New reporting on Gen Z in the workplace finds the cohort is more disconnected and distrustful of coworkers than older generations, with loneliness showing up in time-off behavior. A Workday report cited by the article says Gen Z employees are least connected at work, reporting they are far more likely than Gen X peers to feel completely disconnected. The article links the isolation to pandemic-era onboarding dynamics, describing how many digital-native professionals started careers over Zoom, missing in-office rituals older employees learned. It also notes communication patterns: more than four in 10 Gen Z staff say they rarely or never talk with coworkers beyond work-related topics. The implications for higher education are indirect but relevant. Campuses increasingly prepare students for workforce entry under AI-accelerated, hybrid organizational expectations, and the findings suggest employers’ onboarding and social integration strategies are a near-term determinant of employee retention. For campus leaders focused on student success, the story reinforces that advising and career services may need to address social integration and mental-health coping mechanisms, not just job placement.