Gen Z's top hang-ups

How to dial down the dread of taking calls and office chat

- Chloe Mac Donnell

If you are a millennial, part of gen X or a boomer, you probably don't give a second thought to picking up the phone to talk to someone or chatting beside the office water cooler. But for gen Z those common workplace moments are a huge source of anxiety.

According to a study released this week, early mornings, working with older colleagues and making small talk are among the things employees born between 1997 and 2012 most dread.

The study, commissioned by Trinity College London, surveyed more than 1,500 people aged 16 to 29 across the UK and found 38% of young people dreaded having to make small talk at work. Almost 60% said they would struggle to work with older colleagues while 30% feared picking up the phone. Other causes of anxiety included early starts and negative feedback.

Here, experts offer tips on how to tackle some of gen Z’s work fears.

Phone phobia

"There’s a massive skill to learning to make calls," says Liz Baxter, a careers adviser at Nottingham College who runs coaching sessions on phone confidence. Baxter says demand for the college’s “telephobia” course is high.