Mark stood in the busy back room of his retail store. The morning rush was starting, and the heavy boxes were piling up near the door. He needed help right away.
He turned to his newest worker, a twenty-year-old named Leo. He quickly told Leo to move the boxes, check the new shipping labels, and clear the front path for customers. As he finished his fast instructions and waited. He expected Leo to nod quickly, smile, and say he was on it. Instead, Leo did nothing.
The young man just stood there. He looked right at Mark with a totally flat, blank face. He did not blink. He did not speak. A few years ago, Mark might have felt angry. A boss from an older generation might have yelled. They might have asked Leo to smile or demanded to know if Leo was even listening.
But Mark took a deep breath. He did not yell. He did not ask Leo to smile. He just waited in the quiet room. After five long seconds, Leo finally blinked. He nodded one time. He said the instructions made sense and walked off to move the boxes.
Mark had just handled the famous “Gen Z stare.” He did it without losing his temper or looking like an angry, out-of-touch boss. This quiet, blank look is a very popular topic online. People talk about it on Reddit and social media. Older bosses and managers often think this silence is very rude. They expect a quick, happy answer when they speak. But young people usually are not trying to be mean. They just need extra time to think about what was just said.
We are very quick to observe a behavior and assign a motive to it. A blank expression can be interpreted as rude, disengaged, judgmental, or simply inattentive
workplace expert Kristin Emerson.
Experts say young workers just do not like faking a happy mood on the job. They want to be real with the people around them. Older workers were taught to always smile at work. They learned to be polite and act happy in customer service jobs. Young people see the world in a different way. They do not think they need to pretend.
Gen Z employees come from a generation that is starkly genuine. To that end, they refuse to engage in small talk. They don’t like what they interpret as fake happiness.
Loren Margolis, an executive coach
Young people are tired of acting like every person they meet is a close friend. Sabrina Grimaldi runs a magazine for young adults. She remembers giving a stranger the stare after the stranger made a rude comment about her pregnant body. She said polite expectations are changing.
I think part of the disconnect between generations is that younger people are often expected to be polite, smile and keep the interaction pleasant, even when someone else has been unnecessarily rude
Grimaldi
She noted that young people do not want to force a smile anymore.
“I think we’re slowly drifting away from the overly cheery way of acting like every single customer or every single person you interact with in public is your best friend, or like you’ve known them for 10 years,” Grimaldi said.
There is another reason for the blank look. Young people grew up online. Then, the pandemic happened. They spent years away from people during a very important time in their lives. Because of this, younger workers had much less time to practice talking face-to-face.
When a boss gives them a lot of new information, they might feel nervous. A blank look is often their way to stay safe. They use silence to avoid saying the wrong thing.
“For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, the peer relationship is the highest-valued social currency. Anything that could potentially threaten that relationship is often met with silence, and a stare. Because neutral avoids negative when it comes to social consequences,” said communication expert Betsy Butterick.
Doctor Matthew Leahy works with young adults. He said this blank look is almost never meant to be a personal attack. It is just a different way of dealing with unexpected moments in a busy world.
“It can reflect uncertainty, anxiety, processing, discomfort or simply a different idea of what an appropriate response looks like,” Leahy said.
Some experts say the stare is a shield. Young people use it to protect themselves from a stressful environment.
“So many gen-z people feel a disconnect from the norms and culture that millennials and older are accustomed to. Furthermore, I believe there is a component of the gen-z stare that is protective for them. Many are withdrawn and feel forced to engage in a world that has let them down,” said clinical psychologist Kamran Eshtehardi.
So, how should a boss or an older worker respond when a young worker gives them the stare? The best answer is to do exactly what Mark did. Do nothing.
Stop talking and wait. Give the young person a few seconds to process what you just said. Do not demand a fake smile. Do not ask for forced joy. Do not take the quiet look as an insult.
If the silence lasts too long, do not get angry. Just ask a very simple question. Ask if they understand the task. Ask if they need you to repeat any part of the instructions.
“In that sense, the ‘Gen Z stare’ may tell us as much about generational expectations as it does about Gen Z itself,” Leahy said.
By simply waiting in the quiet, older workers can keep the peace. They can build trust with young people. They can get the job done well, and they can avoid a fight over a simple, silent look.
