New employee (Gen Z} doesn’t want to meet in person

[outofofficeon]

I took on a graduate for a new position, she’d been job hunting for a few years, I felt good about giving her a hand up into a great career.
She lives about an hour away so works remotely. She bright and polite and reliable and a good member of the team.

The problem I have is that she doesn’t want to visit the office in person or meet her colleagues in person, I offered to put her up in a nice hotel and pay travel costs so that she could spend a few days with us in person. She declined. My latest issue is that she doesn’t put her camera on when we are communicating at work as part of daily work or chats. I understand she might not be very confident but I think that you have to get out of the house / your comfort zone if you want a career.

im not sure what to do- any advice oh wise ladies.

What does her contract say?

Presumably if you've hired her, you have clearly stipulated what you expect her to do.

Do you have a probation period?

I should add that it’s a people business we’re in and the lack of ‘contact’ is starting to affect the team’s progress. I am also finding it hard to foster a team feeling when she’s acting distant.

How often were in office days stipulated at interview stage? Start enforcing that. Fully remote and cameras off really isn't a good sign for a new graduate.

You're the boss, not her.

If you say she is a good member of the team, I'd start there. Can you talk to her and find out if there are any specific barriers to her not wanting to meet in person? Does she have any disabilities or is she neurodivergent, so would reasonable adjustments be appropriate if so?

That said, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that she meets colleagues in person, even for perhaps one day if she doesn't want to do multiple days at a time. I think you need to outline the benefits of building relationships in person to her and set this as an expectation. You could agree how often she does this - once a month, bi monthly? Whatever is feasible.

Camera on or off is divisive, some people find it difficult to have their camera on all the time. I think it's reasonable to have the rule that maybe in an important stakeholder meeting she keeps camera on, maybe in more informal team chats it's ok to have it off.

Depends what her contract says. If she's contracted as fully remote work from home then there's nothing you can do as that's what you gave her the job as. For example, I've ended up working 4 days a week from home but my contract stipulates that I have an office base which I'm required to attend on request. Similarly with cameras on for meetings. If its in the home working policy then you can insist on it and make sure she understands that she can put a background on zoom etc if she doesn't want colleagues to see where she's living

You have to tell her. In my experience this cohort are unaware of regular expectations in the workplace, so don't realise they are doing anything weird or how they are harming their own prospects. So you have to clearly explain to her that she needs to put her camera on, that she needs to meet her colleagues, and that she needs to participate in her team. It doesn't need to be confrontational, just matter of fact, like telling her what time to come in or where the kettle is.

She probably doesn't know. It's her first job.

Contract states remote working but doesn’t mandate cameras on, I naively thought she’d grab the opportunity to make the most of what could be a brilliant job. I thought cameras on for meetings would go without saying, it seems rude almost to not have it on. Maybe it’s just me!

Sally - I’ve let this slide as you’re new, but now that you seem to have settled in, I’d like to remind you that our team policy is that cameras are on during meetings as it fosters better teamwork OK?

If contract says remote working there’s not a lot you can do about that. Except add in a clause about occasional office visits next time you hire someone.

You need to tighten up your expectations then.

Unfortunately as its contracted as remote, that's exactly what you've got. Re. the camera, a reminder that its policy/expectation that her camera is on

Thank you ladies- great advice. I’m just grateful for office working when I started out in business, for all its good and bad.

Your idea wasn't unreasonable, lots of people would have jumped at it (my org makes new staff, particularly those on the grad scheme, work in the office for the first few months even though most of us wfh, and they seem to enjoy it), but as contract is remote working tough luck, no matter how beneficial you think she would find it, if there isn't anything in there, you can't enforce it.

If you're in a position to, suggest editing any future job descriptions to specify occasional in office meetings may be required, just to give you some lee way.

Cameras on, absolutely fine for you to tell her she needs to put it on. Particularly if everyone else is doing the same it's organisational practice and not necessarily something that needs a specific policy - you're her boss, you can just tell her.

I don’t think cameras on is an unreasonable expectation, even for Gen Z. No one wants to be talking to a blank screen.

If she’s hired as remote there’s not much you can do about her coming in, though.

Agree with pp. this is the generation which seem to be glued to their phones & taking selfies. Not usually camera shy.

You may need to set some expectations all around on meeting etiquette and camera use. And apply it consistently.

If her contract is fully remote, she may have zero interest in face to face participation.

If that’s likely to be an issue then you need to set that out during probation period (probably with input from your HR advice to ensure done right). Most contracts or handbooks have something about travel for business need. It will be helpful to lay out expectations of what that will look like.

Talk to her though, you could have anything from nerves, to being polit and thinking it’s an imposition to accept the travel offer, to dead set that doesn’t want to, to a disability that feels like a blocker.

I would never hire a fully remote graduate. How are they supposed to get trained and learn without the supervision from the workplace. A lot can be picked up from a random conversation or those side notes in meeting rooms once twams meetings end. I overhear people in the office discussing things I'm also involved in - that can't happen with remote work.

Then there's also the missed opportunity to learn the politics of the office and the varied ways of communicating. Particularly with people facing roles, watching how experienced people manage different situations is really helpful for development.

I'd set my expectations and call them exactly that. My expectation is that, once a quarter you attend the office for x days to connect with the team. As you're prepared to pay accommodation and travel, it's not an unreasonable request (unless she's told you she has eg 24hr caring responsibilities).

Secondly, my expectation is that video is always on for calls. Over 80% of communication is non verbal and it is important to see people. There's a plethora of backgrounds to use for online meetings so you don't see people's houses.

As for an hour commute, whoop de do. I live 11 km from work. Public transport takes an hour to get there. Utterly ridiculous but it is what it is.

Can you make it clear to her that while she may not contractually be required to be in the office, to never join to even meet her colleagues risks impacting how she is perceived within the team and the opportunities that may come her way? It’s not like you’re asking her to come in regularly…

Camera is essential. Tell her. Coming into the office should be in the contract.and ask what can be done to help with these things

Could you say it is a safeguarding/security issue not to have cameras on. I mean it could be anyone filling in for her.

I don't like the automatic fallback of 'they might be neurodivergent'. As a neurodivergent adult who works with neurodivergent teens, and is the parent of neurodivergent teens, I'm becoming a bit sick of it being an excuse. For eg, I had one 20 year old tell me they couldn't wash dishes in the work place, because of sensory needs 'it just gives me the ick' and I hear things like this day in day out from very socially able teenagers who claim triggers, traumas and sensory needs prevent them from doing the tasks that most people don't relish but get on with, like cleaning, video calls or meetings.

If you have this amount of inflexibility early on it’s unlikely to get better. I hate it when cameras are not on the other person is never fully present. I’d set some expectations now, monitor for a short while. Exit them if no improvement.

Don't most contracts have something along the lines of 'and other duties as required by your employer' somewhere in the wording?

Anyhow, you are the boss and I think you should maybe remember that employees are supposed to do what their boss tells them to do.

Cameras on in meetings shouldn’t have to be written in a contract. It’s incredibly rude to have it off. If she wants to work in a professional environment she needs to act professionally.

I think it would be beneficial to have a discussion with her and set your expectations, including cameras on at meetings, and the occasional office visit. She may simply be unaware of expectations or professional etiquette.

I think we know why she had been job hunting for a few years.