Page 14 - PA_Enterprise_July-2024

PAE

How Gen Z are changing the

way people speak at work

Workplace environments have become more casual in the last five
years, and employees believe Generation Z workers are responsible.

A study from Barclays LifeSkills, an initiative from Barclays Bank, has
revealed that 71% of workers in the United Kingdom believe the younger
generation is changing the formality of language in the workplace.

The survey predicts that formal phrases like “Yours truly” and “Yours sincerely”, over a
and sign-offs - such as “Yours truly,” “Yours third of UK workers surveyed described these
sincerely,” and “To whom it may concern” - phrases as old-fashioned. Instead, nearly half
may be extinct from the workplace within the of Brits have exchanged these closings for
next 10 years. “Thanks!” and “Thanks so much” because it’s
deemed as more friendly.
Unsurprisingly, social media was cited as a
reason for changing workplace language. While “Ta!” has also become a popular sign-
While 39 per cent of people over the age of 55 off, 29 per cent of workers see it as being a
believe that social media has had the biggest bit too familiar. The phrase “Hiya!” has also
impact on changes in communication, just divided opinion - with 42 per cent considering
24 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 agreed it friendly, 36 per cent as casual, and 26 per
that social media is to blame for evolving cent thinking of it as too familiar.
language.
Perhaps a reason for the change in workplace
When it comes to popular email signatures, communication is because online messaging

14 July 2024