Aussie workers are returning to the office in droves and there’s a surprising generation who is keen to work face-to-face with their colleagues. There’s a controversial stereotype that Gen Z’s prefer to take the “lazy” option of working from home but this isn’t the case for many workers starting their careers.

Lizzie Vines works part-time as an online marketing specialist and said she prefers going into the office over working at home. The 20-year-old told Yahoo Finance she graduated high school in 2021 and experienced the hybrid model of working and studying during the pandemic.

“I way prefer being in person. I like being around my co-workers to get their opinions on new tasks I’m doing and if I have to learn anything, it’s way easier in person,” Vines, who goes into the office three days a week, said.

“I feel like there is definitely a strong misconception with Gen Z about our dislike of coming into the office versus working from home.”

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The Perth resident is completing a Bachelor of Advertising, Marketing and PR at university and said this was her first professional job.

She believes working from the office has allowed her to develop better connections with her colleagues and made it easier for her to learn the ropes.

“It’s more encouraging to come in and talk to people and to be able to bounce ideas off each other or go for walks for lunch with a colleague. It’s much nicer than being at home,” she said.

Gen Z opting for face-to-face

Vines isn’t the only young Aussie who says they prefer working face-to-face with their colleagues rather than digitally.

New research from UKG found 42 per cent of Gen Z workers preferred face-to-face communication over other methods like email (18 per cent), instant messaging (15 per cent), text (12 per cent), phone (9 per cent) and video conferencing (4 per cent).

Around 61 per cent of Gen Z respondents said they had experienced miscommunications at work because they used digital communications, while half said they found it harder to speak up or contribute in video meetings.

Dr Caroline Knight, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland's Business School, told Yahoo Finance there was “definitely an advantage for people entering the workforce to go into work".

"I do think it's really helpful for people new to an organisation just to get to know people, to start networking, to work out who's who, to develop their social skills and just to connect," she said.