Two out of three Gen Z workers say they plan to quit their jobs in 2025, signaling a massive shift in workplace expectations that many employers are missing entirely. While companies scramble to understand what’s driving this exodus, one business expert is revealing the “random” office feature that has emerged as surprisingly decisive in retention decisions.
Jason Morris, owner and CEO of My Profit Engine, a specialized family-run link-building agency, has been observing these workplace trends as they impact business operations across industries.
“The conversation around Gen Z and office spaces has been oversimplified,” Morris observes. “Everyone focuses on remote work versus in-office mandates, but the real issue is what happens when they actually show up.”
The answer, according to Morris’s analysis, lies in something most executives overlook: privacy pods and individual work booths. These small, often soundproof spaces have become the litmus test for whether a company truly understands modern workforce needs.
- Related article: 77% of Gen Z Employees Feel Lonely at Work, New Study Finds
What privacy pods actually are
Privacy pods might sound like science fiction, but they’re surprisingly simple: small, soundproof booths or enclosed nooks designed for phone calls, focused work, or mental breaks from open-plan chaos. Think of them as the workplace equivalent of a quiet corner in a bustling café, except engineered for productivity.
“These aren’t executive hideaways or status symbols,” Morris explains. “They’re functional spaces that acknowledge a basic truth about human psychology: sometimes you need to think without distractions, and sometimes you need to collaborate. The key is having options.”
Why Gen Z can’t function without them
Gen Z workers need flexibility in a world where work styles have significantly changed. The open floor office plan dominated the 2000s with promises of collaboration and innovation, but Gen Z workers have experienced its limitations firsthand.
“Gen Z grew up multitasking between video calls, group projects, and individual deep work,” Morris notes. “They intuitively understand that different tasks require different environments. When offices only offer one setting—usually open and noisy—productivity plummets.”
Statistics support this need for variety. Research shows that 40% of Gen Z workers would prefer to be in the office full-time, while 39% prefer a hybrid schedule. What they’re looking for isn’t isolation, but having dedicated spaces for communal work, training sessions, wellness activities, and individual focus time.
The office resentment red flags
When privacy pods are missing, Morris warns, the signs of workplace dissatisfaction become unmistakable. Gen Z employees start seeking work-from-home options specifically for “focus days,” avoiding in-office collaboration sessions, or displaying what experts call “quiet quitting” behavior.
“But quiet quitting has evolved,” Morris observes. “CNBC reports show it’s becoming ‘resenteeism’—staying in jobs they find dissatisfying until they can’t take it anymore, then leaving abruptly.”
The pattern is predictable: without proper individual workspaces, Gen Z workers feel trapped between the noise of open offices and the inflexibility of traditional meeting rooms. They can’t find their productivity sweet spot, so they mentally check out.
“I’ve seen companies lose talented young employees over something as simple as not having a quiet space for phone interviews or project planning,” Morris adds. “These workers need basic functionality to perform their jobs effectively.”
The flexibility factor
Privacy pods give Gen Z workers the autonomy they crave. They want to move between collaborative and individual work modes on their own terms, not according to arbitrary schedules or cramped desk assignments.
“They’re the first generation to normalize switching between multiple communication platforms, work styles, and environments throughout a single day,” Morris explains. “Offices that force them into one rigid setup are essentially asking them to operate at half capacity.”
Gen Z’s expectations around autonomy and privacy reflect a fundamental shift in how work gets done. They’ve never known a world where you had to choose between collaboration and focus, so they expect both, seamlessly, he says. When companies fail to provide dedicated individual spaces like privacy pods, they’re essentially telling their youngest workers that their productivity preferences don’t matter.
“Digital etiquette plays a big role here too,” Morris states. “Gen Z workers are used to controlling their environment: muting notifications, choosing when to engage, managing their own workflow. Open offices strip away that control entirely. They can’t escape a colleague’s loud phone call or find space for a sensitive client conversation. That lack of autonomy becomes a deal-breaker.
“Office design has become a retention tool whether companies realize it or not,” he continues. “The businesses that understand this are building workspaces with multiple zones, including collaboration areas, quiet zones, wellness spaces, and yes, privacy pods. The ones that don’t are watching their Gen Z talent walk out the door for competitors who get it. At this point, ignoring these preferences isn’t not only bad for morale—it’s bad for business.”
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Tags: employees, generation z, Payroll, privacy pods, quitting job
