In this episode, we cover Gen Z’s origin story: they were raised to be resilient from the get-go. We discover how major world events – being born around 9/11, entering school during the time of mass shootings, then graduating into a pandemic – have shaped them as they enter the workforce today. And we meet Jerah Reeves, a Gen Zer who works at the Binghamton University School of Management in New York State, who had to leave behind his dream of being an NFL football player, and switch careers entirely, when Covid-19 hit.

WorkLife is proud to present season two of The Return, a podcast about what it’s like for Gen Z to enter the workforce for the first time in a post-pandemic world.

In season one, The Return followed an Atlanta-based advertising agency as the company returned to the office after a two-year pandemic hiatus. There were clear challenges among this population of workers who knew what a “normal” office used to look like. But what about a generation that is entering the workforce post-pandemic and has nothing to compare it to? That’s what we uncover across eight episodes in season two of The Return.

We see headlines repeatedly accusing this generation of being lazy, unmotivated, quiet quitters. But what's the real story behind this generation's attitude about work?

In season two of The Return, we speak with Gen Zers across the country to lift the lid on what motivates and inspires this young generation of workers, and how they’re not as work-shy as they’re often depicted. We also speak with seasoned workplace experts who can put the changing expectations of these young professionals into context.

We dive into why values are so important to Gen Zers, whether or not they are loyal to their employers, how they use TikTok for career advice, what it means to be a young professional who is a boss to older workers, and so much more.

Season two of The Return is hosted by Cloey Callahan, a Gen Zer and senior reporter at Digiday Media’s WorkLife, and produced by Digiday Media's audio producer Sara Patterson.

Subscribe to the WorkLife podcast now on Apple Podcasts – or wherever you get your podcasts – to hear the first episode on Wednesday, Oct. 18.

It’s been six months since Atlanta advertising agency Fitzco officially returned to the office. The team has weathered spikes in in-office Covid cases, blurring lines between work life and home life, and technological hiccups. But ultimately, it’s been a smooth transition. 

In the final episode of The Return, we’ll do one more check in with Fitzco staffers Erick Arenas, Bryce Burton, Jennifer “Jay Jay” Jones, and of course, CEO Dave Fitzgerald. We’ll also take a final look at what the future of work could be.

Fitzco sees its first positive case. While the team is disappointed, there are no active plans of turning back the clock to pandemic lockdown. Meanwhile, future of work experts talk workplace protections and how they’ve evolved to face Covid-19.

Atlanta-advertising agency Fitzco has officially returned to the office. That third Tuesday in February was something like the first day of school–colorful balloons, reuniting with old friends and the feeling of a fresh start in the air. 

But that first-day-of-school feeling comes after two years of fear and loss and the nagging sensation that things won't ever be the same and the future of being an employee, or an employer, is very much uncertain.

In the second episode of The Return, senior marketing reporter and host Kimeko McCoy joins the Fitzco staff for their first day back to in-person, in-office work. After two years apart, the agency grapples with anxiety and excitement, new Covid-19 safety protocols and even a few technological hiccups. 

Over the last two years, a lot has changed for Atlanta-based advertising agency Fitzco. Like the rest of the world, the agency has weathered the Covid-19 pandemic. At the top of this year, the agency started return to office plans, grappling with what in-office work looks like today.

On the first episode of The Return, host Kimeko McCoy talks with Fitzco’s staff about everything from disappearing lines between work life and home life to how they’re now managing expectations ahead of their first day back to in-person work. All while the pandemic rages on.

The Return is hosted by McCoy and produced by Digiday audio producer Sara Patterson.

Digiday is proud to present The Return, a podcast about what the return to the office can look like as corporate America adapts to the new, not quite post-pandemic normal. The Return follows the staff at one Atlanta-based advertising agency through Covid outbreaks, as well as the highs and lows of transitioning to hybrid work after two years of pandemic lockdown and working remotely. While the future of work is still under construction, employees across the country are forging their own paths to determine what that future looks like amidst parenthood, corporate mandates, long commutes and an ever-looming pandemic.