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In today’s digital world, technology can be intimidating, and many people feel overwhelmed and suffer from “tech shame.” This can be caused by a feeling of inadequacy when it comes to understanding and using technology, especially when it comes to new products and services. 

The common cliché or stereotype tends to be that older workers (looking at you, Baby Boomers!) are less tech-savvy than their younger counterparts, but a new study has called these presuppositions into question. 

The November 2022 study from HP found that Millennials and Gen Z are having a “surprisingly tough time” when it comes to job-related tech issues, reporting that 20% of 18-to-29-year-olds felt judged when experiencing technical issues, compared to just one in 25 for those over 40 years old. Additionally, 25% of 18-to-29-year-old workers would actively avoid meeting participation if they thought their technology might be disruptive, compared with just 6% of those over 40 years of age. 

Chances are, you’ve experienced tech shame in some way, whether firsthand or through witnessing a colleague or coworker’s struggles with technology, and it’s precisely this shame that keeps people from seeking help or learning how to use a new software or tool. Shaming people doesn’t solve the problem of digital illiteracy or a lack of technological know-how, and it most often makes matters worse. 

But there are tools that exist that can solve these problems, with one solution providing an unmatched level of convenience, flexibility, and efficacy: expertly designed and consistently updated training videos.  

Workers today are busy and often don’t have time to commit to dedicated technology training sessions. In fact, workers only dedicate five minutes a day to formal learning on average. For this reason, effective and efficient training should be accessible on-demand, giving workers the knowledge they need, whenever they may need it. Online training video courses allow for this, providing a way for learners to acquire new skills at their own pace in a low-pressure environment. 

The most effective training videos are brief and focused, highlighting specific software features in a succinct but engaging way. These training videos should ideally be structured as “microlessons,” often between two and five minutes, but occasionally longer as needed to convey information. 

Step-by-step instructions and visual demonstrations should be utilized to make it easier for learners to understand and follow complex steps. Additionally, overview lessons should also be included in any training video courses, so that learners can understand the context around the software or tools they’ll be using. 

To maximize knowledge retention, training videos can be supplemented by quizzes and assessments that test how well a user has absorbed the material presented to them. Course projects can also be utilized to help learners practice their new skills in a more hands-on way. 

Digital workers typically know the basics of widely used software, but many times, they aren’t given the support, resources, and tools to truly master these tools, which in turn leads to inefficiencies and decreased productivity. However, training video courses allow these workers to dive deeper into the various features of the software they use, discovering new tips and tricks that make their day-to-day work (and life!) easier and more efficient. If workers forget how to use a particular software feature or tool, they can always revisit specific lessons for a refresher, allowing them to fully gain fluency in these tools. 

In our experience, the groups who face the most tech shame are:

• Gen Z employees: The younger generations, particularly Gen Z, experience tech shame at higher rates than those who did not grow up with digital technology. They often feel as though they're expected to know everything because of their history and their generation's reputation as being “chronically online.” However, even if they are online regularly, that does not mean they understand how everything works, especially when faced with professional platforms.
• Employees with low confidence: Your staff with lower self-confidence may face challenges when they try anything new, and technology is no different. They are acutely aware they may not yet have the skills they need to use technology effectively, and that shame may prevent them from reaching out for assistance for fear of being labeled as a failure.
• Employees belonging to under-represented groups: Another group that you may need to keep a closer watch on are employees coming from under-represented or underprivileged backgrounds. These employees may not have had the chance to work with advanced technologies as often, so they might come into the office feeling behind and unable to reach out about it.

While there is not much you can do about the digital literacy of incoming staff, you can start helping them close this gap from the second you hire them.

Low digital literacy and tech shame in the workplace can damage both your staff and your business in the long run. When employees feel unequipped to do their jobs, they're at higher risk for stress and burnout, which may lead to them feeling as though they're failing in their job and ultimately leaving their position. Even if they stay, their lack of experience in certain technologies can lower productivity levels and reduce your bottom line. Here's what you can do to help:

• Introducing digital literacy training during onboarding: Onboarding and new hire trainings are the perfect place to implement digital literacy training. Making the basics part of this process will instill confidence in your staff from the start of their work and encourage them to continue learning more about how they can improve their media knowledge.
• Providing regular refresher courses: Technology evolves every day, so your training practices have to continue past the initial onboarding, too. Without the right training and learning opportunities, even your most tech-savvy employees will eventually fall behind, leaving your business in the dust as other companies adjust to newer, faster programs. Even something as simple as a yearly update of changes in the industry can help your staff feel more informed and reduce instances of tech shame in the workplace.

Intellezy’s video library provides 270+ courses focused on the most popular and widely used business applications and technical tools, including M365, Google Workspace, and Adobe Creative Cloud programs. Our training video lessons are brief and straightforward, showcasing specific software features in each microlesson. And with most software provided through a subscription service where updates occur with increasing frequency, we systematically and consistently update our training video library to give learners the most up-to-date learning content on the market. 

Our online training videos feature instructors who are experts in their respective fields, bringing years of knowledge and experience to your learners. These instructors remain on-screen for the duration of each microlesson, providing learners with a truly engaging, face-to-face experience. All of our training video content is accessible through our industry-leading platform or can be delivered through your SCORM-compliant Learning Management System. 

Have a global workforce? No problem! Intellezy’s online training video library is available in 20 languages through on-screen captions and full transcripts, with courses available in English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Russian, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, Spanish (Spain/Mainland), Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Indonesian, Portuguese (Brazil), Italian, Dutch, and Turkish. 

Want to eliminate tech shame at your company and get your team up-to-speed on the software and tools they need to succeed? Contact info@intellezy.com, and let’s discuss how our award-winning training video library can help your organization change, learn, and grow in 2023 and beyond.