REMOTE WORK & GEN Z & THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE

For a lot of us, navigating remote work / working from home has been some combination of learning new technology & embracing new freedoms remote or hybrid work allows (praise pajamas). Parallel, there is collective struggle to keep office “water cooler” culture alive (like a Puzzle Break virtual escape, of course). 

But for many Gen Zs entering the workforce, it’s a little bit different. As is tradition with the “youth”, they catch and latch on to new trends and technology before the rest of us. And as we enter the third calendar year of COVID-19, some of them have never known traditional office culture.

As society grapples with The Great Resignation, Gen Zs are growing outsized expectations from the workplace. When it comes to hybrid and remote work, we can expect them to (thankfully) take the lead in a few key categories.

Office Technology

Deeply familiar with working on apps, mobile devices, and on software that changes as quickly as you can download it, Gen Zs in the workplace are embracing tools that will work long-term for remote and hybrid employees alike. Whether that’s one of our Five Favorite Tools for remote work, or something else on the bleeding edge, the younger demographic can be vital for a smooth, orderly transition. 

Virtual Training

Yes, it sounds odd — use your likely newer employees to train the old guard? At its core, training is little more than disseminating information in a way that makes sense to others. While expertise and experience still have tremendous value, if the trainer can’t figure out how to share their screen on Zoom they lose credibility — and the knowledge shared is less likely to land where it needs to. Look to Gen Z staff to run the tech for training sessions, or give them the added trust of running virtual training entirely.

Team Building Events – Building Connections

While many fresh Gen Z employees haven’t fully to experienced the office lunch or the casual water cooler chats, they do know all the best ways to hang out in a virtual world — they’ve been doing it to stay connected with friends and family during the pandemic. Those same activities they’re already used to might make the best team building experiences. Curious about a virtual escape room experience like The Jackalope Tail of Winter Frost from us here at Puzzle Break? Ask the Gen Z team member! They’ll be able to give you the lowdown on the benefit of these virtual games. You know that team culture is important to keep camaraderie and morale up — we all need all the help we can get in this nonsense, no matter how (in)experienced.

Nate Martin

Dubbed the "Founding Father of Escape Rooms," Nate Martin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Puzzle Break, the first American escape room company. Puzzle Break is headquartered in Seattle with locations in Long Island, Massachusetts and on Royal Caribbean ships. Prior to Puzzle Break, he was a senior executive at Microsoft and Electronic Arts. He has shipped software used by billions of users as well as some of the most beloved video games of a generation. @GuyFromTomorrow on Twitter.

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