Gen Z is 'barebacking' to tackle back to office mandate

You get on a bus or the metro train to go to work, bag a spot, take out your phone and just start scrolling or watching a TV show or a movie. This is how a regular commute on public transport is like these days. Even when devices weren't there, people would often read or just go to sleep.

However, Gen Z are commuting in a new way, making several people uncomfortable. A new trend has seen them go gadget-free while commuting. Known as "barebacking", the trend has the youth travel absolutely without any devices or books. So no phones, no earbuds, no e-books, no tablets and iPads, nothing.

This lack of anything has made travel time uncomfortable for other commuters who don't know how to act when these Gen Z travellers are simply sitting or standing, doing nothing. They have nothing to do but stare out blankly.

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The term "barebacking" was recently coined by podcaster Curtis Morton while he and co-host James Hacking ranked the most hated travel habits. "Barebackers, number one," Morton said. Hacking enquires about it, to which Morton says, "You've done this commute a hundred times. Why are you sitting there without a phone, without a book? Just looking around? Looking at me? Do something!"

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Experts say this is mainly because of the way things have become post-pandemic. Commuters today are embracing "barebacking", minus the scrolling and other distractions.

Some think they are trying to claim their time after they were ordered to return to the office. Amanda Augustine, a certified career coach at Resume.io, told Fortune, looking at phones might prompt them to respond to work calls and emails while they are still on their way to the office. So they decided to completely ditch their devices, letting them use the commute time just for themselves and their thoughts.

She stresses that returning to the office is challenging for several people, so Gen Z is using their commute time to "mentally prepare for the day ahead or decompress after work."

Besides, it is a nice way to have a screen detox, since work today mostly involves looking at screens all day. 

Gen Z is known to have a different work attitude as compared to millennials and other generations. Surveys suggest that they are not willing to stay in a job that makes them unhappy, and they are not willing to give in to demands that seem unreasonable to them.