Small talk, phone anxiety and more: Gen Z sounds off on office fears

Gen Z is never beating the “unemployable” allegations. 

For Gen Z, a growing confidence crisis means common workplace interactions are now a major source of anxiety. Working with unfamiliar colleagues, making small talk, using the phone, and waking up early were among the biggest anxieties for young workers, according to new research from Trinity College London.​

These fears have also been echoed online. 

“Can we talk about the fear of having to make a phone call in a dead silent office of cubicles,” one TikTok creator recently posted.

“When you finally finish sending that email that’s been giving you anxiety and they respond with ‘are you free for a quick call?’” another viral post reads. “The trick is to send this email a few minutes before you go home and then you have valid excuse for “not seeing” the response,” one commenter suggested. 

In two national surveys of 1,538 people aged 16 to 29 across the U.K., 42% said they feel anxious about working with others, 38% find small talk anxiety-inducing, and 30% report phone anxiety. Notably, respondents were more worried about everyday office interactions than about their jobs becoming redundant because of AI.

Presenting work (25%) and accepting criticism (22%) were also major concerns. “POV: you’re presenting on a work call, but your anxiety thinks you’re being hunted for sport,” one TikTok creator summed it up. 

More than half of respondents (59%) said they find it difficult collaborating with older colleagues. That may be tied to changing office culture and norms. Over half felt that traditional workplace banter can be inappropriate or offensive, while 42% said they’d had a negative interaction with a colleague or boss.

One TikTok creator claimed, “You’ve never really experienced jealousy until you’ve worked at a corporation where there’s some old coworker who hates you for just being young, skinny and hot.” A sentiment echoed by others online. 

The poll also found 21% had or were dreading entering the workplace for the first time, while 33% of those already in employment said it was challenging. Starting out at work has never been an easy transition, but shifting workplace norms seem to be dialling up the anxiety for the youngest workers.

(And honestly, many of the things on the list stress out workers of all ages, too.)

So what can employers do to help mitigate the anxiety? Asked what they would change about the workplace, 32% said mental health days should be standard, while 28% would scrap the 9-to-5 in favor of flexible hours. 

Early mornings and strict start times, many said, filled them with dread. “Am I the only one who contemplates quitting their job when I keep having to wake up early and am really tired” one TikTok post read. Or as one creator summed up the general mood: “The concept of waking up early (which I hate) to go to work (which I hate) to be there ALL day (which I hate) to get off and go home (which I love) and to have to rinse & repeat literally everyday for the rest of ur life (which I hate).”

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