Gen Z Doesn’t Say “Hello” When They Answer the Phone
Our students still need help with phone etiquette. The latest issue is their silence after answering a call.
A 2024 U.K. survey found that most young people don’t answer the phone at all, with scammers the prevailing reason. If they do answer, more call receivers are waiting three seconds to say anything for similar reasons: a bot will disconnect if they don’t hear a voice immediately, and AI could replicate their voice for hackers.
Still, some young people seem to believe the onus is on the caller. One wrote, “Isn’t it a universal law that the person who’s doing the calling should be the one to say hello?” and another explained, “You called me? Say what you want and I’ll answer.”
This is new thinking. My generation, and a couple after mine, expect the person answering the phone to, well, answer the phone, which means more than simply pushing the green button. I would draw an analogy to knocking on someone’s door, but this, too, doesn’t happen much these days.
Practice aside, the point for a class discussion is about recruiters’ expectations. If it’s awkward for recruiters to “hear their breathing,” then the responder, who is looking for a job and wants to make a good impression, might choose to say, “Hello.”
Early in my career, I taught phone etiquette. We gave training participants small mirrors with the company (Canon) logo and suggested they smile into the mirror, and then pick up the phone. Clearly, things have changed.
For many years, I included a voicemail as part of an employment communication assignment. In response to a recruiter’s call, students would leave a voicemail on my phone that I would grade along with their resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.
Earlier this year, recruiters complained about the “Gen Z stare.” When they expected a response to a statement or an interview question, the applicant would look at them blankly. Theories abound: poor social skills from too much screen time, living through a pandemic, disrespect of elders (or any others), or taking a moment of self-reflection.