Contrary to popular belief, Gen Z—people who were born between 1997 and 2012—is actually leading the charge in return-to-office, according to a late March report by property group JLL shared with Fortune.
JLL found workers under 24 years old are more likely to be in office than other generations and come in an average of 3 days a week. Other generations go to the office between just 2.5 and 2.7 days a week, JLL told the Financial Times. Research was based on survey responses from more than 12,000 workers across various industries and 44 countries.
“Working remote, you don’t have the option to walk to another person’s desk to learn how to do something or ask a quick question that doesn’t require setting up a meeting,” Spencer McLean, a public relations manager for Advantage Media Group who was born in 1999, told Fortune. “There’s some things you can’t pick up on as easily when working virtually, like how to best interact with your new coworkers or picking up on social cues.”
However, the key is that Gen Zers still don’t want to be in the office every day. They continue to prefer hybrid schedules where they can still get some quiet time to work from home.
“Honestly, I didn’t love going into the office every day,” McLean said. “Hybrid work gives you a brain break where you don’t have to have conversations constantly and can sit down and focus—and it gives your skin a break from makeup.”
Earlier this year, Harris Poll and global events company Freeman surveyed 1,824 U.S. adults with white-collar jobs, and 91% of respondents said they want a balance between remote and in-person work.
“I find that I have stronger relationships with coworkers I see frequently at the office as opposed to my remote team members,” Chan told Fortune. “In general, going into the office also provides that third space for connectivity.”
The most common reason students give is they want to access their supervisor and colleagues more consistently and get better support. Plus, they’re “worn out” from having done high school and college remotely during the pandemic, Luetger-Schlewitt said.
“They felt disconnected from the world around them as remote students, and they expect this feeling to be repeated in a remote job,” she explained, adding she’s also heard from many students that they find it hard to self-motivate for remote work.
Luetger-Schlewitt said she finds these trends interesting because of how many millennials she’s worked with who prefer remote work. Indeed, JLL’s report showed workers aged 35-54 reported the lowest satisfaction with being in the office, citing environmental concerns, and desires for better technology, flexibility, and food.
“I wonder if and how Gen Z’s preferences and priorities will change as they age into mid-life,” Luetger-Schlewitt said.
