Most Canadian Gen Z workers prefer to talk in-person, rather than digitally: study

Gen Zs in the Canadian workforce are defying expectations about their communication preferences, according to ServiceNow Canada’s recent Gen Z and the Future of Work in Canada study.

Specifically, the study found that 58 percent of Gen Zs — those aged 18 to 24 — prefer to communicate with their manager in person. On the other hand, only 36 percent opt for texting and 26 percent would rather instant message (IM).

By contrast, older generations assume that Gen Zs prefer to communicate by text (62 percent) and by IM (47 percent). In fact, only 17 percent of older generations think that Gen Z prefers in-person communication.

Further, older generations don’t have a lot of confidence that they can learn anything from Gen Zs. According to the study, only 32 percent of older respondents said they think they can be taught open-mindedness from Gen Zs. Meanwhile, 29 percent of older folks said they think their younger coworkers could teach them about creative problem solving and how to have fun at work. Further, 44 percent of older respondents said they could learn digital skills.

Comparatively, Gen Z feels they can teach older colleagues open-mindedness (53 percent), creative problem solving (45 percent) and having fun at work (44 percent). To that point, nearly 50 percent of Gen Zs said the biggest misconceptions older generations have about them is that they’re self-absorbed, have a short attention span and are entitled.

Elsewhere, 74 percent of Gen Z respondents said technology at work should be as easy to use as it is at home. These youngsters specifically call for mobile-optimized technology at work. Conversely, only one in five of this generation actually want futuristic tech like virtual and augmented reality, holographic meetings and drones in the workplace.

The online survey was facilitated by The Logit Group on behalf of ServiceNow. The study rand between October 17th and 29th, 2019 among 1,851 Canadians.

Source: ServiceNow