Do you panic over Zoom lags during meetings? Not receiving emails on your phone sends you into an anxiety-ridden rabbit hole. Then you are not alone.
According to a study by HP’s global survey of over 10,000 office workers across the world, most Gen Z feels plagued by technological issues. This data might be surprising as the younger workforce was born in the digital age and know how to work out new gizmos and devices that the older generations take time to figure out. But this puts undue pressure on Gen Z.
Also, according to the study, 1 in 5 Gen Z office workers report feeling judged when suffering technical issues, whereas 1 in 25 older generation workers feel that way. Gen Z workers are also 10 times more likely to feel shame when suffering technical snafus over their peers over the age of 40.
This phenomenon of feeling overwhelmed when not being able to deal with technology has been dubbed as ‘tech shame’ by HP’s head of UK and Ireland HR, Debbie Irish. One of the main reasons for this is related to not being able to afford better technology or wifi the way senior employees can. This is again mainly due to salary discrepancies as Gen Z workers are still on entry-level salaries.
Sadly, most Gen Z workers are entering the job market in a completely virtual setting. They do not have much social interaction in the office as other generations have had, which means they do not have access to mentors, bosses, and even senior employees. This causes Gen Z from getting involved in meetings as they feel apprehensive their technology may create disruptions.
Even though the younger workforces are TikTok and Snapchat geniuses, they do not feel equipped to handle hybrid or remote work environments where their digital skills are put to the test. As per the study by LaSalle Network, the Class of 2022 listed technical skills as the top requirement they feel unprepared for in the job market.
Another reason for this tech shame is that Gen Z feels that they have to live up to their name of being the younger tech-savvy generation. So, when they face a technical glitch, it makes them feel ashamed. So, being a knowledge powerhouse can be ego-boosting but having to explain the same file conversion process twenty times can be tiring.
According to a survey of 1000 workers by OSlash, Gen Z workers on average spend 8 hours a week helping their senior colleagues locate computer files. In monetary terms, this amounts to $11,000 annually. More than a quarter of Gen Z workers reported that they found issues completing their regular work due to this issue.
As most businesses are still not social media or Zoom friendly and rely on more traditional modes of technology – Gen Z may not be familiar with it. After all, how many 20-year-olds know about fax machines?
This leaves them feeling confused and often suffering from impostor syndrome, as per research by Asana.
For the older generations, these may not be major issues, but for the young workforce who already started their careers on shaky grounds, it is a matter of losing confidence and self-esteem.
So, Gen Z doesn’t worry, we are all on the same boat when it comes to figuring out the technology jungle!
