It's almost impossible to escape the latest news about economic turmoil and its impact on the job market. Baby boomers certainly have some knowledge of navigating a career-defining economic storm, but Generations X, Y, and Z each have less experience. Fortunately for the younger generation, their strength lies in their ability to use their technical skills as a career guide. In comparison, baby boomers adapt more easily to manual processes and routines.
Bridging the technology gap between experienced professionals and digital natives is no easy task, especially when organizations are still using outdated software and practices. Realigning your automation efforts is the best way to attract innovative young talent who can grow with your business and industry.
Sure, the pandemic forced companies to operate in a remote digital environment, but even before that, companies were already using SAP and his other ERP systems. While companies are less likely to be too analog now, that doesn't necessarily mean they meet all the criteria for a tech-savvy recruit.
Changes in the labor market
Each age group has very different expectations about their career path, their employer's work culture, and the balance between the two.Given that the World Wide Web was introduced in 1995, young workers have very different perceptions of labor productivity and need automation.
While the entire baby boomer generation will retire in the next few years, demand for qualified young people will clearly outstrip supply. With this shift, companies are focused on building a digital environment that will attract these young professionals as quickly as possible. Also keep in mind that as the imbalance between supply and demand widens, younger talent will become more critical of companies' technological advances.
A monotonous, old-fashioned workflow is not enough. Nor is the promise of a corporate raffle for movie tickets or gift bags enough. Millennials and Gen Z want a day-to-day work culture that matches their reality, and while these perks are thoughtful, they don't necessarily indicate that companies understand innovation.
Tools for digital natives
Before deciding exactly which tools digital natives use, there are a few things to consider. Your company should consider how their processes are designed, what the user experience of these tools is, and whether they are easy to use. When hiring digital natives, it's important to cultivate perspectives that promote flexibility and new-age thinking.
Organizations that prioritize automation can improve productivity by allowing employees to focus on more meaningful aspects of their work. Another advantage for companies adopting a high degree of automation is that it helps fill staffing shortages. Overall, your goal is to deploy intuitive, easy-to-use software with processes that employees, whether new or seasoned, can use.
Investing in your digital update is not just a project for the top executive and his IT department. The beauty of automation is that it affects everyone, so anyone can design it. To minimize disruption to the implementation process, it's important to allow users of all levels to provide feedback on their experience. The sooner you collect feedback, the better. Employees are not only encouraged to provide insights that are important to them, but also value that the data they collect helps bridge technology gaps among users of different ages in a more holistic way. Your employees will feel appreciated for being encouraged to provide insights that affect them but also, that data you collect helps bridge the technology gap between different aged users in a more inclusive way.