The “Gen Z stare” is a viral label for a blank or neutral expression during an interaction. It may look like boredom or disrespect to one person and attentive listening or a pause to think to another. The expression alone cannot establish what an employee intended, whether they are engaged, or whether they are telling the truth. For employers, the practical response is to make job-related communication expectations clear and assess observable conduct—not read character or competence from a face.
What is the “Gen Z stare”?
The phrase describes a neutral-looking or blank expression that some observers associate with Gen Z. It is an informal cultural label, not a diagnosis or an established scientific description of a generation. A manager, customer, or interviewer may interpret the look as disengagement, boredom, hostility, or evasiveness; those are interpretations, not evidence of intent.
That distinction matters at work. Someone may be listening, processing a question, unsure how to respond, or uncomfortable. A facial expression by itself cannot reliably distinguish among those possibilities. Nor does it establish whether someone is respectful, honest, competent, or performing well.
Why might someone respond with a neutral expression?
There is no single proven explanation. ABC News interviewed social researcher Mark McCrindle, psychology lecturer Shane Rogers, and a Gen Z participant identified as Grace; their accounts suggest several possibilities, not a controlled finding about an entire generation.
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- Different small-talk expectations: McCrindle pointed to a preference for efficient digital interaction alongside jobs that require face-to-face conversation. Grace described having less practice with small talk and said an apparently blank response could occur when someone felt overwhelmed, annoyed, or under pressure, without meaning to be rude.
- A pause to process: Rogers noted that staring can convey different messages and may simply be a pause while someone considers an answer.
- Different assumptions about what is obvious: McCrindle described misunderstandings when one person assumes a process is self-evident and another asks how it works.
- Listening, discomfort, or perceived inauthenticity: Employment-law firm Ogletree Deakins lists active listening, reactions to questions someone sees as nonsensical or inauthentic, and emotional regulation in uncomfortable situations as possible interpretations. These are possibilities, not a way to diagnose a person from their expression.
Grace told ABC News: “So we don’t really small talk as a generation. There isn’t much practice with it, and therefore it’s a little bit harder to know how to respond to it in person.” This is one participant’s account, not representative evidence for all Gen Z workers.
Did COVID lockdowns cause it?
That claim is not established. ABC News reported that Edith Cowan University psychology lecturer Shane Rogers said there was no definitive scientific evidence that lockdowns had caused an impairment of social skills. Pandemic-era isolation may be part of how people discuss social interaction, but the available reporting does not prove that it caused a generation-wide deficit or the “Gen Z stare.”
Why should employers care?
A misread expression can shape decisions in settings where communication is judged quickly. Ogletree Deakins identifies customer service, performance management, workplace investigations, and hiring or promotion interviews as contexts where a neutral look could be taken as poor service, insubordination, or dishonesty.
| Work setting | What an observer might infer | What to assess instead |
|---|---|---|
| Customer-facing service | Disinterest or poor service | Whether the employee greeted the customer, answered questions, followed service procedures, and addressed the request |
| Internal meeting or performance discussion | Disengagement, defiance, or failure to understand | Whether the employee can explain the task, ask questions, and complete agreed work |
| Interview or promotion discussion | Lack of enthusiasm or confidence | Relevant experience, answers, skills, and consistent role-related criteria |
| Workplace investigation | Evasiveness or dishonesty | Statements, records, corroborating evidence, and the applicable investigation process |
Survey figures indicate that some workers report noticing or feeling affected by the label, but they do not establish how common the behavior is across all workplaces or what causes it. FlexJobs’ 2025 Workforce Pulse survey, published in a report updated February 25, 2026, found that 24% of respondents said they had received the “Gen Z stare” at work. The survey polled 3,063 professionals across generations from August 18–31, 2025. Clarify Capital reports that 52% of older-generation respondents in its survey of 986 American workers said they had felt uncomfortable because of the stare, and 39% said it had affected work meetings; its page does not state a publication date in the captured material. These are self-reported findings from different samples, not universal prevalence estimates or proof of workplace harm.
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- Author: Bungay Stanier, Michael.
- Publisher: Page Two
- Pages: 244
- Publication Date: 2016-02-29
- Edition: 1
How employers can respond fairly
Set expectations around the work, not facial style
Employers can define specific behaviors that matter to a role: greeting customers, confirming instructions, answering questions, or following up when something is unclear. Apply those expectations consistently. Requiring constant smiling or treating eye contact as a dependable measure of respect, honesty, or engagement turns subjective impressions into a poor substitute for job-related standards.
Ask before interpreting
If a response is unclear, use a direct, neutral question: “Would you like a moment to think?” “Can you tell me how you understand the next step?” or “Is anything about this request unclear?” These questions help establish understanding without presuming disrespect or dishonesty.
Evaluate observable behavior and outcomes
Keep feedback anchored to what happened and what the role requires. For example, identify a missed customer greeting or an uncompleted task, explain the relevant standard, and invite the employee’s account. Do not treat a blank expression as proof of poor performance, insubordination, or deception.
Train managers and employees on context
Ogletree Deakins recommends making expectations clear and training managers and staff. Dayforce contributor Alexandra Levit also recommends managerial education, employee feedback, clear ownership and development opportunities, and wellbeing support. These are recommendations in employer-focused commentary, not interventions proven by the cited material to produce a particular outcome.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteOgletree Deakins’ September 8, 2025 commentary says a single instance alone is unlikely to meet a definition of harassment, while repeated behavior may be considered as part of a broader pattern. That is general legal commentary, not a jurisdiction-specific conclusion. Employers assessing a legal claim or disciplinary issue should consider the relevant law and consult qualified counsel.
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