The contours of work are evolving, and Tim Currie, Chief Strategy Officer for In Balance IT, and author of Swift Trust: Mastering Relationships in the Remote Work Revolution, believes that this shift is most pronounced in the preferences of Gen Z. A recent Gallup survey highlights a clear trend: younger workers are seeking hybrid work models over fully remote ones. This emerging preference, Currie believes, raises critical questions for organizations navigating the future of talent development, leadership, and workplace design.
Currie states that understanding this shift requires a nuanced appreciation of what Gen Z seeks from the workplace. “Today, more and more of Gen Z want mentorship, belonging, and authentic interpersonal connection,” he says.
According to Currie, the limitations of fully remote work for younger professionals have become increasingly evident. He notes that extended hours on video conference platforms, often with cameras off, fail to emulate the formative experience that can be provided by in-person environments. “I think remote work doesn’t fulfill the needs Gen Z is seeking. They want the sense of fulfillment and belonging that physical workplaces have long provided,” Currie says.
He emphasizes that despite growing up immersed in digital technologies, their reliance on tools does not substitute for human connection. Hybrid models, which blend remote flexibility with structured in-office collaboration, can emerge as the preferred solution.
This preference reflects broader industry dynamics as well. Currie has observed that many organizations say they want to cultivate high-trust and innovative environments that attract and retain younger talent more effectively. However, they fail to recognize that this challenge extends beyond online meetings and virtual happy hours. Organizational design, digital collaboration platforms, and leadership engagement are all essential to creating a culture of flexibility, growth opportunities, and authentic innovation.
Remote roles may often prioritize task-oriented functions that are increasingly susceptible to automation, leaving employees disengaged and underutilized. The lack of spontaneous interactions, hallway conversations, casual check-ins, and informal brainstorming sessions could impede interpersonal development. “Gen Z employees are attuned to these deficits,” Currie says, highlighting how some remote jobs may be structured around tasks that AI could replace, rather than roles that cultivate skills in collaboration, critical thinking, or problem-solving.
With 61% of Gen Z worrying that Gen AI will make it harder for younger generations to enter the workforce, Currie believes that hybrid work, when strategically implemented, can address these gaps. “It can encourage mentorship, skill growth, and authentic collaboration while preserving the flexibility valued by employees,” he says.
However, success depends on intentional design. Currie states, “Nobody wants to endure a one-hour commute to work just to have an online meeting with someone working from home somewhere else. The in-office experience has to mean something and deliver something superior to remote work.” Hybrid work requires careful planning, from aligning team presence to fostering face-to-face interactions that nurture trust and belonging, rather than simply maintaining a gathering of people.
The evolving expectations of Gen Z carry implications for broader business strategy. Organizations need to define what culture they want to build and maintain, what investments they want to make in organizational design that attracts, retains, and grows employees, and how best to implement that in a hybrid workplace. If properly designed and with the right commitment, hybrid workplaces can be a healthy framework for cultivating talent, bridging organizational gaps, fostering collaboration, and embedding trust into the company’s DNA.
Currie envisions a series of explorations into how companies can build winning hybrid cultures, integrate emerging technologies thoughtfully, and lead with empathy and strategic foresight. In the era of hybrid work, organizations that anticipate and respond to Gen Z’s expectations could stand to gain both loyalty and innovation.
“The companies that get this right can redefine what it means to build meaningful, thriving organizations in the post-pandemic world we are in today,” he says. By keeping human connection and trust as the bedrock of workplace design, they can create conditions in which employees feel safe to take risks, propose ideas, and invest in projects without fear of failure. Currie states, “This trust-driven environment is essential for innovation to emerge organically, a dynamic which may be especially appealing to Gen Z as well as the broader workforce.”
