Generation Z is mostly well versed in technology. But surveys show how afraid many people are of embarrassment, especially because they are young.
Why is the office new territory for Gen Z? The majority of Gen Z workers entered the labor market during the pandemic years. Because anyone who was born in 1996, the year this generation started, was 24 years old at the start of Corona. All subsequent age groups are correspondingly younger, so that tens of thousands of young people between 18 and 24 began their working lives under special conditions:
Online conferences as everyday life and only months, if not years later, the office as a completely new environment. We have already introduced you to Gen Z’s sometimes special relationship with their workplace. But aside from all the niceties at work, for career starters it’s all about meeting expectations.
Where does the reference to Angela Merkel come from? The former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany described the Internet as new territory at a press conference in 2013, more on this in the Tagesspiegel. Even back then, she received a lot of ridicule and scorn for this.
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Gen Z knows technology
There is one certainty that accompanies Generation Z through their early working lives: technology is our profession. Current data from the Federal Statistical Office confirms this. No age group prefers to try new devices or is more confident in their abilities to use them than people between 14 and 25.
But two 2022 surveys of thousands show the dark side of that certainty. Because when it comes to work, technology regularly becomes a nightmare for many young people.
Gen Z’s fears of technology mishaps
What is the problem with Gen Z and technology in the office? No matter whether from the home office or directly on site: devices of all kinds, such as printers, computers or even the coffee machine, can be treacherous. In a survey by the LaSalle Network, half of the 2022 graduates surveyed said they felt insufficiently prepared for the job market in terms of technology.
What exactly might be missing isn’t clear from the publication, but combined with a survey of 10,000 Hewlett-Packard (HP) employees, an interesting picture emerges:
Here we specifically ask about problems in online conferences and how those affected feel about them. It turns out that 15 to 29 year olds are five times more likely to feel judged if their technology fails in a meeting. If a camera goes wrong or a microphone doesn’t work, 1 in 5 of the younger cohort say they are treated disrespectfully. For participants over 50, it is only one in 25.
When it comes to emotional life when dealing with such social and technical constraints, the difference doubles: younger people are 10 times more likely to report being ashamed of it, even if the environment has a neutral or encouraging effect on them.
So does Gen Z feel an obligation to get to grips with technology? Yes, at least this tendency can be seen from the data sets linked above. This is not a scientifically based finding, but it is a thought-provoking highlight of a psychologically challenging environment for young people.
Classic office programs on computers can also pose a challenge. A detail is to blame and the reasons probably lie in younger people’s primary use of tablets and smartphones: many young people do not understand the basics of using computers – this meme about Generation Z makes that clear