From laid-back email signatures to ‘Bare Minimum Mondays,’ Gen Z employees have a rep for being “difficult” at work — so much so that some companies are adding business etiquette classes to the cal. To learn more, we spoke with Marla McGraw, director of career management at Michigan State University, about how Gen Z operates in the workplace and whether they’ve earned all the criticism...

Q: Before we get into their supposedly unprofessional workplace behavior, how much of their approach to work has to do with the pandemic?

There was a big time period where [Gen Z] folks were only working remotely, and those were formative years. Typically [students] would network on campus with a company face-to-face, they would [get] a face-to-face interview, and would probably get invited to events. That way, you’d get to know people way before you start. Then at an internship, they’d invite you to activities, where you’d network with a bunch of people in person and pick up on certain things. It’s all osmosis. And if you take all that away and are only engaging online, there’s lots that you don’t get to pick up on.

Q: What are some skills Gen Z employees may need more help with?

When students first started to work [after COVID], they were like, ‘Is it best that the question comes through Slack? Should I approach someone? Do I message them in Teams? Do I talk to my mentor?’ We talk with employers about being more specific with students. Don’t assume that they can intuitively figure all that out. 

We work more and more with students around communicating with companies and their expectations … Companies don’t like the ‘hey.’ They want to communicate via email and not text. 

Another interesting trend is that a company will make an offer and then never hear from the student. And when you talk with students about that, it’s not out of disrespect. It’s out of, ‘I’m not sure how to decline an offer. I’m really nervous about doing that.’

Q: Didn’t millennials get similar criticism when they entered the workplace?

For every generation, there are qualities that “experts” say are “good” or “bad” … The millennial generation has the reputation of being “self-indulgent” … but they tend to be very optimistic and forward thinking. Gen Z likes work flexibility, they want to show up as their authentic selves, and want to know how they can make an impact … Organizations [hiring Gen Z employees] should be prepared to be more transparent about what they can do better and how employees can be a part of that change.

Q: Are there positive things Gen Z employees bring to company cultures that previous generations haven’t or couldn’t?

I’m very impressed and surprised by the questions this generation asks of employers: ‘Why isn’t your board more diverse?’ … Or, ‘I want to better understand your company’s layoffs’ …  Millennials were much less likely to ask the tough questions … Their questions were more about work-life balance and promotions, and those are all valid ... [Gen Z] students have seen a pandemic, school shootings, social unrest — all in their formative years. They’re asking these questions because that’s their experience, which is so different from millennials’ … It used to be, ‘you should feel lucky to work here.’ And now it’s, ‘you might be lucky to have me.’ I appreciate that quite a bit … And, I think the corporate world could stand to get a little less formal.