Some corporate rituals have been around for generations. But just because a firm has been doing something the same way for decades doesn’t mean that the tradition makes sense to all of us; especially to Gen Zs, who grew up in a world of remote work, flex-time, and 24/7 digital communication.
Here are the corporate rituals that Gen Z can’t believe are still part of the workplace.
Company Picnics and Holiday Parties
Gen Zs are not very keen on company picnics or holiday parties; they can feel forced, and it’s not fun for everyone to mingle outside of work hours.
Many Gen Z respondents prefer small, casual group celebrations or event-like social events with flexibly timed attendance.
Daily Stand-Up Meetings
Stand-up meetings are meant to keep everyone informed; however, they could be extremely monotonous and meaningless as per many Gen Zs.
With modern tools to communicate online, stand-up could be done within a few sentences or even in an e-mail. No one needs to leave their tasks to have a stand-up meeting when it can be done in a much easier way.
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Formal Dress Codes
To Gen Z, the very idea of dress code feels both outdated and restrictive. For their generation, clothing is a personal mode of expression.
For this reason, many Gen Zs are drawn more to employers who cater to comfort and individuality than strictly to dress codes.
Clocking In and Out
Clocking in and clocking out feels micromanaging to Gen Z. They believe hours are not as important as getting work done. Time-tracking feels even worse, since it appears to value face time over outcomes.
What Gen Z might accept, however, could be the exact opposite: greater flexibility surrounding their working hours and ownership over their time.
Annual Performance Reviews
Gen Z wants more feedback and development during projects, not at the end of the year. In their view, the yearly review is 20th century thinking. It’s a relic of a bygone era.
In fact, the yearly review often makes them feel disconnected; both from their own performance and the feedback they’re getting. Gen Z would rather have regular check-ins every week or two, with feedback and development every step of the way.
The “Open-Door Policy”
An open-door policy sounds good in theory, but Gen Z says that it often doesn’t work as advertised. For many, the idea of walking right into their manager’s office to talk is awkward.
They’d rather have a direct digital line with their bosses, via a messaging app, and be able to communicate without feeling like they’re intruding.
Cubicle Decorations
Employers encouraging employees to put personal touches to one’s cubicle to ‘make it yours’ feel wasteful to some Gen Zs. Work isn’t their whole identity and they’d rather not mix too much of their personal lives at work.
Mandatory Team-Building Exercises
Gen Z often feels that any formalized, awkwardly structured ‘team-building’ experience is a remnant of the past and not their own.
When it comes to building relationships, especially in the workplace, Gen Z prefers to do so organically and at their own pace. They feel more comfortable with impromptu team lunches or virtual happy hours.
Lengthy Onboarding Presentations
Gen Zs are tired of endless onboarding sessions stuffed with PowerPoint slides. This can feel like an information overload.
So they tend to favor training that is self-paced and on-demand, allowing them to access resources when they need them.
Celebrating “Work Anniversaries”
A company anniversary celebration every year might have been a fun perk 10 years ago, but Gen Z is not in the mood to celebrate birthdays. Most of them don’t see themselves working for one organization for the long haul, so work anniversaries are meaningless to them.
They are more focused on the growth of their careers than on marking how many years they’ve been with a particular employer.
Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.
