobs that require showing up in person, Sean Smith, an employment economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, told Fortune. The 16-24 age group may include high schoolers clocking in for their shift at the ice cream shop or college students completing work-study at the campus library. Meanwhile, jobs that offer remote work tend to be in professional industries and require a college degree.
“These younger people, they just don’t have the degrees that will get them those [remote] jobs,” Smith said.
Smith noted that workers aged 20-24 are five times more likely to work remotely than workers aged 16 to 19—which could be attributed to the fact that the older cohort includes some college graduates. Despite this, approximately 89.8% of workers in the 20 to 24 age bracket still fulfill their job duties entirely in-person. And though many Gen Z workers hold jobs that mandate their physical presence, their sentiment toward in-person work may be more positive than their “lazy girl” reputations may suggest.
For office workers in particular, opportunities for face-time with bosses, friendships with “work besties,” and “yassified” cubicles are drawing younger professionals back to the workplace. According to a report from professional services firm Seramount, only 11% of Gen Z workers would prefer to be fully remote, compared with 34% of non-Gen Z. So it’s more than just a retail jobs story.
Why is Gen Z embracing the office?
It’s no surprise that young employees are championing the return to the office, Ella Halstead, a senior analyst at the market research firm Canvas8, told Fortune. There’s a practical consideration—sky-high rents and forcing Gen Zers into smaller living spaces, often with multiple roommates and less ability to carve out a dedicated workspace.
Not only do offices enable a dedicated workspace—they also “offer the chance to make a space your own,” said Halstead. She pointed to the TikTok trend of young people “yassifying” their office cubicles and adding personal touches to their desks, romanticizing what was once the gray, gloomy pinnacle of boring office culture. On social media, young workers are also romanticizing the “adult” experience of in-person work by sharing office fit-checks, cubicle tours, and “aesthetic” 9-to-5 routines.
From a career development perspective, working in person can help early-career Gen Zers get ahead. Halstead cited a survey from LinkedIn that found that 76% of Gen Z professionals want more learning opportunities at work—which are more accessible to employees who are in the office and closer to colleagues.
“Remote working favors those who already have a wealth of experience in their roles and can create difficulties for those who are still learning the ropes,” Halstead said.
There’s also the draw of the “work bestie.” The workplace is one of the few places where Gen Z can get the critical face-to-face connections amid what the U.S Surgeon General is calling a “loneliness epidemic,” Halstead told Fortune.
“These social touchpoints are more important than ever for young people,” Halstead said.
Who are the real return-to-office rebels?
If Gen Z is occupying the cubicles, which generations are Zooming into work? A 2023 FlexJobs report found that Gen X and millennials are leading the remote work charge. 42% of Gen X and 27% of millennials were working remotely full-time, compared to 11% of Gen Z.
The BLS’ Sean Smith noted that remote work rates increase with workers’ level of educational attainment. As millennial and Gen X workers tend to be more advanced in their careers compared to their younger counterparts, they are more likely to be in roles with more flexibility.
“People in their 30s and early 40s are more likely to live with children and face long commutes, raising the appeal of work from home,” remote work guru Nick Bloom told Fortune’s Steve Mollman last year.
For Gen Z workers, the office may be an alluring stage on which one can navigate the rites of early adulthood—but the novelty of yassified cubicles and idealized 9-to-5s may fade with the years.
