Get you a coffee? How Gen-Z is changing the way we perceive professionalism at the workplace

An American recruiter named Caitlin Wehniainen ranted on social media about a candidate who showed up to her job interview with an iced coffee in hand, calling her unprofessional. She said that such behaviour makes it seem like the candidate is running an errand. PIC/ISTOCK

If you thought Millennials just can't stop talking about their love for coffee, then this new controversy is punishing Gen Zs for loving the beverage a little too much.

Last week, an American recruiter named Caitlin Wehniainen ranted on social media about a twenty-something candidate who showed up to her job interview with an iced coffee in hand. Wehniainen stated that such an action gives the impression that the interview is just another casual errand on the applicant's to-do list and looks unprofessional.

Gen Zs on the other hand have argued that they don't care to put up the charade of "professionalism" that previous generations did. In an era of unprecedented unemployment and income insecurity - in India alone, 20 per cent of graduates aged between 25-29 are unemployed according to the latest State of Working India report by Azim Premji University - do we really have time to discuss whether iced coffee is professional or not? What happens when you get an education, graduate from college, get a masters degree, but still don't get a job and maybe AI replaces you? You find an entire generation jaded, because despite doing everything right, they struggle to find entry-level jobs.

Palvi Angne (right), head of HR at Benne, with one of the founders, Akhil Iyer

"For Gen Z, professionalism means how well you deliver, your communication skills, whether you meet deadlines, your performance, and not your appearance," says 26-year-old Raveena, "But traditional employers still expect a degree of formality."

Raveena is a Gen Z manager managing a team of other Gen Z employees. "If you're making the interviewer wait till you finish your coffee, that's an entirely different conversation. But if you just have a coffee in hand, and you're otherwise engaged and prepared, I don't see how it matters," Raveena says.

But this is a case-by-case scenario, she says. "Part of professionalism is knowing when to adapt. You need to see the kind of environment you're in and show up accordingly. It's important to remember that professionalism isn't about removing personality, but it's about reading the room," Raveena says.

Is it just another excuse to pile on the youngest - and seemingly most hated - generation in the workforce? "Every generation that is new to the workforce will be hated," says Raveena, "Gen Z is just challenging norms, which every generation before us did too. But challenging norms doesn't mean that we're challenging professionalism. It's just a preference for ‘purposeful professionalism' instead of ‘performative professionalism'."

Isha Rana, a 26-year-old working professional, calls herself a Zillenial (somewhere between Gen Z and Millenial). She says, "I wouldn't personally bring a coffee to an interview. But it depends on who the interview is with. If someone is coming in for the first time, sure, a cup of coffee is fine. But if it's an interview with the CEO of the company, I don't know if bringing a coffee is a smart choice. First impressions are important."

Shweta Sikchi and Isha Rana

For some employers, the change to purposeful professionalism is a welcome one. "I don't think everyone hates Gen Z," says Shweta Sikchi, a recruitment consultant, "I think Gen Z is the first generation entering workplaces that is openly questioning rules that previous generations simply accepted. That makes the friction much more visible."

"There is also a selection bias here: the young employee who performs well doesn't become a LinkedIn post. The one who says ‘Why do I need to come to the office?' does. So we end up discussing the most provocative examples as if they represent an entire generation," she adds.

At the same time, Gen Z isn't automatically right, she says. "Confidence without context can become entitlement, and challenging authority is valuable only when it is accompanied by judgment and accountability." Arguably, sipping on coffee is not the problem; many interviewers even offer a bracing cup of Joe to candidates to make them feel welcome.

Palvi Angne, head of HR at Benne, has been in an interview-coffee-debacle of her own. At Benne, almost all interviews are conducted at Benne's outlets. "I was interviewing a candidate, he was 35+. We were right outside the outlet on the pavement and I offered him a coffee. Throughout the interview he didn't take a sip. I insisted, too, but he said that he didn't want to be disrespectful," she says, "The interview went very well, but then the minute it ended, he gulped his coffee down and threw the disposable cup on the road. That was a big no-no."

In sectors like hospitality, which are famous for rigidity and hierarchy, Benne is intentional with keeping the doors open and approachable. "We're the kind of workplace where employees and guests are alike. The founders make dosas and open doors. Although these might seem like unintentional choices, they're very calculated because they reduce the difference between us and our guests."

In the first year of inception, many of Benne's employees were in their mid to late 20s. "We're an incredibly young company. And because all of us are inherently like-minded people, that's how we've built the culture."