Rethinking Gen Z's Communication Skills at Work
Generation Z has only been in the workforce for a few years, yet many already label them as poor communicators. Surveys show that 47% of employers think Gen Z lacks satisfactory communication skills, compared to just 11% for Gen X. Another poll found 70% of business leaders say Gen Z workers can't communicate well. But is this really true? The answer is no. Gen Z isn't bad at communication — they're simply new at it. Like every generation before them, they need time, mentorship, and experience to build these skills.
Why the Criticism Is Misguided
JP Pawliw, President of IHHP, explains that the claims about Gen Z come from manager surveys, not solid research. “These surveys don’t measure how well young people communicate,” he says. “They show how older people feel about them.” Every generation — Boomers, Gen X, Millennials — faced the same complaints when they started their careers. If the same criticism repeats, the problem isn’t the generation.
Three Factors That Confuse Generational Research
Pawliw points out that generational studies often mix up three things:
- Cohort effect: People born in a certain era share some traits.
- Age effect: Anyone early in their career acts a certain way.
- Period effect: The world events happening right now shape behavior.
When researchers separate these factors, most so-called generational differences disappear. The real differences come down to career stage, the pandemic, and changing communication styles.
What Gen Z Actually Struggles With
Pawliw identifies four key areas where Gen Z faces challenges — but none are permanent or unique:
1. Career Stage
Workplace communication is mostly unwritten knowledge: how to push back on a senior colleague, which channel to use, or how to read the room. New employees haven't learned these yet. Every generation goes through this, but we forget.
2. The Pandemic Effect
Gen Z spent important years working remotely. They built fewer in-person relationships where these skills are usually learned. This is a circumstance, not a character flaw, and it will fade as things return to normal.
3. A Real Shift in Style
Gen Z is comfortable with texting and async communication but has less experience with live, high-pressure situations. However, they often excel at digital collaboration. It's a different skill set, not a weakness.
4. Misunderstanding That Becomes Bias
Wanting more feedback, questioning authority, and preferring directness over corporate-speak are often read as poor communication by older managers. It isn't. It's just a difference in preference.
The Danger of Generalizing Generations
When leaders believe myths like “there is a problem with this new generation,” they lower expectations, judge too quickly, and stop coaching the actual person in front of them. This makes the problem worse. Pawliw says, “The problem isn't that Gen Z can't communicate; it's that we've convinced ourselves they can't, and we lead them based on that belief.”
Outdated Metrics Hurt Everyone
Many older managers judge Gen Z by communication methods that mattered when they entered the workforce — like email. But email is outdated for many younger workers. If you judge a Gen Z coworker by their email skills but overlook how well they communicate on Slack or Teams, you're using an outdated metric and missing the full picture.
Why Communication Skills Matter for Career Growth
Pawliw believes Gen Z's lack of ease with in-person conversations is real and can hurt their growth. For example, they may avoid challenging an older colleague on something they know is right or hold back a creative idea. This comes from a deep need to belong. “The second something threatens that need, we retreat,” he says. But growth requires risk and courage. If you don't do anything different, you stay average — and miss promotions and opportunities.
Beyond Communication: What Gen Z Really Needs
Communication is important, but Pawliw argues that emotional self-regulation is the foundational skill. This means managing your own physiology under pressure so you can stay effective when stakes are high. “You can't communicate well if your threat system has hijacked you,” he says. The good news: self-regulation is trainable, not a fixed trait.
Gen Z also needs to practice making hard decisions — the ones they put off because they avoid difficult conversations. Being decisive with less information is a critical skill today. Pawliw adds that AI makes judgment even more important: “The scarce thing stops being the ability to generate work and becomes the ability to judge it.”
Extend Professional Courtesy to Youngest Workers
Gen Z has an etiquette gap and lacks some soft skills. But every generation had this at the start. Older generations often look back through rose-tinted glasses. We weren't that great right off the bat — we had mentors and examples to follow. The same courtesy should be extended to Gen Z. Someday, they'll do the same for the next generation.
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