Now Gen Z employees are too terrified to make cellphone calls – forcing high finance agency to introduce coaching on ‘difficult’ conversations

Gen Z staff at one of Britain’s biggest finance firms will be trained to speak over the phone because young workers are too scared to talk on their devices. 

The new training has been set up by Forvis Mazars in response to concerns that ‘the digital generation’ lack the soft skills to work in the City. 

The training will include teaching people how to have ‘challenging’ conversations over the phone and cover topics such as ‘relationship building’. 

And staff will undergo an ‘immersive’ experience, practising picking up the phone and entering client meetings. 

The firm is launching the ‘comprehensive learning and development programme’ this year.

The move follows on from concerns that Gen Z entering the workplace would rather communicate via text or email because they lack the experience of speaking to people directly over the phone.

Victoria Bari, the head of training at Berry Recruitment Group, said young people entering the workforce are terrified of speaking over the phone.

Ms Bari said: ‘There is certainly a generational divide and for younger, more inexperienced consultants, emails and messaging are the first route of communication.

The training will include teaching people how to have ‘challenging’ conversations over the phone and cover topics such as ‘relationship building’

Forvis Mazars will train Gen Z staff to speak over the phone following fears that young workers are too scared to talk on their devices

Victoria Bari, the head of training at Berry Recruitment Group, said young people entering the workforce are terrified of speaking over the phone

‘But talking to people remains the most effective method of building relationships, which is a fundamental building-block of sales.’

Forvis Mazars said the programme is being launched because junior staff will be expected to have greater interpersonal skills.

The firm has anticipated that eventually basic tasks completed by Gen Z staff will be done by computers instead. 

James Gilbey, chief executive of Forvis Mazars, told the Telegraph: ‘We’ve committed to a major firm-wide investment to put relationship skills front and centre.’ 

But it’s not just the workplace where Gen Z struggle to speak over the phone.

Young people have hindered Britain’s efforts to gather accurate data about its worklessness crisis because they won’t answer the phone.

And as a result the Office for National Statistics has altered their survey style to rely more on online formats.

In May, a survey even found that a third of Brits panic when their phone rings unexpectedly and many don’t even answer calls, with Gen Z pleading ‘just text me‘.