Gen Z Needs Office Etiquette Coaches, Managers Say

Return-to-office mandates imply that workers have been in the office before. But what happens if you’re not “returning” per se, and have never actually worked in an office? You get a big culture clash, according to many Bay Area managers who spoke to The San Francisco Standard.

Wearing inappropriate clothes, leaving messes, loudly chatting with friends during work hours — these are just some of the issues managers say first-time in-office Gen Z employees are creating. And to find a solution to these persistent workplace problems, many office managers are hiring etiquette coaches to teach the basics of being a considerate coworker.

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Rosalinda Randall, an etiquette coach, told The Standard that calls to her office are up 50% over the last two months. She charges up to $2,500 for 90-minute workshops that cover things you’d expect — like appropriate dress codes, how to respectfully address managers, and office kitchen cleanliness — and some things you wouldn’t, like reminding people they should shower regularly. Randall explained that a tech firm hired her because two new hires hadn’t bathed or changed their shirts for weeks. “They didn’t want to deal with it, so they hired me,” she explained.

Another common issue is less scent-oriented, but just as off-putting: constant questioning. Melissa Franks, founder of On Call COO, told The Standard she received many calls from managers asking for advice when dealing with Gen Z employees who wouldn’t just do what they were asked to do, but instead questioned every decision and directive. Franks said her advice is to take time to give employees the big picture, so they can see how this task fits into the overall operation. “Give them more context about why things are done a certain way, and you’ll get more respect,” she said.

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Franks also encourages managers to create what amounts to an etiquette guide that should be given to all employees that eliminates any gray areas when it comes to what “casual Friday” looks like or what is an appropriate email sign-off is or what is expected of them in meetings.

The complaints go both ways, with Gen Zers feeling like their Millennials and Gen X bosses emailing after hours and not respecting their need for work-life balance. However, many would probably agree that having an annoying job is a good problem to have. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that the unemployment rate for recent college graduates hit 5.8 percent—the highest reading since 2021.