We’ve officially crossed the line into sitcom territory

We Need Work Etiquette Coaches?

We’ve officially crossed the line into sitcom territory: businesses paying etiquette coaches to teach Gen Z not to treat the office like their bedroom.

Yikes. In San Francisco, employers are coughing up around $2,500 for a 90‑minute crash course in apparently essential skills—like not stinking up the room, making eye contact, and yes, even putting food wrappers in the trash instead of the communal lunch table for janitors to handle

I mean, can you imagine the pitch at the next tech networking happy hour? “Hi, I’m Kevin. I know how to shower. I cleaned up after myself. I made eye contact. Consider hiring me.”

It’s like the workplace version of a dating profile: “Must love hygiene and basic manners.”

“But hey,” you might say, “Gen Z’s got a point.” After all, many of us have been raised on Slack DMs and remote Zoom classrooms—so toast crusts in the microwave and casual hoodie culture are peak comfort norms.

Meanwhile, managers ping Slack threads at 10 PM like it’s some emergency olive‑pit‑in‑the‑fork situation . Gen Z’s complaints?

“No cap, my manager Slacks me at midnight.” Solid burn.

And let’s be honest—this etiquette coach gig isn’t new.

According to a WSJ piece, it’s not just SF: firms worldwide are paying hundreds (and sometimes thousands) to train employees in everything from posture to polite conversation—because apparently, using the right fork matters more than we thought

So yes, we live in a world where you can hire a pro to tell you: “Don’t ghost your boss. Don’t show up shirtless.

And for the love of God, use the trash can.” It’s absurd, sure—but maybe capitalism at its finest: selling back to us the “common sense” we never taught our kids—and maybe forgot ourselves.

At least it makes for some hilarious workplace icebreakers.

“Tell me about a time you recycled your soda can?” now part of hiring. Welcome to the new etiquette renaissance—where basic decency has become premium content.