US companies hire etiquette coaches as Gen Z employees struggle with hygiene & basic manners
With Gen Z gradually becoming a significant part of the US workforce, companies are reporting that such younger workers seem to struggle with basic office etiquette, forcing employers to hire coaches to teach them about things like basic hygiene and office manners.
According to the San Francisco Standard, a California-based etiquette coach reported that she has received 50% more inquiries over the last two months from companies complaining about their new Gen Z employees treating the workplace as an “extension of their homes”.
Employers reportedly face fresh issues working with Gen Z employees
Comprising those born between 1997 and the early 2010s, Gen Z employees are struggling to adapt to the workplace.
Many complaints revolve around Gen Z workers’ social skills.
An article from Slate shared some anecdotes from managers in the US. One noted that newer hires have needed extensive handholding even for the most basic of tasks.
“The difference in expectations, support needs, and coachability between the new grads I hired in 2015 and the ones I’m hiring now is massive,” they said. “Now I have to provide step-by-step details for each specific jurisdiction, provide them links to exemplar documents, and very closely QC their work.”
Managers have also complained about Gen Z workers’ inability to handle feedback while being very vocal about their needs.
“A junior colleague at my place of work was given some feedback by one of the directors and responded that she would ‘rather you didn’t give me that feedback’,” one said.
“I’ve noticed that those in the younger generation are much more vocal about their needs, which I applaud them for,” said another. “But sometimes they need a reality check on what is reasonable to expect or ask for.”
One coach has even been hired to address concerns after two employees failed to shower for multiple days.
Potentially an issue stemming from Covid-19’s impact
Meanwhile, Gen Z workers also have their own set of complaints for their older colleagues. Many take issue with their elder managers’ poor work-life balance.
“No cap. My manager Slacks me at 10pm,” one engineer in California said.
Some of these issues may be explained by how the Covid-19 pandemic uniquely impacted the development of their social skills. One college instructor said that students who went through remote education had a difficult time adjusting.
“Students who went through college during Covid-19 didn’t learn the coping skills that other students learn,” said the instructor.
“The students were unprepared in so many non-academic ways: how to ask for help without crying, how to take no for an answer, how to manage life when you don’t get your way, how to handle mistakes and learn from them without falling apart.”
Social skills training can be costly
With Gen Z projected to account for a quarter of the workforce by the end of 2025, companies are beefing up their social skills training. But this comes at a pretty significant cost.
According to the US magazine Entrepreneur, one prominent corporate etiquette training company charges clients US$14,100 (~S$17,916) for a two-day in-person training course for 36 people.
Another charges US$2,500 (S$3,177) for one 90-minute workshop that covers things like where to stick your nametag or how to communicate needs to your boss.
Fortunately, things are not looking bleak. Not only are employers willing to fork the bill for the training, but Gen Z workers are also respond well to it.
Also read: ‘Just use a spoon!’: British etiquette coach gets slammed for using fork to eat rice
‘Just use a spoon!’: British etiquette coach gets slammed for using fork to eat rice
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