Survey reveals 37% of 18-24 year-old-workers struggle to make friends in the office, but not for the reasons you think
A new survey by flexible workspace and co-working operator Colony dives into what makes young UK office workers tick when it comes to making friends in the workplace
- Colony surveyed 2,000 office-based workers to find out how we build connections in the office
- Tech savviness aside, results show that the biggest roadblock for 18-24-year-old workers in building relationships is a lack of face-to-face interactions with their colleagues (33%)
- Young workers also value having space to build connections: over 36% want more access to social areas, 31% would love more social events during office hours, and 28% love to catch up over a coffee break
The traditional workplace has changed a lot over the last four years, with hybrid and remote working schedules becoming the norm, and many of us spending much less time at the office than we used to.
Experts have long since argued over how these new working norms may be affecting our productivity…but what about our social happiness?
To try and understand the impact remote working may be having on our office relationships, Colony, a Manchester-based flexible workspace & co-working operator, surveyed 2,000 UK office workers to understand how they interact and build connections in the workplace.
Here’s what they found…
Younger Gen Z workers find it hardest to make friends at work
According to the survey, more 18-24-year-old workers are finding it difficult to make friends in the workplace, with 37% answering ‘very difficult’ or ‘somewhat difficult’. This is compared to 36.3% of 25-34 year olds, 35.7% of 35-44 year-olds, 28% of 45-54 year olds and 23% of over 55s.
One main reason for this could be that 18-24-year-olds have simply spent less time in the workplace, which is likely to impact their likelihood of having a close-knit group of friends at the office. Sure enough, the survey also showed that 25% of 18-24-year-old office workers found their main group of friends in their current workplace, close to the overall average (26%). Meanwhile, they are less likely to have met their main friends in a past job (19%), suggesting that workplace friendships can simply take time and career experience to build.
Over half of 18-24-year-old office workers (52%) have met their main group of friends at school or university, which is unsurprisingly higher than any other age group. Education is a major part of life for 18-24-year-olds, and those years often bring about long-lasting friendships.
Additionally, 18-24-year-old office workers are much more likely to forge close friendships online through social media or gaming than older generations. Nearly 20% of respondents said they found their closest friends this way, double that of other age groups.
Lack of face-to-face contact biggest roadblock for Gen Z office workers when it comes to making friends at the office
Despite their tech-savviness, the survey revealed that the biggest roadblock young workers have in building friendships is not having enough in-person time with their colleagues (33%).
This seems to indicate that many young workers aren’t just interested in living their work lives online – building in-person connections is something they value. This should definitely be a priority for any employer to include as a key part of their workplace culture.
Other reasons include feeling shy (28.3%), and/or struggling to find time for making friends at the office, suggesting the demands of their job may not allow for social interaction.
Top 5 reasons 18-24-year-old office workers find it difficult to make friends in the office
- Lack of face-to-face time with colleagues – 33.3%
- Shyness – 28.3%
- Not enough time to talk about non-work topics at work – 28.3%
- Lack of things in common with colleagues – 28.3%
- Job is too busy to make friends with colleagues – 25%
Unlike older generations, this generation is much less likely to want to keep their work and social lives separate (only 15% vs. 34% overall). They seem more willing to blend their personal and professional relationships, valuing a more integrated approach to life. This could mean that they’re looking for workplaces that allow them to be themselves and form genuine connections.
Shyness also isn’t as big of an issue among 18-24-year-olds as older workers, with only 28.3% mentioning it as a reason for struggling to make friends at work compared to all other age groups (35.7%). This could indicate that young workers are open to socialising, even if they’re still figuring out the workplace vibe.
Communal spaces, social events and more coffee breaks key to helping Gen Z make more friends at the office
When it comes to what helps 18-24-year-old workers really connect with colleagues, 41.4% said that naturally having things in common with colleagues is the most important. This was followed by having more communal spaces where workers can break out and chat with colleagues (35.8%), as well as employers offering more social events both inside (30.9%) and outside (29.6%) of working hours.
These stats show that employers allowing the right conditions for work friendships to flourish is key for younger workers, who may need extra help in forging friendships given the reduced time many of them are spending at the office.
Top 5 things that would help 18-24-year-old office workers make friends at the office
- Naturally having things in common with colleagues – 41.4%
- Having communal spaces at work – 35.8%
- More social events during office hours – 30.9%
- More social events outside of office hours – 29.6%
- Colleagues generally spending more time together – 29.6%
Gen Z and millennial workers are most likely to have been negatively affected by the pandemic when it comes to making friends at work
More younger workers have found that the pandemic has had a negative effect on their ability to make friends at the office (37% respectively for 18-24-year-olds and 25-34-year-olds), vs office workers overall (31%) and workers from other age groups.
This suggests that foraying into the workplace during a time of remote working made it all the more difficult to make those strong connections at work, a phenomenon which is continuing to be felt by younger workers in a post-pandemic world.
However, more 18-24-year-olds claim that hybrid working has had a positive impact on their existing work friendships vs older workers (41% vs 31%), suggesting this ‘new normal’ has not affected friendships that were already forged through solid face-to-face contact.
Reflecting on the results, Jamie Halliday, Head of Marketing at Colony, says:
“We wanted to conduct this survey to really understand how young office employees interact in the workplace and what’s important to them.
“Ultimately results show that, contrary to popular belief, this dynamic, emerging generation really wants to build real, personable connections with people at work, and that they value a workplace that makes that a fundamental part of their company culture.
“While they might be more comfortable using online platforms than other generations, it’s clear that they still value those spontaneous chats and face-to-face moments that help them build deeper relationships.
“These results show that employers today should invest in a socially focused work culture that gives employees the time, space and opportunity to network and build strong connections. In doing so, they’ll create a work culture where interaction and collaboration can thrive.”
