Stop blaming Gen Z for resisting RTO: 71% say they want a hybrid balance—and now they’re quietly leading the office comeback

Gen Z has been getting a lot of flak for their alleged workplace habits. Older generations assumed these newer entrants to the workforce don’t see the value of in-person exchanges—and that they’d be the loudest holdouts when return-to-office mandates landed. Years of data prove them wrong. Gallup’s most recent generational study found 71% of Gen Z employees prefer a hybrid work environment, the highest share of any generation. On the other end, only 23% of remote-capable Gen Z workers say they’d prefer to work fully remote, compared with 35% among older generations, making Gen Z the least likely generation to want an all-remote setup. In other words, Gen Z is debunking the idea that they despise in-office work. Or it might just simply be because Gen Z loves to yap (even though it may not be appropriate for traditional in-office etiquette). That desire for in-person connection isn’t new. A Harris Poll and global events company Freeman survey of 1,824 U.S. adults with white-collar jobs found that 91% of respondents wanted a balance between remote and in-person work to connect with others in their company and industry. “Gen Z was born into a digital world that connected their lives from the start, so it’s easy to assume they prefer online worlds to the real one,” the Harris Poll/Freeman survey results read. “But did you know there’s more to the story?” The report says Gen Z believes attending live events and in-person work will benefit their careers, business relationships, and personal growth. “Hungry to move quickly in their careers and prove themselves, they recognize the need for face time with leaders and decision makers in their companies,” Lia Garvin, author of The New Manager Playbook, told Fortune. This is something they lost during the pandemic, when many Gen Zers were still in college or completing internships fully remote without ever having that in-person learning experience. Gallup researchers point to the same gap: fully rem