Post-pandemic everyone has been mandated back into offices. But older workers, who had expected a return to pre-pandemic office life and culture, meet new Generation Z workers who completed and graduated University virtually without ever experiencing the office as it was. 

There is a generational disconnect. 

74% of managers say that Generation Z is the most challenging generation to work with. 1 in 8 of these managers have fired a Generation Z worker within a week of their start date.

But where exactly do Generation Z and their bosses lack alignment? A recent study found that all this really came down to was contrasting views on a number of big issues – empathy, mental health, personal identity. 

How to resolve this disconnect? 

Connect. Over anything. 

When solving conflict resolution, the most powerful answer is finding similarities – uncovering the belief that people’s interests are joined and that they’re all on the same team. When you focus on what you have in common, you can see eye to eye, gaining a new camaraderie. 

At Pret, as the café for the office worker, we see something that unites us all – the desperate need for a caffeine-fuelled morning commute. We believe coffee’s conversation-carrying power can unearth commonalities between even the most unlikely pairings. 

By harnessing office workers’ common ground, we aim to break New Ground within office culture.