I know this sounds heretical. But if I had a kid working at EY or Bank of America who was being told to show up more often, I’d side with the bosses. While the younger generation is the most likely to demand homeworking, I fear they are also the most disadvantaged by it.Over the past two years I’ve been hearing stories from 20-somethings about the boredom, loneliness and frustration of internships and jobs that are exclusively or primarily online. One bloke was thrilled to get into the civil service. He’d been the first in his family to go to university, and his proud but poor parents bought him a suit. But on day one, his manager told him to dress down — and come in only two days a week. His excitement has dwindled.
Flexibility can be a godsend if you’re a parent. But if you’re just starting out its benefits are less clear. I’m not urging a return to presenteeism. But I do worry that staggering numbers of 20- and 30- somethings have never worked full-time in an office environment. A survey in the US in October 2022 found that 82 per cent of Gen Z were in that situation — with many fearing they lacked skills as a result. They were probably right.
A new study bears out the old-fashioned idea that sitting with colleagues in a building can improve skills and job satisfaction. Junior tech engineers wrote more code at home but got far less feedback, especially if they were female. In the office, they had mentoring and advice, which made them less likely to quit.