Gen Z Taking Classes On Workplace Etiquette Due To Lack Of Soft Skills, Experts Say

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything when it put the entire world at a standstill. Students who were in college or graduating high school were thrust into a virtual learning environment for the first time in history.

And now, findings reveal that Generation Z might be lacking in soft skills due to completing most of their college coursework virtually.

As these graduates prepare to enter the workforce, experts say they’re struggling with the basics of how to send an email or dress in an office setting. As a result, a growing number of companies and universities have started offering soft skill classes to new grads, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Major companies and corporations like KPMG, Deloitte, and TwC have started offering new hires training on how to have conversations in person, the appropriate level of eye contact, and pauses to make in a conversation, as noted by Financial Times. Executives at the consulting company Protiviti say they expanded new hire training since the pandemic and have had to remind new graduates that they should not wear ripped jeans to the workplace.

Some training courses teach new hires how to pause after introducing themselves in order to give time for the other person to speak, and how to detect signs that the other person wants to end the conversation.

While it’s normal for new generations entering the workplace to face unfamiliar hurdles, experts believe Gen Z needs more introductory training than previous graduates.

“It’s things like understanding norms, values, and etiquette: Who should you call? How should they be contacted? Are some people out of bounds?” Helen Hughes, associate professor at Leeds University Business School, told the BBC in April.

According to Meta leader Mark Zuckerberg, employees who joined in person performed better on the job than those who joined remotely. Now Meta staffers are required to come into the office at least three days a week. Zuckerberg and other CEOs believe younger workers would greatly benefit from spending more time in the workplace.