Relationships are hard. They require vulnerability and a high tolerance for the friction associated with navigating what you want while mediating the needs of someone else. But for Gen Z, those early romantic trials—and the social calluses they build—are increasingly absent.
Only about 56% of Gen Z enter adulthood having engaged in a romantic relationship, compared to 75% of members of older generations, according to a survey conducted by the Survey Center on American Life.
Without those tough conversations and negotiations, Gen Z is showing up to their first day of work unprepared to face the challenges of the office, according to Tessa West, a professor of psychology at New York University whose research focuses on communication between employees and bosses.
“What seemed like an obvious norm before, how to talk to the boss, what time you need to show up,” she told Fortune, “this younger generation doesn’t have ground rules for.”
It’s not just dating. Gen Z is socializing less. They’re drinking less, attending fewer parties, and engaging in fewer face-to-face interactions than any generation before them. The COVID pandemic and the social media era have ushered in something more stark than what author Robert Putnam depicted in Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Much of Gen Z has lost the tools necessary for developing the social acumen needed to navigate the complexities and friction present in the modern office.
While there are other factors involved, West said her research found there’s a direct link between the decline in romantic relationships and workplace performance.
“Those skills, like the ability for people to actually do those well in their relationship, directly predicts how good you are at them at work,” she said.
A February 2025 study on the connection between loneliness and workplace performance also found that when someone lacks the social skills and support that come from close relationships, they’re more likely to feel lonely, less likely to be productive, and less prepared to handle the modern office.
And that’s a growing problem, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates Gen Z—those born between 1996 and 2012—will comprise nearly 30% of the U.S. workforce by 2030. That’s about 50 million people.
Growing up without friction
West, who authored the book Job Therapy: Finding Work That Works for You, said there’s an array of factors impacting Gen Z’s social abilities in the workforce. For one, they’ve grown up in an era where online communication has become the norm, crowding out in-person socialization.
Another factor: overparenting. According to career platform Zety, 1 in 5 Gen Z candidates are bringing mom or dad to their job interview. And some parents are even hopping in on salary negotiations.
All of this is causing issues for Gen Z when it comes to some of the most fundamental tasks associated with the workplace, according to West. For example, it affects how young workers ask a boss for a raise or request PTO.
“You learn a lot of skills in those early relationships that you then leverage in the workplace,” she said. “Negotiation is a huge one, and so is compromise.”
She said relationship-building—typically the romantic kind but also platonic ones—helps people develop other critical skills, such as handling uncomfortable conversations, managing anxiety, and navigating difficult social dynamics.
“It’s the close relationship and the difficulty that comes along with developing a new relationship with someone where you have to navigate all kinds of potential discomfort,” she said.
Generational clashes
This often shows up in the office as a lack of clear communication. Gen Zers may opt to email their boss than to have face-to-face interactions about challenges, according to West.
It also means many Gen Zers have used AI as a crutch to resolve conflicts. More than half of Gen Z view ChatGPT as a coworker or assistant, according to a 2025 survey from Resume.org. And about one-third of Gen Z rely on AI for advice about relationships or difficult life decisions.
“Older generations get very frustrated by that behavior and then they maybe lash out a bit at it,” West said. “It ends up exacerbating this problem.”
The communication lapses and other antisocial workplace behaviors are issues that both older and younger workers need to address, according to West. She suggests that bridging the gap requires a mutual reset where bosses make implicit office norms explicitly clear to younger workers.
“Both sides need to move,” she said. “The older generation needs to work on that clear communication and that reset, and the younger generation needs to work on the willingness to learn.”
