The five old person office habits Gen Z is cancelling NOW

‘Old folks’ who call work meetings on Friday afternoon, expect staff to make phone calls as part of their job and make random noises via Zoom, have been notified by Gen Z.

The new generation claims that workplace behavior “buys them,” as well as “messages longer than one sentence” and “getting a Dell laptop” to use at work.

Known as the Zoomers, the newly minted members of the professional workforce prefer to post their frustrations about their lives on TikTok, where they can get sympathy and likes.

Adam Butler, workplace solutions expert, founder and CEO of Officeology, took a deep dive into the video sharing platform in an effort to understand why young people dislike general workplace behavior.

In a conversation with FEMAIL, he explained the five most common annoyances and how to tackle them in the workplace.

The most popular “ick” for the generation isn’t job-specific, but it’s harder to avoid there than in the free time, on the phone.

Calling

The introverted lawyer summed up the feeling in an animated video that quickly went viral, racking up more than two million likes.

“Part of the job is talking to other people,” the caption read, accompanied by the clip of an office worker crying over his desk phone.

“Me when I need to call someone for something at work,” the video read.

Followed by the character saying ‘I don’t want to do this, please don’t pick up, please don’t pick up.’

The viral video resonated with other TikTokkers, with one admitting that they avoid calling at all costs.

“I remember my phone broke at work and I didn’t say anything for weeks,” they said.

Others revealed that the video made them feel better – knowing they’re not alone – with some calling Gen Z the generation of phone anxiety.

“I used to work in a call center and this is too accurate,” said one.

“I work in customer service and this is too accurate,” said another.

While others admitted that phone calls make them more nervous.

“Outgoing calls are fine because I know what it’s about. The incoming calls scare me to death because they can be anything,” said one man.

Mr Butler said the fear people feel about calling when they are new to a position is “normal” but can be mastered with practice.

“(by) making your manager and co-workers aware that this is something you struggle with so they can support you by delegating fewer phone calls to you in the beginning, or even giving you a script to read,” he said. he.

Getting a Dell Laptop

According to some Gen Zs, the laptop you get says a lot about the workplace — and the worst option is “Dell.”

Corporate TikTokker Liljehu says that if your new employer sends you a Del, it’s a sign to “look for a new job.”

“They’re probably having cash flow problems,” he said in a viral video.

Before claiming bosses ship the Lenovo ThinkPad, employees consider them “a number” and don’t properly prioritize their spending on those who ship MacBooks.

‘My Dell is overheating in sleep mode,’ one person complained.

‘Mine too lol! once I close it and put it away it’s like having the sun in my backpack,” added another.

With a third explanation, the only way to “fix a Dell” is to “get none.”

And while Dell scored highest for “ick factor” in the comments, other options seemed to deter the younger generation as well.

“I just started a new job and they gave me a DESKTOP for another job. I was so offended,” said one woman.

But Mr Butler said people should not be put off by the equipment their boss supplies them.

Making clumsy noises to fill the void

Gen Z has complained about “that” noise bosses make to fill the void when they share their screens on Zoom.

Roberto PePe, who posts under the name ‘I want newwww’, summarized ‘the noise’ in a short film of his own.

In the video, he fiddles with his mouse and looks at the screen. He has AiPods in and makes a ‘choochhhoo’ sound.

“That noise everyone makes on Zoom when they don’t know what to do,” reads a caption above the video.

Roberto adds by using the hashtag pet peeve and adding “let me ride” in the caption.

“Everyone, I’m going to screeeeeeen shaaare. Do you see it?’, someone wrote in solidarity.

“I think I’ve done this before and scared myself,” another confessed.

Mr Butler said ‘we’ve all been there’ before showing his age by suggesting people strike up a conversation.

While there is nothing wrong with humming or making noises, an alternative silence filler is to strike up a conversation with the interlocutors. Ask them about their weekend or any plans for the evening,” he suggested.

But this tip was mentioned in the video’s comments as another “clumsy” attempt to fill the void — often used by “older” management or team members.

‘How was everyone’s weekend? *on a Wednesday*,” one woman wrote.

Many disagreed with his claim that there is nothing wrong with humming, saying that the sound is a ‘cry for help’ or a sign that old people are ‘at the mercy of technology’.

Long work related posts

According to Gen Zs on TikTok, all work-related slacks and lyrics should be as short as possible, with many suggesting a sentence is enough and even half sentences are completely appropriate.

“Don’t send me paragraphs, I don’t need a tome to read an essay,” is the message a young boss wants to get across.

“Be short – be clear – be gone,” she suggests in her video explaining that anything that lasts long pisses her off.

“I don’t have the time or the energy, or frankly, the interest to read paragraphs.”

And she’s not alone.

“Chats are a sentence at most, a poison at most,” said one person.

“A project manager put me three paragraphs of notes that all came down to it, put a dash in the title of the document,” added another.

A third said something too long should be put in an email instead of hiding a chat.

Another woman shared her statement about word count: “Listen – words in chats, sentences in emails, paragraphs in meetings.”

Mr Butler admitted it can be difficult to find the right route here, as ‘everyone has their favorite way of communicating’.

“Work together to decide what works best for both of you,” he suggested.

Friday afternoon meetings

The fifth and final Gen Z pet peeve is the Friday afternoon meeting — but annoyances also extend to hour-long meetings that could have been emails and last-minute meetings.

Kellyn McMullen made a TikTok to express her distaste for all three. The video shows the young woman who works from home saying “another thank you” every time she receives one of three annoying meeting requests.

“I have a meeting on Friday at 2 p.m. Seriously, who’s planning a meeting for Friday afternoon,” one person said via Reddit.

“I have the same, the same time, and I had exactly the same line flashing through my head,” said another.

While others suggest that meetings should not be held before 10 a.m. if possible, while Friday meetings should never be “recurring.”

The Zoomer generation also recently expressed their “icks” when it comes to email phrases and using the increasingly unpopular thumbs up.