US Firms Hire Etiquette Coaches to Rein in Gen Z Employees

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.

- Kolette Lim

To remedy this, a number of 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 requests for their services 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.

The 90-minute workshops with Ms Randall, where she teaches employees how to maintain eye contact and make requests politely, cost up to US$2,500 (S$3,200).