Members of Generation Z were born into a world where the internet already existed – indeed, a large number of them spend most of their time behind a screen. But this doesn’t mean they’re confident about their workplace IT skills. Far from it, in fact!
The simple truth is that many companies and administrations use equipment that is older than some of their employees. Take printers and photocopiers, for example.
Despite the digital revolution and environmental awareness, the corporate world hasn’t completely given up on paperwork. In fact, an average office employee generates some 1kg of waste every day and uses up to 10,000 copy sheets… if they know how to do it.
Online community platform Reddit hosts forums in which millennials or Generation Zers confess to being baffled by machines emblematic of office life. “Millennial here, worked in IT all my life, can confirm I bloody hate printers!” says one of them.
Another added: “Millennial here. I once had a job interview where I was asked, ‘What is your least-favourite aspect of IT?’ ‘Printers,’ I told them without hesitation. Everybody chuckled.”
Reddit users assert that all office workers have a genuine hatred of photocopiers and scanners, regardless of age. But younger workers are less confident than their older colleagues about their ability to cope if they encounter a computer problem.
For example, one in five young employees feel judged by their colleagues when faced with a technical difficulty at work, whether it’s an internet-connection problem or a bug during a video-conference meeting, according to a 2022 survey by Hewlett-Packard.
In comparison, only one in 25 older employees feels this way in such a situation.
Freeing oneself from ‘tech shame’
The US computer and printer manufacturer has coined the term “tech shame” to describe this phenomenon, which seems to affect mostly young workers. One contributing factor is that the digital skills of young people are often overestimated by employers.
Although avid internet users, millennials and members of Generation Z mainly use just a few social networks and apps. Beyond that, obstacles arise. Many young workers feel uncomfortable using office-oriented software programs like Excel or PowerPoint in their professional lives – even if they claim to be proficient in them on their resumes.
As a result, they head to Google and social networks to fill in the gaps. In particular, they turn to explanatory videos created by internet users who present themselves as Excel or PowerPoint experts.
Among them is Emma Chieppor, a 25-year-old American. She started posting Excel tutorials on the TikTok account @exceldictionary in May 2021 to share her knowledge on the subject – and it seems to be working, as she counts more than 2.2 million followers.
She is not the only one: the hashtag #Excel has 5.8 billion views on the Chinese app, while there are 3.4 billion views for #PowerPoint.
While these videos are an attempt to address the lack of computer literacy among working people, many believe the responsibility lies with governments and businesses. Some 44% of 18- to 26-year-olds say governments and employers should join forces to give everyone a chance to master digital tools, according to a recent Dell survey.
Regardless, young people seem determined to tackle this issue head-on to improve their employability. More than a third of Gen Zers plan to learn more about computers on their own, in a bid to free themselves from “tech shame”.