Generation Y was the first considered truly comfortable with technology. It is now the turn of members of Generation Z, who are described as literally falling into it at birth, to arrive in the workplace. Will the Zs replace the Ys as official geeks in companies?
Not quite… but a little, says Stefan Tams, whose research focuses on the impact of age on technology proficiency in the workplace. The associate professor in the information technology department of HEC Montréal warns from the outset: he has not placed generational labels, which he is wary of, in the conclusions of his work.
“I didn’t use the word ‘generation’ […] What I tried to do was understand how older workers interact with technology differently. As we age, cognitive changes occur. »
However, it is appropriate that his work, the rare one that has delved into the issue to this extent, sheds light on the changing of the guard that we can observe in the workplace.
In 2021, Professor Tams summarized in the Wall Street Journal some empirical findings he made while studying the behavior of hundreds of workers. Older children, he noted, needed more time to digest information, had a harder time ignoring distractions, and used less of the new Excel functions they were being taught, among other examples. While they had integrated an average of 0.5 new functions out of the six presented, the youngest had an average of 2.
“This is not true, of course, for all employees,” he clarified. But it’s true for enough of them that it could be a problem in an organization. »
However, these older workers were able to compensate for part of these cognitive changes through experience and a better understanding of vocabulary. Changes in the way businesses do things, including more feedback and greater autonomy, can also help them.
“They have general advantages, can handle more change,” says Professor Tams cautiously. Their skills are more fluid, which helps them adapt to new situations. »
The other thing he highlights is that members of Generation Z are not just the users of software: more and more of them are also the ones who design it. “Most technologies are built by people in their 20s and 30s, who have users of the same age in mind. »
But there is a bone, he notes. The famous technological skills that are generally attributed to Generation Z are not necessarily those that will be useful in the workplace. The fact has been widely documented, as reported last June in a report in La Presse. Once again, these are general observations for which there are numerous exceptions.
“Business technology is very different from Facebook or TikTok,” says Tams. Their skills on a phone won’t necessarily transfer to work. »
Members of Generation Y who, in their time, were able to shake up their elders a little, could view the arrival of these young people with suspicion. Mr. Tams expresses hope that the baton will be passed smoothly. “No one likes to be replaced. But I hope millennials will appreciate that the younger generation is bringing benefits today that they might have difficulty providing themselves. […] We need a multi-generational workforce that combines all skills. »
