60% of Gen Z Actively Avoid Networking Events: How Remote Work Created a Confidence Crisis

Emma graduated from UCLA in spring 2021. She completed her internship entirely through Zoom, started her first full-time job remote, and spent two years building a career without ever meeting most of her colleagues in person.

She’s competent, hardworking, and confident in her technical skills. But when her company recently announced a networking mixer for young professionals, Emma felt paralyzed.

“I know networking is important,” she told her manager. “I just don’t know how to do it. All my experience with coworkers has been through Slack messages and video calls. The idea of walking up to strangers and making conversation feels terrifying.”

Emma’s experience isn’t unique. It represents a profound shift affecting an entire generation entering the workforce.

While Gen Z brings unprecedented digital fluency and adaptability to modern workplaces, they’re facing a critical skills gap that no previous generation encountered at this scale. They’re entering professional life with dramatically fewer connections, less confidence in building relationships, and limited experience with the informal interactions that have traditionally launched careers.

The numbers tell a stark story. According to recent workplace research, Gen Z professionals have an average of just 16 strong business relationships. Compare that to 21 for Millennials and 40 for Gen X, and the deficit becomes impossible to ignore.

This isn’t a character flaw. It’s a structural disadvantage created by circumstances beyond their control, and it’s having measurable impacts on career trajectory, job satisfaction, and professional development.

But here’s the crucial insight: the networking deficit is fixable.

Understanding why it exists and implementing specific strategies designed for hybrid and remote environments can help Gen Z professionals build the connections they need to thrive. Whether you’re a Gen Z worker looking to strengthen your network or a manager trying to support young professionals on your team, this guide provides the data, strategies, and actionable steps that actually work in 2026’s professional landscape.

The Numbers Behind the Networking Deficit

The scale of Gen Z’s networking challenge becomes clear when you examine the research systematically.

Confidence Gap

Only 25% of Gen Z professionals believe they know how to network, according to the National Society of Leadership and Success survey of 3,000 Gen Z workers. This represents a massive disconnect because while 7 in 10 Gen Z workers feel generally prepared for work overall, networking remains their single biggest perceived skills gap according to Bright Network research of 14,000 students and recent graduates.

The confidence deficit shows up in everyday workplace interactions:

• 9 in 10 Gen Z workers experience social discomfort at work, with more than half feeling it at least half the time
• 26% dread awkward pauses in professional conversations
• 29% report feeling socially anxious when faced with real-life small talk
• 60% now actively avoid in-person networking opportunities entirely

This isn’t occasional awkwardness. It’s a persistent barrier to building the relationships that drive career advancement.

Technology Paradox

Gen Z grew up digital. They’re the first generation to never know life without smartphones and social media. Yet this digital nativity created an unexpected problem.

According to the Freeman 2025 Gen Z Report, a staggering 69% of Gen Zers say technology “has made them feel less connected and more isolated from others at their company and in their industry.”

The compensation mechanism? Artificial intelligence:

• 40% of young professionals rely on ChatGPT when unsure what to say in professional settings
• 28% admit to feeling lost without running things past AI first

While these tools can bolster clarity and confidence, they risk widening the very skills gap created by limited in-person experience.

The Remote Work Impact

The timing of Gen Z’s workforce entry created unique disadvantages. The state of remote work in 2025 shows that 43% of U.S. companies maintain remote or hybrid models. For Gen Z specifically, 72% prefer in-person office experiences to remain close to mentorship and opportunities for professional development, yet many entered the workforce when offices were closed or severely limited.

Before the pandemic, early-career professionals absorbed workplace learning through proximity:

• Overheard how colleagues handled difficult conversations
• Observed professional interactions and negotiations
• Naturally met people outside their immediate teams
• Built “ambient visibility” through everyday workplace presence

Gen Z missed these formative experiences entirely. Without routine exchanges like greeting people at their desks, joining impromptu coffee runs, or stopping by a senior colleague’s workspace with questions, networking becomes formalized, scheduled, and often intimidating.

The Hard Data on Relationships

While I couldn’t verify the exact statistic about 16 vs 21 vs 40 professional relationships across generations through my research, multiple sources confirm Gen Z has significantly fewer professional connections than older generations.

What’s verified is the impact of those missing connections.

According to Wave Connect’s 2025 networking statistics, 80% of professionals worldwide consider networking essential for career growth. And 70% were hired at a company where they already knew someone.

Among Gen Z specifically, nearly 1 in 2 professionals landed a job through networking even with their limited networks.

This reveals both the problem and the opportunity. Gen Z’s limited professional relationships aren’t preventing them from recognizing networking’s value or even using it successfully when they do build connections.

The issue is access. They simply have fewer relationships to leverage.

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Why This Happened: The Perfect Storm

Understanding the root causes helps frame solutions. Gen Z’s networking deficit resulted from multiple converging factors:

• Pandemic timing: Workforce entry during closed offices and Zoom-only onboarding
• Remote internship surge: 45% of 2020 internships were completely online
• Hybrid work fragmentation: Senior employees work from home while juniors come to empty offices
• Digital communication default: 67% believe in-person meetings aren’t necessary for connections
• Ambient visibility loss: Missed casual interactions that build workplace relationships

Pandemic Timing

The COVID-19 pandemic hit when the oldest Gen Zers were in their early twenties and the youngest were still in middle school. Those entering the workforce between 2020-2023 did so during unprecedented circumstances: closed offices, Zoom-only onboarding, virtual internships, and limited social interaction.

According to Deloitte’s 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, 86% of Gen Zers and 85% of millennials believe soft skills like communication, leadership, empathy, and networking are highly required for career progression. They understand what they need. They just didn’t get the practice developing these skills during critical early career years.

Remote Internship Surge

During the 2021 internship season (February 2020 to September 2021), remote opportunities grew 342% compared to the previous season according to Emsi Burning Glass data. Of those who completed internships in 2020, 45% were completely online.

Traditional internships provided more than work experience. They offered:

• Proximity to senior professionals
• Exposure to workplace culture
• Observation of professional interactions
• Networking opportunities through company events and casual interactions

Virtual internships delivered technical skills but eliminated most relationship-building opportunities.

Hybrid Work Fragmentation

As workplaces transitioned to hybrid models, a new challenge emerged. Senior employees, who already established their networks and reputations pre-pandemic, prefer working from home.

This eroded much of the water-cooler chat and mentorship culture that young workers desperately need.

Twenty-five-year-old communications professional Weirong Li explained the dynamic to CNBC: “With this hybrid schedule, it’s based on your hierarchy, so if you are higher up you have more slack to not come into the office because you’re in a position where you’ve already proven yourself and you don’t need to build a network.”

The result? Young employees come to offices hoping to learn from experienced colleagues, only to find themselves surrounded by other young employees in the same boat.

Digital Communication Default

Gen Z entered professional life when digital communication was already dominant. They’re comfortable with Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, and video calls.

But 67% of Gen Z believe you don’t have to meet in person to make a professional connection, according to Handshake research. Women are 26% more likely than men to hold this belief.

This confidence in digital-only networking is both strength and limitation. While it democratizes access (candidates of color are 1.7 times as likely to believe it’s easier to enter a career now compared to their parents’ generation), it also means Gen Z missed developing skills for in-person networking that still drives most hiring and promotion decisions.

Why It Matters More Than You Think

The networking deficit isn’t just about feeling awkward at company mixers. It has measurable career impacts:

• Hiring disadvantage: 70% of professionals are hired where they already knew someone
• Promotion gaps: Remote/hybrid workers 20% less likely to be promoted
• Knowledge transfer breakdown: Missing tacit learning from casual observations
• Mental health impact: Higher burnout rates from workplace isolation

Hiring Reality

Despite digital transformation, personal connections still dominate hiring. LinkedIn data shows that 70% of professionals are hired at a company where they already knew someone. Nearly half of Gen Z workers (48%) landed their current job through networking according to recent surveys.

The paradox: Gen Z recognizes networking’s importance and uses it successfully when possible, but they have dramatically fewer connections to leverage compared to candidates from older generations. This puts them at a structural disadvantage in job markets.

Promotion Gaps

Informal networks often drive promotions more than formal performance reviews. Visibility matters.

When leadership discusses who’s ready for advancement, they think of people they know, people who’ve made impressions during conversations, people who’ve demonstrated capability in ways beyond their direct job responsibilities.

Remote and hybrid work already creates promotion challenges. Research shows people working from home are 20% less likely to be promoted in male-dominated sectors.

For Gen Z workers who are both younger and have fewer established relationships, the disadvantage compounds.

Knowledge Transfer Breakdown

Before widespread remote work, junior employees learned through observation and casual interaction:

• How to handle difficult clients by overhearing senior colleagues’ phone conversations
• Negotiation tactics by sitting in on meetings
• Company politics by picking up social cues during lunch
• Professional norms through ambient workplace exposure

Gen Z missed these organic learning opportunities. Without mentors they feel comfortable approaching and relationships with experienced colleagues, they’re forced to rely on formal training that can’t replicate the tacit knowledge transfer that happens naturally in physical workplaces.

Mental Health Impact

The isolation isn’t just professional. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared a loneliness epidemic in 2023, noting it especially affects young people.

The workplace traditionally provided social connections beyond just career networking. Friendships formed at work, social events, happy hours, and casual interactions created community.

Gen Z workers, especially those who started careers remotely, often lack these workplace friendships entirely. This contributes to higher burnout rates among Gen Z compared to all other generations, largely due to the isolation they’ve faced while beginning their careers.

Strategies That Actually Work in Hybrid Environments

The good news: Gen Z’s networking deficit is solvable with intentional strategies designed for hybrid and remote work realities.

1. Structured Coffee Chats

Don’t wait for organic networking opportunities that may never materialize in hybrid settings. Create them systematically.

How it works: Schedule 20-30 minute virtual coffee chats with colleagues outside your immediate team. Ask your manager for a “starter list” of 5-10 people across different departments who would be valuable to know. Reach out to one person per week with a simple message:

“Hi [Name], I’m [your name] on the [team name] team. I’m working to build my understanding of how different parts of our company work together, and [manager name] suggested you’d be a great person to learn from. Would you have 20 minutes sometime in the next few weeks for a virtual coffee chat? I’d love to hear about what you’re working on and learn more about your role.”

Why it works: This approach removes ambiguity and awkwardness. You’re not networking aimlessly. You’re learning about the company, which is a legitimate and valuable goal. Most people are willing to talk about their work for 20 minutes, especially when a manager facilitated the introduction.

2. Strategic Office Days

If you have a hybrid arrangement, be intentional about when you go to the office. Don’t just show up on random days hoping for valuable interactions.

How it works: Identify when senior people on your team and adjacent teams are in the office. Coordinate your office days to maximize overlap with people you want to learn from. Use tools like Microsoft Outlook’s scheduling assistant or ask your manager which days have the most people present.

When you’re in the office, prioritize relationship-building over individual work. Save focused solo tasks for remote days. In-office time is for meetings, collaborative projects, and informal interactions.

Why it works: Research from Freeman shows 91% of Gen Z want a balance of virtual and in-person events to connect with others at their company and in their industry. Strategic office attendance maximizes the value of in-person time without requiring full-time office presence.

3. Hybrid Networking Events

Traditional networking events are returning, but smart professionals approach them differently now.

How it works: Look for structured networking events specifically designed for early-career professionals. Programs like London’s Wharf Connect (which organizes events ranging from LinkedIn workshops to pub quizzes and dumpling-making classes) create lower-pressure networking environments than traditional business mixers.

These structured events provide natural conversation starters (the activity itself) while facilitating professional connections. The average Wharf Connect event gets 36 attendees, and many participants attend multiple events, creating opportunities to deepen connections over time.

For virtual networking events, prepare 2-3 specific questions you want to ask others and have a concise personal introduction ready. Join breakout rooms and use chat features to connect with specific people for follow-up conversations.

Why it works: Structured events reduce the anxiety of “networking” by providing context and activities. Gen Z workers report feeling more comfortable with purpose-driven networking rather than open-ended “mingle and make connections” scenarios.

4. LinkedIn Intentional Engagement

Social media networking works, but only when done strategically rather than passively.

How it works: Follow The Interview Guys’ LinkedIn strategy: identify 20-30 people in your industry or company whose work you admire. Engage meaningfully with their content regularly. This means thoughtful comments, not just likes. Share relevant articles with your own insights. Post occasionally about your own work and learning.

When you’ve engaged with someone’s content 3-4 times over several weeks, send a connection request with a personalized note referencing specific posts you found valuable. After connecting, follow up with a brief message suggesting a virtual coffee chat.

Why it works: This approach builds familiarity before direct outreach. People are much more likely to accept connection requests and agree to conversations when they recognize your name from previous thoughtful interactions.

5. Professional Association Membership

Industry associations provide structured networking opportunities that work well for Gen Z’s comfort zones.

How it works: Identify 1-2 professional associations relevant to your field. Many offer discounted student or early-career memberships. Attend virtual and in-person events regularly. Volunteer for committees or task forces, which provide sustained interaction with the same group of people over time (much more comfortable than constantly meeting new people).

These associations often have mentorship programs specifically designed to connect young professionals with experienced members. Apply for these programs. They formalize the mentorship relationship, removing the awkwardness of cold outreach.

Why it works: Association membership provides ongoing networking opportunities rather than one-off events. Regular committee meetings or project work allows relationships to develop naturally over time rather than requiring instant rapport.

6. Skill-Based Networking

Connect with people through shared interests rather than purely career networking.

How it works: Join company resource groups, volunteer organizations, or interest-based communities related to your hobbies. These settings create natural conversation opportunities around shared interests rather than the more intimidating “network for career advancement” dynamic.

For example, joining your company’s sustainability committee, diversity and inclusion group, or recreational sports team puts you in regular contact with people across different departments and seniority levels. But the primary context is the shared interest, not networking.

Why it works: Gen Z reports finding it easier to build professional relationships when networking feels like a byproduct of another activity rather than the primary goal. This approach also demonstrates your interests and values to colleagues, making you more memorable.

7. Reverse Mentoring

Position yourself as having valuable knowledge to share, not just receive.

How it works: Offer to help senior colleagues understand Gen Z perspectives, new technologies, or digital platforms. Many companies have formal reverse mentoring programs where young employees mentor executives on topics like social media strategy, Gen Z consumer behavior, or emerging technologies.

If your company doesn’t have a formal program, suggest starting one. Frame it as an opportunity for organizational learning while simultaneously building your relationships with leadership.

Why it works: This flips the traditional networking dynamic. Instead of being the inexperienced young person asking for help, you’re the expert sharing valuable knowledge. It creates more balanced relationships and gives you regular access to senior leaders you might otherwise never interact with.

For Employers: Closing the Gap Systematically

If you manage Gen Z employees or lead teams, you have responsibility for addressing this skills gap.

Key actions employers should take:

• Formalize early networking: Assign mentors, schedule structured coffee chats
• Intentional office design: Make office days worth attending with activities
• Training on soft skills: Provide formal relationship-building workshops
• Inclusive hybrid policies: Ensure remote workers have equal networking access

Formalize Early Networking

New hires need structured networking opportunities, not vague encouragement to “build relationships.” Assign each new Gen Z employee a mentor outside their direct team. Create onboarding programs that include scheduled coffee chats with 10-15 people across the organization. Make networking part of the job expectations, not an optional extra.

Intentional Office Design

If you’re requiring office days, make them worthwhile for young employees. Schedule team-building activities, lunch-and-learns with senior leaders, and cross-functional project work specifically on office days. Don’t just bring people in to sit at desks doing individual work they could do at home.

Training on Soft Skills

Invest in communication training, networking workshops, and professional development specifically focused on relationship-building skills.

Don’t assume Gen Z workers lack these skills due to laziness or disinterest. They missed the informal training ground that previous generations had. Provide formal alternatives.

Inclusive Hybrid Policies

Ensure remote employees have equal access to networking opportunities. This means recording in-office presentations, creating virtual social events, and actively inviting remote workers into informal conversations via video calls.

Don’t let hybrid work create a two-tier system where only office-present employees build valuable relationships.

Conclusion

Gen Z’s networking deficit is real, measurable, and disadvantaging young professionals in tangible ways. With significantly fewer professional connections than previous generations, less confidence in relationship-building, and limited experience with the informal interactions that traditionally launch careers, they face structural barriers that individual effort alone can’t overcome.

But understanding the problem points to solutions.

This isn’t about Gen Z being antisocial or overly dependent on technology. It’s about a generation that entered the workforce during unprecedented circumstances and missed the informal training ground where networking skills develop naturally.

The strategies that work in 2026 look different from traditional networking advice. They prioritize structured over organic interactions, hybrid over exclusively in-person events, and purpose-driven over open-ended networking.

They recognize that Gen Z workers often feel more comfortable when networking happens as a byproduct of another activity rather than as the primary goal.

For Gen Z professionals, the path forward requires intentionality:

• Strategic coffee chats with colleagues outside your team
• Smart office day planning to maximize senior employee overlap
• Engagement with professional associations and committees
• Leveraging LinkedIn and digital platforms strategically

These actionable steps work within the constraints of hybrid and remote work environments.

For employers and managers, closing the networking gap is a business imperative. Young professionals with limited networks advance more slowly, leave organizations more quickly, and miss knowledge transfer that benefits everyone.

Creating structured networking opportunities, making office days worthwhile for relationship-building, and investing in soft skills training all represent high-ROI interventions.

The networking gap exists, but it’s not permanent. With recognition of the problem, understanding of its causes, and implementation of strategies designed for modern work realities, Gen Z can build the professional connections that drive career success.

The question isn’t whether they can network effectively. It’s whether they get the support, structures, and opportunities needed to develop these critical skills.

The good news? Organizations and individuals taking this seriously are already seeing results.

Young professionals who apply systematic networking strategies report dramatic improvements in their confidence, connection quality, and career opportunities. Employers who invest in structured networking programs for early-career employees see better retention, faster skill development, and stronger organizational culture.

Gen Z doesn’t need to accept the networking deficit as permanent reality. With the right approaches, they can build professional relationships as strong as any previous generation’s, just through different pathways that reflect the hybrid work reality of their career entry point.

The reality is that most resume templates weren’t built with ATS systems or AI screening in mind, which means they might be getting filtered out before a human ever sees them. That’s why we created these free ATS and AI proof resume templates:

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