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.

You don't need it in a contract to expect cameras on in a meeting. It's basic manners.

I agree. In fact, I am trying to think of any "fully remote" office position where there is a default expectation of never having to be seen by management/ team members in real life after accepting the job.

That expectation may justified if one is some type of scientist studying, maybe the speed at which glaciers are melting in Antarctica and even then they would be expected to switch the camera on when zooming!

COVID lockdowns are not responsible for the amount of social maladaptation in otherwise clever people of a younger age starting their working lives.
When many Gen X worldwide were coming up, we were socialised to hold conversations and listen as if we couldn't hear conversations from and between Boomers, Silent Gen, Edwardians and the very very arse end of Victorians.
If an adult picked up the one or one of the two housephones when you phoned your friend , we weren't always just passed onto said friend as if the phone belonged to them, but we were often inviegled into conversation with the parent whose general questions we had to answer and at least a little less casually than we talked to our friends before the phone was passed to them. Little, but regular and important things like that.

Millennials are the last generation which carte blanche were made to come out of their comfort zones just in order to live functionally.

Code switching depending on who one was speaking to was a general, not niche thing and quite frankly a great skill that requires observation and a little non self obsession.
Gen Z is the first generation that has been living a digitally filtered life. Discomfort is a difficult thing for many of them to process. No photos of them looking askew because one only gets one chance to take the photo on film camera. They have mothers and fathers who can't live in the moment and any set up is an opportunity to tell everybody to stop what they.are doing so a picture can be taken in order to upload to Facebook or the 'Gram...and if one of the kids looks too " real" , time has to.stop again in order for another picture " to make memories" , is taken again.

They have no analogue frame of reference . Thus analogue befuddling many of them because it cannot be rewound and erased to come out perfect before presentation.

Hence why I don't believe that as many of them that say that they " have anxiety" as opposed to being anxious about a situation.
But I do believe that all who.do.claim to " have anxiety" really do believe that they do.
And therein lies the problem of the cost of Special Pleading versus expectations of standards outside of one's home , especially in the workplace.

And I do not think that the culture of Capitalism is going to spend in order to accommodate this phenomenon. It will instead find and use ways to filter these types out .
Because Analogue, just like cash will never go out of style. No matter how digital the world goes......

Get rid. It’s not collaborative

It’s not about a contract. It’s her attitude. Not professional ar all. What’s the point of a Teams meeting with the camera off? Surely that’s just a phone/conference call. The purpose of Teams is to see one another

Yes. And its sad because they'll be too far gone before they realise, by which time it will be impossible to get back into the workforce. And then how will rhey support themselves.

I work in FE and started teaching on Teams in the pandemic,so mostly every one was new to this way of communicating, it soon became apparent that the majority of ppl wanted to be off camera but using this mode of communication is difficult enough without not being able to look at the person/people you are delivering to. It is now cameras on at all times same for all meetings unless there are all college staff meetings. There are no excuses tolerated. As for coming into the "office " I don't think it is unreasonable for ppl to occasionally meet up, often we have mandatory days where we all have to attend in person.
I think it is time to state your expectations, discuss the practicalities and offer support to help them adjust.

I agree. In fact, I am trying to think of any "fully remote" office position where there is a default expectation of never having to be seen by management/ team members in real life after accepting the job.

There are plenty. People who work for overseas companies and work remotely FT from their home for example. I work in academic science. Many of my peers are able to work fully remotely. We meet at international conferences.

Cameras on for meetings (unless they are at 4am and then no rules apply!).

So you DO meet in person.

I appreciate that this is a fully remote position but her attitude astounds me given that this is her first job opportunity “after job hunting fur a few years” as the OP states.

I remember my first job after graduation and I was so eager to network and make a good impression with everyone. Her inflexibility and push back towards her boss are huge red flags. There are plenty of other graduates job-hunting and she can be replaced by someone with a better attitude.

One hundred percent cent. It's laughable really.

Agreed.

Agree. There are very few remote roles which function as part of a team where meeting colleagues in person at some point is not a requirement or benefit. Commonsense would suggest that and were it an issue be a question for interview. When ds started his role most were still wfh and it proved very difficult to grasp the dynamics and understand the workload even when he attended twice a week, as per his contract, because others weren’t. Did your employee not have any in person induction or will be due a probation review? Is attendance not covered by “other tasks as may be directed by manager” in job description.

Meeting your colleagues in person is an invaluable deepening of the connection which improves the working culture. It’s a different conversation. I have colleagues in other countries, we have brought them over to meet us. Not for any specific work task item, just to meet everyone.

I thought about this thread overnight. Remote contracts merely mean this is your normal place of work, not that you will never ever be required to do anything in person surely? No one is asking this person to work regularly in the office but attend for specific reasons with all expenses paid.

In my large firm, although remote working is perfectly OK, our younger staff members tend to be the ones who spend most time in the office, for the social and learning side of it. And that's great; I can't imagine starting my first job and being at home the whole time. I've moved into this field as an adult with a lot of job experience behind me and caring responsibilities that make home working much easier but I still wish I could be in the office more often as I'm struggling to create the networks and side of the desk knowledge that would be invaluable.

I have a fully remote contract. But I'm expected to have my camera on in meetings and attend f2f meetings from time to time.

I had to call my bank yesterday evening regarding an administrative issue. I'd assumed from the acoustics of previous calls that everyone was wfh, but last night I was assisted by a young-sounding woman who was clearly in an office or call centre with background chatter. In the long gap while we waited for the computer screen to refresh I asked her whether everyone had been called back in to work from call centres/ offices. She said no, but she preferred to come in to the office and see colleagues and have people around to refer to if something of concern came up. I said oh, I thought everyone was desperate to work from home and she said 'The older ones are, but the younger ones here seem to want to come in.' But I guess she's been employed because she's articulate, outgoing and has good people skills. Which unfortunately OP's new hire seems to lack.

Then… um… don’t hire remote workers…duh! um….um…. Jesus Christ. Cop on.

Not for everyone. I get on with my colleagues in person and online, but have had good relationships with people who I’ve only ever met remotely. Not everyone needs a deep meaningful relationship with their co workers. I have friends, I don’t need to be besties with Steve the project manager who I have nothing in common with and is old enough to be my dad thanks.

Even a remote worker needs to meet face to face occasionally. Or put a bloody camera on. What do they do when they go to the shops. Put a paper bag over their head ?

No-one's asking you to be besties with anyone, and nice dismissal there of someone purely due to his age.

There is a middle ground where you get to acknowledge each other as fellow humans. And even if you don't feel that you need it, your colleagues might well work more efficiently and helpfully for, and with you if they've met you and have an in person connection.

Anecdotally, I had a colleague who I only saw in online meetings. Across her desk, on the screen, she put across a rather stern persona, saying little and only really interacting when she saw flaws or felt the need to criticise. She was very astute, but never smiled. I had no reason to like her or want to help her any more then I had to.

Six months later, and we met in person. The difference was dramatic. In person she was warm and smiley, and showed an interest in us all. Knowing this other, positive version of her, really transformed the way I saw her and interacted with her when we were all back online.

You clearly don't need to work with multiple stakeholders in your job. I'm not besties with my colleagues. But it's important to have a good working relationship with them for when you need to help each other out with things.

OK - maybe once a year, some colleagues more often. It is not an expectation (I had to check when I was hired as I was not in a position to travel). I met one of my colleagues for the first time in 8 years last July.

If she’s in the probation period, sack her. Don’t even think twice about it. Once she’s past that you’ll be stuck with her.

Exactly..

I’m a manager and not coming in to meet anyone for a few days is completely unacceptable, however it does go back to what’s in her contract.

Also, you should be asking all to put their cameras on during meeting unless there’s technical difficulties, so next time you arrange a meeting make it clear that cameras need to be on. If not, then you can have her for insubordination via HR (obviously following the correct routes).

I would be looking at the contract to see where I stood, then arrange a 1/2/1 with her; to find out what the issue is.