FOMO is the main driver for Gen Z to return to the office, according to LinkedIn

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With the start of the implementation of remote work just over a year and a half ago, many Mexican companies thought that this would be an ideal scheme for young employees due to its flexibility and the comfort of working from home, however, a recent study LinkedIn, which interviewed 1,023 professionals in Mexico found that Gen Zers, those between 18 and 25 years old, are eager to return to the office, as they fear that the home office will take away important experiences for their professional development.

Among the main findings of the LinkedIn Future of Work study we find that:

For Gen Zers, work at home doesn’t compare to work at the office

While most Gen Zers accept that working at home has impacted them in positive ways in terms of physical (88%) and mental (78%) health, giving them more time to exercise and feel safe from COVID-19, the reality is that office life has also made them miss. According to the LinkedIn report, young Mexicans do not want to stay to work at home for fear of missing important experiences, also called FOMO in English ( fear of missing out ).

According to the respondents, actions as everyday as having support for day-to-day tasks (40%), taking part in face-to-face training (39%), socializing with other colleagues (35%) and collaborating with their teammates in a face-to-face (32%) are some of the experiences they miss the most about working in the office.

To make matters worse, Gen Zers feel that working from home has made them feel out of practice when it comes to office life (81%), including activities such as chatting with clients (44%), spending time with their peers (43%), dressing appropriately (36%) and socializing with people in general (32%).

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Young professionals feel that working at home impacts their career growth

More than half of Gen Zers affirmed that there is a negative stigma associated with working at home (53%) and 77% of them believe that this modality negatively impacts their professional growth by not having face-to-face contact with their bosses (40%) and by encouraging their learning related to the teachings of their superiors (40%). Likewise, most of them believe that the home office has affected the development of soft skills in young people who are just beginning their professional careers (70%), which 68% of them feel have become more relevant in the world of I’ve been working since the pandemic started. In this regard, the main soft skills that Gen Zers would like to develop are communication (64%), emotional intelligence (49%) and adaptability (41%).

Young people want to go back to the office

The LinkedIn study found that more than half of those surveyed have agreed to return to the office in person (58%) as long as their companies create an environment conducive to doing so. When asked about what they need to get back to the office, Gen Zers answered that their companies must comply with all health security protocols (82%), offer safe transportation options (90%), have proof of COVID-19 in their work spaces (90%) and allowing them the freedom to choose whether they prefer to work from home or at the office (78%). Finally, half of young professionals believe that the best scheme that companies can implement at this time is the hybrid (51%) since it provides them with the best balance between professional and personal life.

“Generation Z has always stood out for their adaptability to change, especially in crucial moments like the one we currently face in the world of work, in which they have gone from working completely at home, to little by little reintegrating in the offices through of hybrid schemes, ”said Ramiro Luz, leader of talent solutions for LinkedIn Latin America. “The results of this report not only help us to have a better idea about the situation in which we find ourselves in the workplace, but will also be of great help to companies seeking to attract and retain young talent within their ranks. ”, He concluded.