Here's something that might surprise you: the generation most stereotyped for wanting to work in pajamas from their childhood bedroom is actually the one most eager to get back to the office.
Yep. Gen Z is done with fully remote work — and the reasons why say a lot about what this generation actually needs to thrive.
The Numbers Don't Lie
According to Gallup's 2025 survey, fewer than 1 in 4 remote-capable Gen Z employees (just 23%) say they'd prefer fully remote work. Compare that to 35% across every older generation, and suddenly the narrative flips. Gen Z isn't the work-from-home generation. They're the get-me-back-in-a-building generation.
So What's Actually Driving This?
Loneliness, for one. Gallup found that 27% of Gen Z workers felt lonely "a lot" the previous day — nearly double the rate of Gen X and almost triple that of baby boomers. Working from home, alone, with no real separation between your living room and your "office"? It turns out that's a recipe for isolation, especially when you haven't yet built a professional network to fall back on.
Career anxiety, for another. Glassdoor researchers flagged it plainly: remote and hybrid workers are being left behind when it comes to promotions and opportunities. When advancement is implicitly (or sometimes explicitly) tied to visibility, showing up starts to feel less optional.
Jim Harter, Gallup's chief scientist for workplace management and wellbeing, put it well: older workers already have established relationships, so working remotely doesn't cost them much socially. Younger workers are still building those connections — and that's genuinely hard to do over video calls.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Danielle Callas, a 26-year-old based in Chicago, recently made the jump from a remote role to one that has her in the office five days a week. Her take? "I'm learning faster than I would remotely, and there's a level of collaboration and momentum that's hard to replicate on video calls."
She's also more confident about her career trajectory. "I feel more connected to the work and more confident that I'll be able to grow and move up more quickly."
It's not without tradeoffs, of course. Commuting, meal prepping, getting dressed like a person — all of that takes time. But for Callas, the professional and social payoff has been worth it.
A Few Things Worth Keeping in Mind
This isn't a wholesale rejection of flexibility. Hybrid work remains the most popular arrangement across every generation — and working fully in-person is still the least preferred option overall. The shift isn't "remote bad, office good." It's more nuanced than that.
What's changing is the calculus for younger workers specifically. Some have gone viral on social media, sharing how cutting back on remote work boosted their mental health and productivity. Others still swear by the freedom of WFH. The debate is real — one viral post this past December asked whether people would rather earn $240k in-office or $120k from home, and the internet had thoughts.
What's Coming Next
If the cultural signals are any indication, 2026 is shaping up to be a full-on office renaissance. Pinterest searches for "chic cubicle decor" surged over 1,500% last year. People aren't just returning to the office — they're making it their own.
For a generation that grew up being told remote work was the future, Gen Z is quietly rewriting the story. Turns out, connection and mentorship and being seen at work aren't just nice-to-haves. For a lot of young workers, they're the whole point.