Study: In the past year 20% of Gen Z employees haven't had a single

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Folks, it’s not the millennials who are awkward and tough to work with in the office environment, trust me. But this new generation, they seem to have real issues.

According to research from LinkedIn, 1 in 5 Gen Zers have said not a word to anyone over 50 in their office in the last year.

Despite being the most vocal generation yet, research from LinkedIn suggests that Gen Z’s confidence doesn’t extend to talking with the baby boomer and Gen X coworkers on their team.

One in five Gen Z workers reported that they haven’t had a single direct conversation with someone over 50 in their workplace in the last year. They’re also the least likely to feel confident interacting with other generations generally.

The story goes on about how Gen Z is bold online, and how they aren’t afraid to go off on TikTok or Instagram about their jobs. But when it comes to plucking up the courage to talk to anyone over 50, a full 20% of Gen Z workers just don’t seem to do it often.

It’s a truly online generation and, apparently, all of the socialization of school for 18 years or so didn’t teach them how to interact with grownups.

Research has consistently shown that face time with management can increase your odds of winning their affection and therefore scoring a promotion or a raise.

What’s worse, LinkedIn’s study shows that Gen Z knows that cozying up to their seniors could boost their careers, but they’re leaving the ball in the court of management.

Although most Gen Zers surveyed reported that communicating with their wider team would improve their productivity and learning, 64% are waiting for their company to do more to encourage intergenerational collaboration.

Man, I don’t like to come off like an out-of-touch boomer wagging my finger at the younger generation …

… but if you’re too afraid to talk to an older coworker or boss it’s not THEIR job to create the opportunity.

You can’t expect your bosses to go out of the way to cater to your limited social ability.

Three-quarters of young career starters previously told Fortune that they would only talk to their senior coworkers if the latter made the first move.

Ultimately, making small talk may seem like common knowledge, but it’s well documented that it’s one of many ‘basic’ soft skills that Gen Z missed out on learning while coming of age in isolation during the pandemic — and workers know this.

Nothing like blaming the pandemic for a problem that’s been in existence for more than a decade. Young people are isolated, they don’t know how to talk to grownups, and they’re refusing to grow up in many cases.