Young Workers in a Hybrid World: What Leaders Keep Missing
Start by listening, not assuming
One of the things that stayed with me after my conversation with Dr Kay Galpin and Dr Sylwia Ciuk from Oxford Brookes University was actually something very simple. Before drawing conclusions about young workers, they took the time to ask them about their experiences. It sounds obvious, but I wonder how often we do the same in organisations.
We spend a lot of time talking about younger generations – whether they’re resilient enough, what motivates them, whether hybrid working has changed their expectations, or whether they’re ready for the workplace. Yet, when we stop making assumptions and start listening, a much richer picture begins to emerge.
What came through so clearly was that these weren’t young people looking for an easy ride. They wanted to learn, contribute, build relationships and make a meaningful difference. Like every generation entering work for the first time, they also wanted to feel confident, supported and part of something bigger than themselves. The challenge wasn’t a lack of ambition or commitment. If anything, it made me question whether we’ve been focusing on the wrong problem.
Hybrid working isn’t the whole story
We spent a lot of time talking about hybrid working too, but not in the way I expected. It’s easy to frame hybrid as the issue – the reason young workers struggle to settle in, learn quickly or build relationships. As our conversation unfolded, I found myself thinking that hybrid working hasn’t really created these challenges. Instead, it’s exposed how much we used to rely on learning happening almost by accident.
Many of us learned simply by being around other people. We overheard conversations, watched experienced colleagues navigate difficult situations, picked up the unwritten rules of the organisation and gradually built our confidence through countless small interactions. Those opportunities haven’t disappeared, but they no longer happen automatically. If organisations want young people to thrive, they have to become much more intentional about creating them.
Belonging doesn’t happen by chance
That, for me, was one of the most important messages from the conversation. Belonging isn’t something we can leave to chance. Neither is development. Both require thought, consistency and managers who understand that helping someone settle into work isn’t separate from performance – it’s one of the conditions that enables it.
I also found myself reflecting on how quickly labels can influence the way we lead. It’s surprisingly easy to explain someone’s behaviour through a generational lens rather than becoming curious about the environment around them. When we do that, we risk overlooking the very things that would help them succeed.
A question worth asking
Perhaps that’s the invitation for leaders. Before asking what’s different about young workers, pause and ask a different question. What are they walking into? Are we creating opportunities for people to learn, build relationships and develop confidence, or are we assuming those things will simply happen because they always used to?
The more I work with organisations, the more convinced I become that performance doesn’t sit within individuals alone. It grows out of the environment around them. This conversation was another reminder that when we create the right conditions, people are far more likely to thrive.
If this conversation has prompted you to think differently about how young people experience work, I’ve also created a free Insight to Action resource. It brings together the key ideas from the episode along with practical actions to help leaders, managers and HR professionals build belonging, strengthen learning and create environments where young workers can genuinely thrive.
You can download it here: Supporting Young Workers in Hybrid Workplaces: What Makes the Real Difference
If you’re interested in the wider conversation, I hope you’ll also enjoy the full podcast with Dr Kay Galpin and Dr Sylwia Ciuk.
🎙 Listen to the episode here: Young Workers in a Hybrid World: What Leaders Keep Missing
