Explaining Gen Z’s desire for hybrid work in corporate, family, and entrepreneurial settings

Abstract

As the current future workforce, Generation Z provides unique advantages and challenges for the contemporary workplace. To harness its full potential, employers need to adapt their practices to accommodate the preferences of these workers, such as flexible work arrangements and work-life balance, and thereby tap into this generation’s wellspring of talent with an enhanced employee value proposition. To facilitate such employer appeals, this study seeks a clearer understanding of why Gen Z prefers hybrid work. By analyzing key factors related to infrastructure, amenities, services, social engagement, flexibility, and remote work advantages, the current research sheds new light on the drivers of this inclination and its implications for the contemporary workplace. Notably, the results clarify that the relative influence of each factor depends not on demographics but rather on the type of work environment that Gen Zers seek to join: a corporate setting, a family business, or an entrepreneurial venture. This evidence in turn suggests some guidelines for employers that seek to attract and retain Gen Z, according to their intrinsic characteristics, work environment, and current best practices.