Gen Z workers favor hybrid schedules over fully remote jobs, surveys find
Gallup found 71% of Gen Z employees prefer hybrid work, while recruiters say younger workers still want at least some flexibility.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Gen Z workers are showing a stronger appetite for hybrid work than for fully remote jobs, according to Gallup. The finding undercuts a common assumption that younger employees would be the main resistance point for return-to-office policies.
Gallup’s latest generational workplace research found that 71% of Gen Z employees prefer a hybrid arrangement, the highest share among the generations it studied. Gallup also found that 23% of remote-capable Gen Z workers want fully remote jobs, compared with 35% of older workers.
The data points to a preference for time in the office paired with some control over where work happens. It does not show Gen Z broadly favoring five days a week at a workplace.
Why younger workers want office time
A separate survey by Harris Poll and Freeman, a global events company, found broad demand for a mix of remote and in-person work. The survey of 1,824 U.S. adults in white-collar jobs found that 91% wanted a balance between the two so they could connect with people in their company and industry.
The Harris Poll and Freeman report said Gen Z workers believe in-person work and live events can help their careers, professional relationships and personal growth. The report framed that view as a contrast to assumptions that a generation raised with digital tools would prefer online interaction over face-to-face contact.
Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, told Fortune that early-career Gen Z workers see in-person exposure as a way to build momentum and demonstrate their value. Garvin said they understand that access to leaders and decision makers can matter for advancement.
Gallup researchers also pointed to a development gap for younger employees who entered school, internships or work during the pandemic. Gallup said fully remote Gen Z employees are more likely to lack clarity about how their work connects to the broader organization, and that mentorship can be harder to build through video calls.
Loneliness and flexibility
Workplace isolation is another factor cited in the shift toward in-person contact. A July 2024 report from research firm BSG, in partnership with TheLi.st and Berlin Cameron, found that 79% of white-collar employees had felt lonely because of their jobs.
A January MetLife survey found that 30% of Gen Z respondents reported feeling isolated, compared with 22% across other generations. Garvin told Fortune that employees are reacting to disconnection after a period in which many workplaces relied heavily on remote work.
Recruiting executives told Fortune that younger workers still value flexibility. Andrew Boccio, cofounder and CEO of executive placement and recruiting firm Landing Point, said his firm is seeing less Gen Z resistance to office returns than expected, but said younger candidates remain reluctant to accept full-time office schedules.
Boccio told Fortune that Gen Z candidates may accept up to four days in the office if they retain one remote day. He said older candidates with children and families appear more resistant to office returns, citing different demands outside work.
Hybrid schedules remain far from universal. Owl Labs’ 2024 State of Hybrid Work report found that about one-fourth of employees work on a hybrid model, and that three days in the office is the most common arrangement among hybrid employees, used by about 41% of them.
Another September 2024 study found that 82% of Gen Z employees want more flexibility from their employers. Boccio told Fortune that fully remote roles at his firm have fallen sharply and are now rare, while hybrid roles have shifted toward roughly four office days and one remote day, compared with two or three office days a few years earlier.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.