According to a recent study by the streaming service Tubi, many Generation Z employees stream their favorite series from their home office. Working in an office would prevent that.
Since the coronavirus pandemic, home office has been the norm for many companies and employees. There are many arguments in favor of this, such as flexibility and autonomy, and an improved work-life balance. However, employers repeatedly question the productivity that working from home entails.
This is particularly an issue for Gen Z, who have largely grown up with digital media, as a new study suggests. That’s because many young people can no longer imagine returning to the office – and one reason for this is movies and series.
New study shows: 84 percent of all Gen Z workers stream movies and series from home
On March 18, 2025, the streaming service Tubi published an extensive study on the streaming behavior of adults, in which over 2,500 people participated. In it, 84 percent of Generation Z employees said they would watch series and movies while working from home.
53 percent said they had previously postponed work in their home office to finish watching a series they were binging on. Around 50 percent would therefore refuse to return to the office completely.
However, Cynthia Clevenger, senior vice president of B2B marketing at Tubi, told Fortune that many in Generation Z, having grown up with digital media, have a different relationship with streaming that goes beyond entertainment and distraction:
As hybrid models become more and more the norm, the lines between work and entertainment are blurring. It’s not just passive background noise – it’s part of her way of taking breaks, staying stimulated and focusing throughout the day.
An adapted work model or a return to the office? Experts disagree
However, trust in remote work is still a critical point for many employers, as Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has repeatedly stated. According to Fortune, he accuses his employees of being less productive outside the office.
Research by the Workhuman study in 2024 also suggested that over 30 percent of Generation Z and Millennials would occasionally fake working from home. The study surveyed over 3,000 employees in the US and UK. Around 50 percent of Gen Z workers also admitted in the Tubi study that they had lied to their bosses about their streaming behavior during their working hours.
Simran Bhatia, head of HR at the deepfake detection company Reality Definer, argued to Fortune that instead of control, a development of new working models is needed here:
For many, a series, podcast or background music is not a distraction – it’s a form of ‘body-doubling’ that improves focus. Rather than trying to control it, progressive employers should be thinking about how to design work environments – in the office and at home – that reflect the way this generation works. Every generation has brought a shift to workplace culture, and Gen Z is no exception.
A thematically similar article has been published on our sister site IGN Brazil.
