The newest entrants to the business world—Generation Z—are becoming a decisive force in today’s workplaces. For HR and leaders, AI can be a powerful way to build a shared language with them, to engage and retain them—especially since they are true digital natives. They’ve only seen rotary phones in movies, but navigate the digital world with ease.
That said, AI is just a tool. It won’t work miracles on its own. Successfully integrating Gen Z into the workplace also means nurturing human connections and supporting individual growth.
Biases and assumptions
Employees in their 20s are often criticised by older colleagues and leaders for being less committed or persistent than previous generations. If we wanted to spin that bias into a compliment, we could borrow Bill Gates’ line: “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
There’s some truth there—Gen Z is quick to embrace the benefits of digitalisation. The younger they are, the less fearful they seem of AI. Many see it as a helpful tool, not a threat.
Still, the fear of AI “stealing jobs” is real for many in the workforce—and as HR professionals, it’s something we need to address. We also have a major opportunity: involve Gen Z’s natural digital fluency in our organisation’s digital transformation.
This way:
We get advanced users to help implement new systems.
We create a learning organisation where knowledge flows both ways: senior colleagues mentor younger ones in workflows and professional skills, while Gen Z helps older peers get comfortable with AI and digital tools.