Gen Z Workers Say Boomer Employees Are 'Tech-Shaming' Them: 'It Makes Me Feel Silly'
They might be able to film and edit TikToks with ease, but don't ask them how to use a printer.
By Amanda Breen •
Usually, it's younger generations that have an easier time with technology — they grew up with it, after all.
But older tech equipment is proving the exception to the rule in offices across the U.S. Some Gen Z workers, frustrated by cumbersome printers and fax machines, are accusing their Boomer colleagues of being less-than-understanding — even "tech-shaming" them, The New York Post reported.
Related: 5 Simple Tips for Incorporating Gen Z Into Your Workplace
According to recent data from Hewlett Packard, "One in five young office workers feel judged when experiencing tech issues" — a phenomenon that has become known as tech-shaming, per the Post.
It's worth noting that laser printers first broke the "street price barrier" (they were made available for about $1,000) when Hewlett Packard introduced its model in 1990, per MIT — nearly a decade before Gen Zers were born.
"Whenever I can't get the printer at my job to work my older colleagues laugh at me in good fun. It makes me feel silly," Megan Whittaker, a 29-year-old social worker from Brooklyn, told the Post.
Other Gen Z workers reported similar stories to the outlet: feeling bewildered by scanners and fax machines while their older co-workers have no problem navigating them.
Related: Gen Z Employees: The 5 Attributes You Need to Know | Entrepreneur
"My friends and I joke that printers are [run] by Boomers — if it was up to us, everything would be a lot different with a much better interface," Randall Wade, a 26-year-old IT worker from Alabama, told the Post.
