Latest news with #RosalindaRandall
Entrepreneur
08-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Gen Z Needs Office Etiquette Coaches, Managers Say
Return-to-office mandates imply that workers have been in the office before. But what happens if you're not "returning" per se, and have never actually worked in an office? You get a big culture clash, according to many Bay Area managers who spoke to The San Francisco Standard. Wearing inappropriate clothes, leaving messes, loudly chatting with friends during work hours — these are just some of the issues managers say first-time in-office Gen Z employees are creating. And to find a solution to these persistent workplace problems, many office managers are hiring etiquette coaches to teach the basics of being a considerate coworker. Related: Gen Z Talent Will Walk Away — Unless You Try These 6 Strategies Rosalinda Randall, an etiquette coach, told The Standard that calls to her office are up 50% over the last two months. She charges up to $2,500 for 90-minute workshops that cover things you'd expect — like appropriate dress codes, how to respectfully address managers, and office kitchen cleanliness — and some things you wouldn't, like reminding people they should shower regularly. Randall explained that a tech firm hired her because two new hires hadn't bathed or changed their shirts for weeks. "They didn't want to deal with it, so they hired me," she explained. Another common issue is less scent-oriented, but just as off-putting: constant questioning. Melissa Franks, founder of On Call COO, told The Standard she received many calls from managers asking for advice when dealing with Gen Z employees who wouldn't just do what they were asked to do, but instead questioned every decision and directive. Franks said her advice is to take time to give employees the big picture, so they can see how this task fits into the overall operation. "Give them more context about why things are done a certain way, and you'll get more respect," she said. Related: These Gen Z Managers Are Doing Things Very Differently — and It Seems to Be Paying Off Franks also encourages managers to create what amounts to an etiquette guide that should be given to all employees that eliminates any gray areas when it comes to what "casual Friday" looks like or what is an appropriate email sign-off is or what is expected of them in meetings. The complaints go both ways, with Gen Zers feeling like their Millennials and Gen X bosses emailing after hours and not respecting their need for work-life balance. However, many would probably agree that having an annoying job is a good problem to have. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reports that the unemployment rate for recent college graduates hit 5.8 percent—the highest reading since 2021.
India Today
02-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
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
Straits Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
US firms hire etiquette coaches to rein in Gen Z employees
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Some fresh graduates in the United States are driving their bosses up the wall with their habits at work. Dressing inappropriately, treating the office like their bedroom, leaving food wrappers in communal eating spaces and ghosting their supervisors – some fresh graduates in the US are driving their bosses up the wall. To remedy this, some companies in San Francisco have hired etiquette coaches to train their young employees in basic workplace manners. Coaches based in the city said they have experienced up to a twofold increase in recent months, reported news outlet The San Francisco Standard on June 28 . Etiquette coach Rosalinda Randall said she has received complaints of bad hygiene and habits such as a new hire leaving food wrappers on the communal lunch table. 'Their manager didn't know how to handle it, as they didn't want to sound like a parent,' she said. Ninety-minute workshops with Ms Randall, where she teaches employees how to make eye contact and make requests politely, costs up to US$2,500 (S$3,180). Ms Melissa Franks, founder of an operations consulting firm, said employers often ask for advice on managing younger hires, whom they feel have a tendency to question instructions. She tells them to think of any pushback as youthful curiosity and provide more explanation and context about why procedures are in place, said Ms Franks to The San Francisco Standard. Some organisations are taking matters into their own hands, developing training programmes on workplace etiquette or practicing transparency. Software development company Salesforce, for example, has been conducting classes on presenting, emotional intelligence and Slack etiquette since 2024 . In May, it rolled out an artificial-intelligence onboarding agency that addresses frequently-asked questions, event information and new-hire skill matches, aiming to build social connections. Mr Jim Rettew, interim chief executive at a contemporary arts centre, holds townhalls where employees raise questions and has one-on-one chats with them. On Gen Zs, Mr Rettew said: 'They want to be mentored, not managed.' These workers 'bring moral clarity, which is refreshing — but nuance is a muscle they're still building,' he said. In the face of an unemployment rate that is above the US average of 4.2 per cent - unemployment for 20 to 24-year-olds is at 6.6 per cent, according to a report by software company iCIMS - Gen Zs are in a crunch. An Intelligence survey from August 2024 found that 60 per cent of employers have fired Gen Z employees within months of hiring them. Some fail to impress during job interviews, where they struggle with making eye contact and communicating effectively, or even bring mum or dad along. According to a December 2024 survey done by American data research site Intelligence, one out of three hiring managers think that recent graduates lack work ethic and one in four said they are unprepared for the workforce. More than half of the 1,000 managers surveyed said that they fired a recent graduate in 2024, and one in eight indicated that they will avoid hiring these fresh graduates in 2025. On the upside, it seems that they are eager to learn. 'Presence and presentation is everything,' said Prof Thomas Padron, hospitality professor at a university in California. 'Once they realise that their bosses aren't mind readers, they put in the time.'
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Plane passenger scores empty row with brazen seat hack: ‘Gotta admire the strategy'
It was the mother of all airline hacks. A scheming mom took seat squatting to new heights after she scored an entire row for her family on a United Airlines flight, as detailed in a viral Reddit post. In the post, titled 'Seat shenanigans — advanced tactics,' the Redditor described how they preboarded to see that the entire row in front of them was 'completely open.' Just then, a family of four boarded the aircraft in Group 2 and occupied the entirety of row 9, after which the mother started behaving somewhat suspiciously. 'Mom says to kids, 'Don't unpack yet,'' relayed the Redditor. 'Mom is anxiously refreshing the seating chart in the app.' The poster initially thought they were looking to see if they'd been upgraded to business class — something the poster had been waiting for as well. 'I check the app, see that row 9 is showing completely empty,' they wrote. 'So I think that they got the upgrade.' That's when they realized the fam was 'not waiting to upgrade' at all but rather attempting to game the seating system. 'They were watching the seating chart like hawks, hoping the seats don't get booked, waiting for the door to close, because they wanted to take over an empty row!' the Redditor exclaimed. It appeared that mom eventually won this game of mile-high musical chairs. 'Door is closed, and we're taxiing. The seats are theirs! Well played, mom!' they wrote. The Redditor then added, 'Oh, and I didn't get the upgrade… But a full row of three isn't so bad. Reddit users had mixed feelings about the seating hack with some praising the parent for her resourcefulness. 'You gotta admire their strategy. Not something I would do but wow!' gushed one. 'I don't see the issue here,' declared another. 'They waited until doors were closed to capture the seats. They knew they could be moved. I think it's fine.' A third pondered if the mom was actually a seat squatter, writing, 'The seat map is notoriously inaccurate, so that alone wouldn't incline me to think shenanigans — but the mother's behavior with telling the kids to not unpack yet and constantly refreshing her phone display is rather sus[picious].' The Redditor replied, 'Oh they were all smiles and high fives once we started taxiing. There was no doubt what they were up to.' Meanwhile, some critics shamed the parent for essentially taking seats that she didn't pay for. 'I really think people should sit in the seats they paid for,' critiqued one commenter, while another wrote, 'Some FA's will enforce the walk of shame.' A third recalled witnessing a fellow passenger's failed attempt at an unauthorized upgrade. 'I was on an intercontinental 10-hour flight,' they wrote. 'Exit rows were both empty. Huge leg space. 30 min into the flight, some guy decides to move and take one of the seats. Not 1 min later the FA comes 'Sir, you didn't pay for this seat. Go back now.' The move comes amid an uptick in seat squatting in the friendly skies. California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall said that should one of these fly-jackers occupy your air chair, it is best to address the situation calmly and in good faith. 'Pull out your boarding pass. Not only to double-check [if] you are correct but also as proof if the seat squatter protests,' she said. 'If the seat squatter refuses to move, do not engage; do not recruit other passengers to rally; immediately request assistance from the flight attendant.'
Gizmodo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Tech Companies Have a New Thing to Waste Money On: ‘Etiquette Coaches' for Gen-Z Staff
A new report from The San Francisco Standard claims that Bay Area companies are investing in a service that can alleviate some of the stresses caused by hiring younger employees: etiquette experts. These experts are making good money explaining to new hires why it's inappropriate to show up to work in sweatpants or put your feet on the table during a meeting. The story quotes women employed in this apparently blossoming field, including Rosalinda Randall, a coach from Marin who claims that inquiries about her services have shot up 50 percent over the past two months. Companies hire Randall (for quite a hefty fee) to teach younger employees about how to behave in a workplace in a civilized manner. Many of the issues that companies encounter sound like just run-of-the-mill inconsiderate behavior: One supervisor told Randall a new hire repeatedly left food wrappers scattered on the communal lunch table, assuming janitors would clean it up. 'Their manager didn't know how to handle it, as they didn't want to sound like a parent,' said Randall. Another reported instance involved stinky new hires: One Bay Area tech firm asked her to address personal hygiene, because two new hires did not shower or change their shirts for weeks. 'They didn't want to deal with it, so they hired me,' said Randall. Other potential concerns mentioned in the story include inappropriate female attire, insubordinate attitudes, and poor command of how to speak to co-workers on Slack. It's difficult to understand how 'etiquette' services differ in any great capacity from what an HR department is supposed to provide but, according to the report, companies are paying a premium for such services. The Standard notes that Randall charges her clients as much as $2500 for a 90-minute workshop with employees to teach them stuff like 'how to make eye contact,' 'where to stick your name tag (always on the right),' and 'how to ask for — not demand — things from your boss.' I have a hard time believing that Gen-Z is any better or any worse than any other generation of American worker (weren't previous generations known for sexual harassment and doing coke in the bathroom?). That said, I don't really work with any Zoomers, so I have no strong reference point. There does seem to be a certain amount of inter-generational discontent out there. A story published by the Washington Post last year similarly reported that etiquette coach services were shooting upwards, partially because 'younger workers are making up an increasing share of the workforce and bringing with them a preference for more-casual working environments, which is creating friction with older generations.'
