SINGAPORE: During the pandemic, scores of workers were utterly undone and disorientated by the shift to working from home.
It wasn’t about the dip in productivity and blurred work-life boundaries, which were surface-level issues.
It was the realisation that the office had been more than just a physical, communal space for them, before COVID-19 hit. There was structure to it, which had helped generations of employees to anchor their professional identity and find their footing when starting out.
After the dust settled, it became clear that working from home wasn't just a personal adjustment to be made.
Five years on, the greater significance is obvious, and perhaps most prominent among Gen Z workers. It has shaped the outlook of a cohort that began their careers at home – an experience that is now steadily redefining workplace culture altogether.
Among Gen Zs, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, their oldest members entered the Singapore workforce just as the pandemic began in 2020.
All they’ve known is remote or hybrid work, which often comes with greater autonomy to shape work around their personal preferences, said organisational behaviour expert Winnie Jiang.
In many instances, it’ll form the “baseline" for their expectations; manifesting in how they choose their physical environment to work and potentially shaping their career choices, the assistant professor from INSEAD business school added.
"Whereas for previous generations, changing careers could be a bit stigmatised, now it’s being framed as self-exploration and entrepreneurial pursuits.”
It aligns with imprinting theory in psychology, which suggests that experiences during “critical, formative periods” leave lasting effects on identity and behaviour, said Asst Prof Jiang.
And few periods are more formative than the onset of one’s career.
There is much more to it, however, than the conclusion that "Gen Z just wants to work from home".
In a recent survey conducted by CNA’s Money Mind programme among youth aged 21 to 28 about why Gen Z workers remain in or quit a job, 53 per cent of respondents in Singapore cited flexible work arrangements as their top reason for staying put.
But fresh graduate Charlotte Ang believes it’s less about the arrangement per se. Rather, Gen Zs place a premium on what that flexibility represents.
“Gen Zs in general just want to feel like their boundaries are respected and their work is being valued,” the 23-year-old told CNA.
“That’s why I think to a lot of Gen Z, a work-from-office mandatory arrangement might not make sense because you feel very controlled. It seems to convey a lack of trust.”
Yet, the push for hybrid or remote work, solely for the sake of it, does seem to have eased.
Contrary to popular belief, more Gen Zs are enthusiastic about going to the office, while older generations are more reluctant to return, at least according to a Financial Times report.
Some Gen Z workers in Singapore told CNA how limited face time revealed just how much in-person interactions – once taken for granted – shaped their learning, both in job skills and workplace dynamics.
Mr Goh Chiang Yang, for one, struggled with remote work in a previous three-month stint because he is a “very visual" learner.
“Even if (a demonstration) was shown through a screen, which you might argue is visual, it’s very difficult to follow the ‘clicks’ or try and understand what they’re really trying to do,” the 25-year-old said.
He found weekly team meetings during an internship “very beneficial”. Though hybrid, he showed up in person and learnt something new each time.
“If you’re in your first job or just starting out and you need to learn, working in the office or face-to-face is much better than working remotely, especially when you have no clue what you’re doing," he said.
Mr Goh, now a self-employed photographer, added that there was “an immediacy” to working in an office. He could tell if colleagues were available to talk, unlike with online messaging, where he wasn’t sure if he was interrupting them.
For the same reasons, three days in the office is just the “right balance” for 26-year-old Jane, who declined to give her real name. It’s her current arrangement as a digital and content specialist for a tech and automation multinational corporation – her third job since starting work in 2022.
Her previous roles at a public relations agency and a tech giant involved hybrid and full-time office arrangements respectively.
“(When) I’m new to a company, all the more I’d want to be in the office to get to know new faces. It’ll be hard for me to adapt if I’m not,” she said.
“Sometimes, human interaction helps to make you feel more at ease, especially between you and your colleagues. Over text, certain things can (feel) more intimidating (to broach), as opposed to talking in person, whether it’s resolving or clarifying certain issues.”
Being in the office also makes it easier to find one’s tribe – a key reason many Gen Zs choose to stick with a job, according to a survey.
The 2025 poll by recruitment agency Randstad found that 67 per cent of Gen Z respondents in Singapore – more than millennials, Gen X or baby boomers – would consider resigning if they didn’t experience a sense of belonging.
This isn’t a dealbreaker for Jane, though it gave her added motivation when she had to spend all five weekdays in the office in her earlier job with a tech giant.
That position didn’t actually require “much human interaction or collaboration”, but having many colleagues around her age “really helped me look forward to work”.
Office camaraderie also helped Ms Ang, the graduate, when she had to work overtime with people she described as "like a support system”. It was a perk that work-from-home couldn’t give her.
She doesn't mind that her current role in e-commerce is strictly work-from-office. Finding the right manager and team culture are more important at this stage of her career.
Such dynamics also point to a “peer learning” aspect of working physically with others that Asst Prof Jiang believes doesn’t get recognised enough.
“You're not just focused on your own tasks. You’re also learning how other people work, which actually enhances both your self- and other-understanding. It broadens your perspectives, makes you more cognitively flexible and adds breadth to the ways that you think,” she said.
“That ability is really important now in the age of artificial intelligence where people really need to think outside of the box in a lot of different ways.”
Then there is the association between working in a physical environment and career ambition.
“Being able to build a relationship with your supervisor beyond work contributes to the sense of belonging to the team and company," said Ms Ang. "It might make you feel like you can reach out to them as a mentor, which could be beneficial for your career.”
Having fewer opportunities for informal learning and forging bonds could go on to affect Gen Z's understanding of career development – even if they may not realise exactly how just yet.
Adjunct university lecturer Samuel He has a clearer view of the impact. He's been teaching at Nanyang Technological University for just over a decade; and has 40 to 50 students graduate into the workforce every year.
Post-pandemic, some had only been to the office once – to collect their laptop – by the third month of their internships. Others spent these internships, or the initial two years in their first jobs, interacting with just their supervisor.
“That’s quite detrimental to a young worker. A lot of things they need to learn happens outside of direct assignments. Sometimes, it can be as casual as a work lunch from someone not in your department,” said Mr He.
He believes the onus lies on new employees like his students to make up that "gap” by initiating face time, but acknowledged this was easier said than done.
“For a first job, you’re really asking for a lot from them.”
As leadership strategist Uma Thana Balasingam pointed out, being digital natives – fluent in the technology used in hybrid and remote work – doesn’t mean being fluent in workplace dynamics.
Learning how to manage up and how to build social capital require face-to-face experience, just as you’d need to observe how your boss navigates tension in a meeting or gives feedback in "real time”, said the founder and CEO of non-profit Lean In Singapore.
Such norms make up a company’s culture, which is often “absorbed through osmosis”.
“Older generations had time to build office presence. Gen Z is building professional identity in isolation. They miss out on this mentorship, modelling and impromptu leadership exposure,” added Ms Thana Balasingam.
“Uneven” visibility of a worker then affects sponsorship – a practice in which a senior employee actively advocates for and promotes the career advancement of a junior.
“Without visibility and sponsorship, which I believe to be the most important relationship currency in the workplace, I believe Gen Z talent will stagnate and start questioning their value,” she said.
In trying to retain talent, giving employees the logistical arrangements they want may help. But a company’s culture will ultimately matter most, said Gen Z workers who spoke with CNA.
Former journalist Denise, who declined to give her real name, joined a hybrid newsroom for around two years as her first job out of university.
“I wanted to have more interactions ... It’s not that people were unapproachable, but it’s more of a bother to reach out online than just stepping over (to talk to them in person). Work-from-home definitely felt more isolating,” said the 26-year-old.
Yet she eventually found “no difference” when working in the office.
“A lot of the older supervisors ... I think they forgot what it’s like to be someone new in a new space,” she added.
In comparison, Denise felt close to colleagues in a previous internship, even though they only worked in the office once in a while. They would reach out often or organise meet-ups.
“Moving forward, when I do interviews, the number one question I’ll ask is 'what’s the culture like?' (and) see how companies answer that, like (whether they have) get-togethers," she said.
"Even though it sounds so lame and cringe saying it out loud, it does matter. It affects the whole working experience."
But it goes beyond team bonding activities.
Just as Gen Z's demand for flexible work arrangements is rooted in a desire for trust, what they're truly seeking is a chance to belong and for meaningful connection beyond the daily grind.
To keep up, companies should first “stop treating hybrid as a logistical solution, which is what we did during the pandemic”, Ms Thana Balasingam suggested.
“Gen Z values flexibility but not at the cost of connection. The problem is that many hybrid set-ups are technically flexible but emotionally disconnected,” she said.
“Start designing for human connection. Culture and career development won’t happen remotely. You have to engineer that.”
An organisation she worked with, for example, restructured hybrid days to “centre around connection”.
This led to cross-team coffee chats, executive Ask Me Anything sessions, reverse mentoring pairings – and better engagement among younger employees.
“I don’t know which generation asks for as much feedback as Gen Z. They want clarity, coaching, connection," she added. "And if hybrid work environments fail to offer those, they’re going to opt out."
And if they do, who would blame them?
If anything, perhaps the Gen Z career approach reflects how older attitudes towards work – which placed the job at the centre – can no longer hold.
You could be a social media manager, tech analyst, lawyer, banker, journalist and so on in possibly any company of your choice.
You might have ended up joining this one for the exciting job scope and competitive benefits.
But more often than not, you'll stay for the people. Gen Z has simply figured that out early.
Continue reading...
It wasn’t about the dip in productivity and blurred work-life boundaries, which were surface-level issues.
It was the realisation that the office had been more than just a physical, communal space for them, before COVID-19 hit. There was structure to it, which had helped generations of employees to anchor their professional identity and find their footing when starting out.
After the dust settled, it became clear that working from home wasn't just a personal adjustment to be made.
Five years on, the greater significance is obvious, and perhaps most prominent among Gen Z workers. It has shaped the outlook of a cohort that began their careers at home – an experience that is now steadily redefining workplace culture altogether.
WHEN A GENERATION STARTS WORK IN THEIR BEDROOMS
Among Gen Zs, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, their oldest members entered the Singapore workforce just as the pandemic began in 2020.
All they’ve known is remote or hybrid work, which often comes with greater autonomy to shape work around their personal preferences, said organisational behaviour expert Winnie Jiang.
In many instances, it’ll form the “baseline" for their expectations; manifesting in how they choose their physical environment to work and potentially shaping their career choices, the assistant professor from INSEAD business school added.
"Whereas for previous generations, changing careers could be a bit stigmatised, now it’s being framed as self-exploration and entrepreneurial pursuits.”
It aligns with imprinting theory in psychology, which suggests that experiences during “critical, formative periods” leave lasting effects on identity and behaviour, said Asst Prof Jiang.
And few periods are more formative than the onset of one’s career.
Related:
There is much more to it, however, than the conclusion that "Gen Z just wants to work from home".
In a recent survey conducted by CNA’s Money Mind programme among youth aged 21 to 28 about why Gen Z workers remain in or quit a job, 53 per cent of respondents in Singapore cited flexible work arrangements as their top reason for staying put.
But fresh graduate Charlotte Ang believes it’s less about the arrangement per se. Rather, Gen Zs place a premium on what that flexibility represents.
“Gen Zs in general just want to feel like their boundaries are respected and their work is being valued,” the 23-year-old told CNA.
“That’s why I think to a lot of Gen Z, a work-from-office mandatory arrangement might not make sense because you feel very controlled. It seems to convey a lack of trust.”
Yet, the push for hybrid or remote work, solely for the sake of it, does seem to have eased.
Contrary to popular belief, more Gen Zs are enthusiastic about going to the office, while older generations are more reluctant to return, at least according to a Financial Times report.
IN-OFFICE LEARNING: CRUCIAL
Some Gen Z workers in Singapore told CNA how limited face time revealed just how much in-person interactions – once taken for granted – shaped their learning, both in job skills and workplace dynamics.
Mr Goh Chiang Yang, for one, struggled with remote work in a previous three-month stint because he is a “very visual" learner.
“Even if (a demonstration) was shown through a screen, which you might argue is visual, it’s very difficult to follow the ‘clicks’ or try and understand what they’re really trying to do,” the 25-year-old said.
He found weekly team meetings during an internship “very beneficial”. Though hybrid, he showed up in person and learnt something new each time.
“If you’re in your first job or just starting out and you need to learn, working in the office or face-to-face is much better than working remotely, especially when you have no clue what you’re doing," he said.
Mr Goh, now a self-employed photographer, added that there was “an immediacy” to working in an office. He could tell if colleagues were available to talk, unlike with online messaging, where he wasn’t sure if he was interrupting them.
Related:
For the same reasons, three days in the office is just the “right balance” for 26-year-old Jane, who declined to give her real name. It’s her current arrangement as a digital and content specialist for a tech and automation multinational corporation – her third job since starting work in 2022.
Her previous roles at a public relations agency and a tech giant involved hybrid and full-time office arrangements respectively.
“(When) I’m new to a company, all the more I’d want to be in the office to get to know new faces. It’ll be hard for me to adapt if I’m not,” she said.
“Sometimes, human interaction helps to make you feel more at ease, especially between you and your colleagues. Over text, certain things can (feel) more intimidating (to broach), as opposed to talking in person, whether it’s resolving or clarifying certain issues.”
A DESIRE FOR COMMUNITY
Being in the office also makes it easier to find one’s tribe – a key reason many Gen Zs choose to stick with a job, according to a survey.
The 2025 poll by recruitment agency Randstad found that 67 per cent of Gen Z respondents in Singapore – more than millennials, Gen X or baby boomers – would consider resigning if they didn’t experience a sense of belonging.
This isn’t a dealbreaker for Jane, though it gave her added motivation when she had to spend all five weekdays in the office in her earlier job with a tech giant.
That position didn’t actually require “much human interaction or collaboration”, but having many colleagues around her age “really helped me look forward to work”.
Office camaraderie also helped Ms Ang, the graduate, when she had to work overtime with people she described as "like a support system”. It was a perk that work-from-home couldn’t give her.
She doesn't mind that her current role in e-commerce is strictly work-from-office. Finding the right manager and team culture are more important at this stage of her career.
Such dynamics also point to a “peer learning” aspect of working physically with others that Asst Prof Jiang believes doesn’t get recognised enough.
“You're not just focused on your own tasks. You’re also learning how other people work, which actually enhances both your self- and other-understanding. It broadens your perspectives, makes you more cognitively flexible and adds breadth to the ways that you think,” she said.
“That ability is really important now in the age of artificial intelligence where people really need to think outside of the box in a lot of different ways.”
Then there is the association between working in a physical environment and career ambition.
“Being able to build a relationship with your supervisor beyond work contributes to the sense of belonging to the team and company," said Ms Ang. "It might make you feel like you can reach out to them as a mentor, which could be beneficial for your career.”
BLUNTED CAREER TRAJECTORY?
Having fewer opportunities for informal learning and forging bonds could go on to affect Gen Z's understanding of career development – even if they may not realise exactly how just yet.
Adjunct university lecturer Samuel He has a clearer view of the impact. He's been teaching at Nanyang Technological University for just over a decade; and has 40 to 50 students graduate into the workforce every year.
Post-pandemic, some had only been to the office once – to collect their laptop – by the third month of their internships. Others spent these internships, or the initial two years in their first jobs, interacting with just their supervisor.
“That’s quite detrimental to a young worker. A lot of things they need to learn happens outside of direct assignments. Sometimes, it can be as casual as a work lunch from someone not in your department,” said Mr He.
He believes the onus lies on new employees like his students to make up that "gap” by initiating face time, but acknowledged this was easier said than done.
“For a first job, you’re really asking for a lot from them.”
Related:
As leadership strategist Uma Thana Balasingam pointed out, being digital natives – fluent in the technology used in hybrid and remote work – doesn’t mean being fluent in workplace dynamics.
Learning how to manage up and how to build social capital require face-to-face experience, just as you’d need to observe how your boss navigates tension in a meeting or gives feedback in "real time”, said the founder and CEO of non-profit Lean In Singapore.
Such norms make up a company’s culture, which is often “absorbed through osmosis”.
“Older generations had time to build office presence. Gen Z is building professional identity in isolation. They miss out on this mentorship, modelling and impromptu leadership exposure,” added Ms Thana Balasingam.
“Uneven” visibility of a worker then affects sponsorship – a practice in which a senior employee actively advocates for and promotes the career advancement of a junior.
“Without visibility and sponsorship, which I believe to be the most important relationship currency in the workplace, I believe Gen Z talent will stagnate and start questioning their value,” she said.
CULTURE OF CONNECTION
In trying to retain talent, giving employees the logistical arrangements they want may help. But a company’s culture will ultimately matter most, said Gen Z workers who spoke with CNA.
Former journalist Denise, who declined to give her real name, joined a hybrid newsroom for around two years as her first job out of university.
“I wanted to have more interactions ... It’s not that people were unapproachable, but it’s more of a bother to reach out online than just stepping over (to talk to them in person). Work-from-home definitely felt more isolating,” said the 26-year-old.
Yet she eventually found “no difference” when working in the office.
“A lot of the older supervisors ... I think they forgot what it’s like to be someone new in a new space,” she added.
In comparison, Denise felt close to colleagues in a previous internship, even though they only worked in the office once in a while. They would reach out often or organise meet-ups.
“Moving forward, when I do interviews, the number one question I’ll ask is 'what’s the culture like?' (and) see how companies answer that, like (whether they have) get-togethers," she said.
"Even though it sounds so lame and cringe saying it out loud, it does matter. It affects the whole working experience."
But it goes beyond team bonding activities.
Just as Gen Z's demand for flexible work arrangements is rooted in a desire for trust, what they're truly seeking is a chance to belong and for meaningful connection beyond the daily grind.
To keep up, companies should first “stop treating hybrid as a logistical solution, which is what we did during the pandemic”, Ms Thana Balasingam suggested.
“Gen Z values flexibility but not at the cost of connection. The problem is that many hybrid set-ups are technically flexible but emotionally disconnected,” she said.
“Start designing for human connection. Culture and career development won’t happen remotely. You have to engineer that.”
An organisation she worked with, for example, restructured hybrid days to “centre around connection”.
This led to cross-team coffee chats, executive Ask Me Anything sessions, reverse mentoring pairings – and better engagement among younger employees.
“I don’t know which generation asks for as much feedback as Gen Z. They want clarity, coaching, connection," she added. "And if hybrid work environments fail to offer those, they’re going to opt out."
And if they do, who would blame them?
If anything, perhaps the Gen Z career approach reflects how older attitudes towards work – which placed the job at the centre – can no longer hold.
You could be a social media manager, tech analyst, lawyer, banker, journalist and so on in possibly any company of your choice.
You might have ended up joining this one for the exciting job scope and competitive benefits.
But more often than not, you'll stay for the people. Gen Z has simply figured that out early.
Continue reading...