An exec at $62 billion giant Colgate says Gen Z workers, despite getting flak for being woke and lazy, are actually ‘pushing us to get better’

(Credit: Courtesy of Colgate-Palmolive)

Stereotypes stick, and some bosses have already made up their minds on Gen Z workers. Oscar-winning star Jodie Foster slammed the young staffers she encountered on the set of True Detective as “really annoying, especially in the workplace,” while fellow actress Whoopi Goldberg claimed that Gen Zers “only want to work four hours” yet expect to live in comfort. 

But the chief human resources officer at $62 billion giant Colgate-Palmolive is hitting back that young staffers aren’t the career sloths some typecast them to be. Sally Massey credits Gen Z as being ambitious and incredibly tech savvy—critical skills that the consumer products company behind Colgate toothpaste and Irish Spring soap is looking for in talent.