‘There’s a huge glamorisation of the idea of working from anywhere’

young people and employers build better working relations together, says the internet has shaped expectations, especially around remote employment. “There’s a huge glamorisation of the idea of working from anywhere, which is made to be very attractive.”

Although she agrees that Gen Z have issues, such as not wanting to pick up the phone or a hesitation to put their camera on for video calls, she thinks there are more sympathetic reasons for their behaviour.

“Most people have a Year 10 or 11 work experience; we have 18-year-olds coming to work today where that experience was cancelled because of Covid, so they genuinely missed out and have never worked in an office before,” she says. “Or we have university graduates who missed out on things like placement years or internships because they were either cancelled or they are very competitive.”

Some researchers have suggested that Gen Z – having grown up around social media and influencers who encourage them to be their authentic selves – tend to talk and dress in more “informal” ways. This, in turn, can lead older colleagues and employers to perceive them as unprofessional.

In her interactions with Gen Z, Davis finds that they are very ambitious. “Sometimes I get feedback from clients that they are too ambitious; they want to walk before they can run.” She says there could be a bit of a misunderstanding, with employers thinking their younger recruits are asking too quickly for a promotion and being entitled, whereas younger generations are simply aspiring to it.

Given demographic trends, we will soon be finding out the reality of Gen Z’s workplace habits – en masse.