A new article, titled For Gen Z Workers, Software Has to Be as Intuitive as Social Media, from Matt Villano at Salesforce has suggested that outdated and unintuitive technology is impacting job satisfaction levels for Gen Zers (widely accepted as those born between 1997 and 2012).

Gen Z are the first generation to grow up with social media and the internet as part of their childhood and a high proportion of them are now well embedded in the workplace. 

But unlike previous generations who have valued loyalty and company commitment, this generation is changing jobs at record rates. A study from Randstadt suggests Gen Z spend an average of 1.1 years in a job – a surprisingly short tenure. 

Whilst a number of factors affect job changes for Gen Z – technology appears to be playing a significant role. 

Technology can be a tool which enhances people’s jobs and makes it easier and more efficient – or if not applied correctly, a major barrier. 

Many Gen Zers are finding company technology stacks cluttered, outdated and inefficient. This is causing a supposed ‘culture shock’ for Gen Zers who have been used to using intuitive, easy to navigate and responsive social media, creating conditions wherein patience is low for clunky technology. 

Context-Aware AI Breaks Down Barriers

Gen Z are embracing AI at the highest rates of the workforce population, with 75% of this employee group already using AI to learn new skills. AI fluency is high, but confidence in broader workplace technology is low. 

Industry standards suggests it takes 90 days for a new employee to get up to speed. However, Salesforce argues that if this first three months finds Gen Z battling against technology issues it is likely to lead to quick frustration, burnout, and, in the worst cases, staff turnover.

This suggests that onboarding and removing technology barriers at the beginning are key. This is where context-aware AI can improve results. 

Context-aware AI understands situations, user behaviour and the environment so it can better provide relevant, timely and personalised guidance. By removing friction early employees, can focus on meaningful work rather than battling with cumbersome tools.

Organisations that embrace software and technology tools that are efficient, accessible and intuitive lay the groundwork for success. 

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AI tools can provide a modern way of supporting employees, acting as onboarding buddies to help employees understand their role, the company and wider context of how their work has an impact – improving work satisfaction rates.

When employees feel guided and supported, their confidence grows, leading to higher engagement and retention levels.

Whilst AI tools are unlikely to alleviate all the friction of clunky, outdated technology systems, they can help users get to the right information, when they need it, faster. 

This helps reduce the “cognitive load” for young employees who have previously felt overwhelmed by the number of apps, tools and systems they are exposed to. Context-aware AI helps by “doing the digging for them” Salesforce’s Villano notes. 

Villano concludes: “The lesson here is simple: When employees start treating their enterprise software like a helpful colleague, leaders know they’ve successfully bridged the tech gap”.