A Gen Z employee sent me an emoji sticker over Teams and it permanently saved onto my phone keyboard.
I didn’t know how to remove it, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it off. So I asked the employee to help me take it off my phone. In a few minutes, they sent me a screen recording of how to do it and now the sticker’s gone.
But what happened next was interesting, and surprisingly human. They popped into my office and showed me how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Instead of just sending a TikTok link or another screen recording, they chose face-to-face communication.
This says a lot about how Gen Z works and communicates. Despite being cast as a digital native generation, new research from UKG and YouGov Australia indicates that Gen Z employees prefer face-to-face communication at work because they value genuine human connection, find digital communication limiting and are proactively working to improve their communication skills in a hybrid work environment.
UKG and YouGov surveyed over 10,000 Gen Z Aussie employees and found that over 40 per cent prefer face-to-face communication over email, Teams, and video calls at work.
Despite what you might think, it’s not just about convenience. Gen Z values real connections more than other generations because they started working during COVID-19. Besides, most people have stronger relationships with people they see in person, and the same goes for employees in the office.
Of course, there’s value in digital communication at work. It’s given us the ability to work from home and take back some liberties in our lives. However, Gen Z’s preference for in-person communication is a response to digital overload and human connections and people-first solutions are how Gen Z are responding. So the more screen time they have, the more they crave in-person communication.
So, how did we get here, and what does this mean for HR?
In this blog, we’ll explore why Gen Z employees prefer to communicate in person and how HR can create opportunities for them to thrive with colleagues in the office.
Why and how did we get here?
Most Gen Z employees entered the workforce, and possibly your organisation during the pandemic.
Meaning they started working remotely and value the connection that in-person communication with their colleagues offers. Because they grew up in a digital-first world, they understand its limitations more than anyone. They realise it creates communication barriers and want to break them down, and that’s something you should embrace.
Digital communication benefits organisations in a hybrid working world, but it can also lead to miscommunication and low employee engagement. It’s hard enough for young people to speak up these days, especially if they’re new to the workforce. And when you throw in five experienced older colleagues on a work call, it makes things worse.
The good news is that Gen Z employees are proactive in resolving conflicts in person, rather than by phone, video call, or messaging. They recognise that meaningful connections and true collaboration are forged in person, not through pixels.
So, how can HR help Gen Z sharpen their communication skills and get ahead?
How to help them get ahead
First things first, make sure you prioritise face-to-face interactions.
Be intentional about in-person meetings, especially for complex conversations like changes to work conditions, project management and relationship building. Another thing to be aware of is generational workplace clashes. Now that’s nothing new, but for the first time, ever four generations—Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Gen Z are working side by side.
For HR and managers, they tend to forget that every generation is known and labelled as problematic. Baby Boomers thought Gen X were cynical. Gen X said Millennials were entitled. And now millennials are cat clawing at the problems that come with Gen Z’s digital native side and poking holes at their work ethic.
We’ve all dealt with it before in some way or another. It’s nothing new. People and generations are influenced by the world around them, technology, cultural changes and events. And in turn, workplace expectations evolve.
If change is the only constant for Gen Z, what can you do to embrace it? A great step is to create opportunities for informal interaction with other employees from other generations. Encourage older employees to mentor instead of micromanage. Think walk and talks or informal coffees. While Gen Z might lack experience, they’re eager to learn new skills and take on development roles. They don’t just want a job, they want a path forward.
So, another great way to help Gen Z get ahead in their communication skills is to invest in communication-based courses. We know Gen Z struggle with confrontation and difficult conversations, so focusing on topics that address things like public speaking, how to boost their EQ and receive feedback constructively.
These workshops will help Gen Z employees communicate clearly and improve their pitching and presenting. Most of all, they’ll help turn Gen Z’s preference for face-to-face connection into confident, collaborative communication, something every workplace can benefit from.
About us
At Martian Logic, we help HR teams build workplaces where every generation feels heard. Our HRIS is designed to support meaningful, human-first communication in hybrid environments by making it easier to gather feedback, track employee sentiment, and design people strategies that actually work. Whether you're creating mentoring programs, planning communication workshops, or rethinking how teams interact day to day, our tech helps you stay ahead of generational shifts without losing your culture. Ready to build a workplace where every employee, no matter their emoji habits, can thrive? Let’s talk.
