Gen Z workplace communication sparks friction in Korean offices

"This new hire is really strange. Even when calls come in, they do not answer, and when given instructions, they do not respond. They ignore most KakaoTalk messages and only reply to things that benefit them."

Senior employees in their 30s who work with new hires in their 20s with impressive credentials frequently voice this grievance. They complain that open communication with junior staff remains difficult despite considerable effort. However, the 20-somethings targeted by this criticism counter that their true intent — exchanging precise information and avoiding getting hurt while communicating — is not getting across.

Why young workers avoid office phones

Participant 4: Why do people in their 20s avoid phone calls these days?

Participant 2: We prefer text messages because they let us reply after preparing our thoughts. That is especially true for work-related matters. Because text leaves a written record, we can check details directly from the message without having to ask again later. Even if a phone call is recorded, it is more inconvenient because we have to go back and listen to it again. When a call comes in out of nowhere, it feels like someone barging in.

Participant 3: I feel the same way. On the phone, it is hard to convey what I intended, and it is easy to misspeak. For example, when dealing with a client, I can structure the points and send a message covering Agenda A, Agenda B and Agenda C. Nowadays, we also widely use artificial intelligence in daily work to refine context and wording. Talking on the phone always makes me feel unprepared.

Participant 1: When I first started working, I did not answer the office phone even when it rang. I was terrified of not knowing how to answer, and I was trembling because I did not even know how to introduce myself.

Participant 3: Even now, I get tongue-tied on the phone. Even with a simple phrase like "How may I help you?", I trip over my words, stumble and say, "Regarding what matter ... " when all I need to say is "How may I help you?"

Participant 4: Does that also apply to casual calls to catch up outside of work?

Participant 2: Some people hate getting sudden calls even from close friends. They say it feels like an attack.

Participant 1: A lot of my friends say talking on the phone does not feel like they're taking a rest. They want to relax, but they have to keep talking.

Is text communication enough?

Participant 4: Still, text messages do not convey emotion. Can text messages really capture emotion, context and nuance?

Participant 2: I think emotions can be fully conveyed through text.

Participant 5: I think we can express those feelings through slang like "Whoa" and "No way," Korean text symbols for laughter or emojis.

Participant 1: Because we normally use emojis and exclamations like "Whoa" so much, leaving them out actually makes things feel unusually serious. If someone writes in a serious tone with perfect spelling, we think, "Okay, this is serious."

Participant 3: At work, when I keep getting requests on KakaoTalk from a boss or client, I sometimes wonder, 'Is this person trying to torment me?' Because no emotion comes through, back-to-back demands like "Please do this" and "Please do this too" make me think, "Why are they acting so picky?" In contrast, if we talk on the phone in that situation, the other person is in a position of asking a favor, saying, "Could you please do this too? Thank you." Phone calls seem more effective for human interaction, whereas text messages feel a bit stiff.

Frustrated senior colleagues

Participant 5: Among middle managers in their 30s, many complain that new hires do not answer verbally. When given work instructions, instead of saying "Yes," they just nod while recording the audio.

Participant 2: Students rarely ask questions in school either, and sharing their opinions feels like a burden. Relationships between superiors and subordinates seem even harder for us. We feel it would be better if we could learn the ropes from a manual rather than in person.

Participant 5: In daily life, such as when ordering food, are people also reluctant to ask staff directly?

Participant 1: Right. There are actually a lot of young people who struggle with that. They’ve grown up ordering delivery through apps, and they’ve never had to call a friend’s home phone and ask to speak to them.

Participant 2: Even when we are dissatisfied with restaurant service, rather than complaining on the spot, we express our dissatisfaction later by leaving a low star rating.

Participant 1: If a restaurant only takes phone orders, some friends order from somewhere else or just go hungry.

Participant 5: While working, employees have to ask about parts they are unsure of or things that are not working. Yet I heard many 20-somethings today do not even say "I sent it," forcing bosses to constantly follow up by asking, "Did you do it?" and "Did you check it?"

Psychology of leaving messages unread

Participant 5: Even when peers of the same generation communicate, leaving messages unread and unanswered, a behavior known in Korean as "anikssip," seems to be a problem. Why do people do that?

Participant 2: In quite a few cases, people read messages through notification previews without opening them and simply do not reply. They reply whenever they feel like it.

Participant 5: There are also many complaints that people reply right away to messages with gift vouchers while leaving other messages unread.

Participant 2: I occasionally leave messages unread too. When I am doing other work and the message is not urgent, I put it off. As time passes, I end up leaving it unread for longer than I meant to.

Participant 1: Sometimes the sender is someone I do not want to answer, like a friend who comes to me with the exact same problem every day or someone I dislike. Then I forget that I never answered, and the chatroom sinks to the bottom of the feed.

Participant 3: At work, however, I feel more comfortable when someone reads a message and does not reply than when they leave it unread, because it shows the person at least checked it. If an issue comes up, it shows they saw the message I sent. That written record is also why I prefer KakaoTalk. I can quote a previous message and say, 'I sent this on this date. Please check it.' It proves that I delivered the message.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.