WFH culture impact on YP

[Conniebygaslight]

Since Covid many places now have at least hybrid working and for some that’s of real benefit. I really feel the impact of this on young people coming into the work place is detrimental to their working life. For example my friend’s son aged 19 has just got a job working from home 4 days a week…
I remember the office camaraderie being so important to me, making friends, developing social skills, a sense of belonging etc.
I think we’re failing a lot of these young people and society will really feel it.

I am glad I am not 19 and do understand they will miss out on the camaraderie etc.

That said I am personally not willing to work in an office in order to provide that camaraderie.

There are still plenty of workplaces with physical offices and office based cultures so the 19 year old in question could have chosen to work somewhere like that.

When I was 19 I worked in a call centre with a load of other young people. There was constant drama from so and so falling out with so and so, so and so kissing so and so on a night out, etc etc. It was school, but with a wage.

I really wish I could've worked from home back then and just got on with my actual job

The 19 year old has no issue with it….I just feel sorry for YP missing out on the old style office culture. My DH works from home 3 days a week and this suits him but I do worry about the young ones. Their lives often seem very insular.

Yes, I still work fully in an office, as do all my colleagues, and the camaraderie is a big part of that. If I had to WFH it I'd probably think about early retirement now. It must be awful in families or flatshares where everyone is trying to WFH at the same time in different jobs.

I agree with this - on a twofold basis actually; firstly a lot of our younger employees still live at home (London!) so they're living and working in their bedroom, which psychologically must be quite difficult and isolating.

Secondly, we're seeing that they're not getting the organic learning opportunities they'd have in an office environment, nor the support they'd have if there are more senior team members around them. I hate the idea that they're sitting at home on a difficult telephone call with no one able to offer to take it over or writing a post-it note to empower them to terminate the call as the person on the other end is being abusive or rude - which is what would happen if we were in an office.

I have no skin in this game btw - I WFH permanently and it suits me perfectly. But it would be misleading to say that there aren't disadvantages to it; there absolutely are IMO.

I think it's a fine balance. There is learning which is really only done by observing others and there is an element of being in close proximity you learn in a more rounded way, build strong relationships as you have incidental conversations.

However, many young people actively seek out wfh as do other demographics, so if employers don't offer this then they lose the war on talent to a competitor who does.

Think choice and flexibility is the key, along with some key tasks/meetings that happen face to face to encourage in-person discussion.

To mandate all back to the office purely for the convenience of one group isn't going to work and would cost the business in rehires.

It's also sometimes forgotten that many young people who have disabilities, caring commitments etc that were traditionally left behind, now perhaps have a more equal playing field when it comes to job opportunities.

ive never met anyone in professional life who doesn’t think regular office days are necessary for junior staff development. I would never go back 5 days but despite it being more effort to get into the office I wholeheartedly support 2-3 days a week in the office. That’s how juniors learn, by seeing work happen, by witnessing the conversations.

I won't ever work in an office again.

2-3 days a month is my max

The biggest change I have noticed is their total lack of mid-week socialising.

Im not sure how much is WFH and how much is younger people being healthier - or that so many live at home, or the cost of living…

… but when I was in my twenties everyone was out every night - with colleagues, with friends. A senior person at work suggested the pub? You would be there (and they would be buying the drinks).

Now I find the majority are not willing to do this / don’t want to do it. They go home and that’s it.

From a work perspective they lose out on building relationships with their seniors - but from a being-in-your-twenties perspective it just seems less fun!

It’s a huge cultural change IMO.

You can claw hybrid from my cold dead hands. As a young person I would have loved working from home. I am neuro diverse so always had issues fitting in and having to mask for 40 hours a week is exhausting.

I don’t want to socialise with a 19yo and I doubt they want to go to the pub with someone like their mum either.

Yes I agree

Lots of the other posters have a point -opening up the field etc.

But loads of the close friends I have now come from previous jobs. Even those I haven't stayed in touch with made the job at the time so much easier.

I also think work is often one of the few places where different generations and people from different backgrounds get to mix together. Once you've left school, unless you have a hobby that attracts a diverse group the vast majority of people's social network consists of people the same age/life stage/background as them, which is how we end up in echo chambers.

Gen Z in particular seem really siloed in their thinking and there's so much media highlighting stupid generational differences, if people never get the chance to interact with others and realise we have more in common than we have differences, those stereotypes will become entrenched.

I've started a new job fairly recently, completely wfh and it's HARD getting to know people when you never really "meet" them, compared to when you sat next to them for 40 hours a day and ate lunch together. As willing as people are to help you do feel different about bothering a complete stranger you've never spoken to with a teams call when you have a question, not knowing whether you're interrupting them or not, rather than wandering over to that guy you've chatted to a few times in the kitchen when you can see he's not busy. I can manage it because I've got years of work experience but can imagine it could be really hard for a new grad.

From friends' anecdata ive heard loads of other workplaces are struggling with the same issues both my old and new workplace has -people wanting to wfh but feeling disconnected from their colleagues and not a 'part' of something.

On one hand I feel guilty about "pulling up the ladder behind me" because I benefitted hugely from working alongside older and more experienced people when I started. But on the other hand I don't want to go back to the office full time either!

That said I am personally not willing to work in an office in order to provide that camaraderie.

There are still plenty of workplaces with physical offices and office based cultures so the 19 year old in question could have chosen to work somewhere like that.

This. I've done my time putting up with colleagues, and air con and tappers and chewers and sniffers, thanks.

If people don't like WFH they can find other jobs, not ruin it for the rest of us.

In a lot of city jobs this is part of the culture - networking, relationship building etc.

Im nowhere near old enough to be their mother (!) and they tend to be graduates but under 25. In any case - they don’t hang out with each other either.

I was only very recently that age and it was very different (pre Covid).

All my friends report the same with their junior teams so it’s not just me.