{"id":860554,"date":"2026-08-16T21:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T21:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/860554\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T21:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T21:14:20","slug":"hp-exec-hits-back-at-gen-z-lazy-label-says-theyre-great-at-listening-and-relationship-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/860554\/","title":{"rendered":"HP exec hits back at Gen Z lazy label, says they\u2019re great at listening and relationship-building"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just like generations of 20-somethings before them, Gen Zers are being criticized for failing to adapt to traditional workplace norms. Some bosses complain about a lack of office etiquette and the high expectations they bring with them, while a vocal cohort say the digital natives are bringing valuable skills and a fresh approach to work. George Brasher, SVP and managing director, North America for $27 billion tech giant HP<\/a>, says that the Gen Z label of lacking interpersonal skills is a myth. Now, they\u2019re driving massive business wins with their work ethic.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a reasonable population of Gen Z folks in my team, and I find people with great ability to listen, great ability to build that trust, to build that relationship, and then to understand really what customers need,\u201d Brasher tells Fortune. \u201cI don\u2019t see that at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

HP employs about 55,000 workers globally, and believes that<\/a> the youngest generation of employees is leading the charge in creating a more \u201cinterconnected, inclusive, and conscientious world.\u201d They drive innovation with their tech savvy, build communities with their digital-first approach to collaboration, and treat work-life balance as a non-negotiable. The HP executive says that growing up in the digital era is their superpower; not only are their AI skills making them more skilled on the job, but it\u2019s translating to a better quality working life.<\/p>\n

\u201cGen Z and millennials have the highest use of AI, highest use of the technology,\u201d Brasher continued. \u201cThe fact that they\u2019re digital natives\u2014and AI natives\u2014really puts them in a great position\u2026to have that use of technology that will give them a healthy relationship with work.\u201d<\/p>\n

College students turning their tassels and taking on 9-to-5 jobs are typically AI natives, Brasher adds, which \u201cpositions them very well\u201d within the tough entry-level job market. More than one million U.S. job postings even required AI-related skills as of last year, a 66% increase from 2024, according to a<\/a> 2026 PwC analysis of Lightcast data. Being well-acquinated with the tools is the key to success in the newest era of tech: \u201cI think everybody coming into their initial career into companies needs to make sure that they\u2019re the best prepared for that,\u201d Brasher advised.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leaders at Colgate, Stripe, and LinkedIn agree that Gen Z has in-demand tech skills<\/p>\n

Stereotypes stick, and some bosses have already made up their minds on Gen Z workers. Oscar-winning star Jodie Foster slammed the young staffers<\/a> she encountered on the set of True Detective as being \u201creally annoying, especially in the workplace.\u201d And fellow actress Whoopi Goldberg claimed that Gen Zers<\/a> \u201conly want to work four hours\u201d yet expect to live in comfort.<\/p>\n

But business leaders like Brasher are looking past the tropes and unlocking the power of a generation built for the AI era.<\/p>\n

The CHRO of $73 billion giant Colgate-Palmolive<\/a> hit back that young staffers aren\u2019t the career sloths<\/a> some typecast them to be. Sally Massey credits Gen Z as being ambitious and incredibly tech savvy\u2014critical skills that the consumer products company behind Colgate toothpaste and Irish Spring soap is looking for in talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201c[Gen Z] have grown up with technology. They\u2019ve grown up in a very different way than some of the other generations in the organization,\u201d the CHRO told Fortune<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey bring with them new ideas, new perspectives, curiosity,\u201d Massey added. \u201cThey\u2019re pushing us to get better and to do things differently\u2014I think it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

And last year Emily Glassberg Sands, the head of data and AI for Stripe, revealed that she\u2019s <\/a>all-in on hiring recent graduates at the $159 billion financial services company. Just like Massey, she singled out Gen Z\u2019s tech adaptability as one of the in-demand skills she\u2019s looking for in Stripe employees. They \u201chave the cutting-edge skills\u201d and are up-to-date on the latest tools to help them hit the ground running.<\/p>\n

LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman agrees that Gen Z\u2019s AI fluency<\/a> could be their biggest advantage in a tough entry-level job market. The billionaire entrepreneur said that young people are part of \u201cgeneration AI\u201d; as digital natives who grew up with advanced technology at their fingertips, they are in the best position to leverage that skill. It may be Gen Z\u2019s ticket to landing a job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing the fact that you have AI in your tool set is one of the things that makes you enormously attractive,\u201d Hoffman said in a<\/a> video on his YouTube channel last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just like generations of 20-somethings before them, Gen Zers are being criticized for failing to adapt to traditional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860555,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[45,49,48,299448,1656,7564,8980,12169,68947,12170,124,7476,12171,53037,32018,37407,93436,64,2459,38006,12174],"class_list":["post-860554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-colgate-palmolive","tag-communication","tag-executives","tag-gen-z","tag-hiring","tag-hp","tag-job-seekers","tag-jobs","tag-linkedin","tag-millennials","tag-reid-hoffman","tag-skills","tag-skills-gap","tag-stripe","tag-tech","tag-workers","tag-young-adults","tag-young-workers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}