02-07-2025
Coaches hired to teach workplace manners to Gen Z workers in San Francisco
San Francisco employers are bringing in etiquette coaches to train their Gen Z staff on workplace behaviour. Frustrated by what they see as informal or inappropriate conduct, companies are turning to professionals to teach everything from hygiene to email to a report by The San Francisco Standard, managers say many Gen Z employees treat the workplace like their bedrooms. Complaints include turning up in revealing clothes, ignoring grooming standards, and setting unrealistic expectations for quick promotions. Some young employees reportedly even involve their parents during job interviews or 2024 survey by revealed that 12.5% of employers had encountered Gen Z candidates who brought their parents to interviews -- a clear sign for many that soft skills training is urgently ARE BROUGHT IN TO RESTORE PROFESSIONALISM
Experts like Rosalinda Randall, a Marin-based etiquette coach, and Melissa Franks, the founder of On Call COO, have been hired to teach workplace norms. Their sessions focus on fundamental skills such as eye contact, listening, handshakes, and appropriate employers are even displaying hygiene reminder posters in office toilets or organising team-building events to foster respect and Z PUSHES BACK ON TOXICITY, BUT WANTS GUIDANCEWhile older generations complain, many Gen Z employees feel they're misunderstood. A young Salesforce engineer told The Standard, 'No cap. My manager Slacks me at 10 p.m.' — showing frustration at blurred work-life asked, 'Why should I pretend to care about people who don't care about me?'Etiquette coaches believe Gen Z isn't lazy -- rather, they're unsure how to behave in a changing world. According to Melissa Franks, many just need someone to explain how their behaviour is perceived in a professional SEE VALUE IN TRAININGThe World Economic Forum reported in January that 77% of companies believe soft skills training boosts productivity. As such, firms like Salesforce and even institutions like Stanford Research Park are now investing in coaching workshops, aiming to better integrate Gen Z into existing workplace arts organisations like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts are seeing value in etiquette coaching, noting that some younger hires were unfamiliar with name-tag placement or meeting norms.- Ends
