Millennial manager bemoans Gen Z job applicants who can't use computers or read clocks: 'So many struggled'

Author image for Ally Perry
Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 27, 2026 3:45 PM EDT

Technology seems to be one of the most important factors in representing the generation gap.

Sometimes, rapid developments leave people behind; other times, people see no need to be aware of technologies we seem to have moved past, but that still very much exist. 

For all that they have their struggles (and their many moments of cringe), millennials are uniquely equipped in the age of computers in that they both grew up around PCs, but came of age when mobile technology started to take off. They are the generation that bridges the space between technologies of the recent past and the near future.

Gen Z has long been given a hard time for their apparent cluelessness and unwillingness when it comes to assimilating into the workforce, and let's be real, some of this doesn't go amiss. However, there are elements of this stereotype that tell a worrying story about their ability to manage independently in life. We were all young and stupid once, and most of us are more than a little clueless when it comes to the tech that our parents grew up with. Nonetheless, it pays to learn if it happens to be the kind of thing we are likely to encounter in our daily lives.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • A representation of a younger female employee shrugging and looking frustrated while sitting at a laptop
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A representation of a younger female employee shrugging and looking frustrated while sitting at a laptop

  • A millennial who had spent the past several years in a management position noticed something disturbing while they were hiring for multiple new entry-level positions at their company. They had been hoping that they could hire a few younger people in these roles.

    When they began to interview these young, teenage applicants, they were surprised by some of the things that they seemed to find difficult. They noted struggles to log into a computer or read an analog clock. They were also worried by their inability to be able to follow certain instructions and communicate in a way that helped them to resolve issues.

  • Younger applicants struggling using computers and reading clocks.

    So I am a millennial. I have been in management for 3 years come August. I was with the company 4 years prior to my promotion to ops manager.
    via TennisSerious179
  • These past 6 weeks I have been interviewing and screening applicants to hire within the shop. And typically most of our employees have been between their 30s and 60s.
    via TennisSerious179
  • many of these applicants struggled to log into the computer using keyboard and mouse and also reading the clock on the wall to monitor their start time and end time.
    via TennisSerious179
  • It just really caught be by surprise, considering how much they have been raised with electronics their whole lives. Is anyone noticing these same struggles with the new 16-19 year olds entering the workforce as either part time or full time?
    via TennisSerious179
  • It's like certain instructions or simple requests don't compute with them and they don't know how to ask the question for clarification or they just stare in confusion.
    via TennisSerious179
  • A representation of the upper right quadrant of a black and white analog clock
    via Monty Allen

    A representation of the upper right quadrant of a black and white analog clock

  • 604stt Millennials grew up with PCs. The younger generation are growing up with apps.
    via 604stt
  • Read something how they don't know how to organize folders because they never learned it with windows PCs.
    via 604stt
  • tireddesperation Inability to do simple math is what surprised me more. We have a very simple math test we give all applicants. It is super super basic.
    via tireddesperation
  • We've had so many applicants that just can't do it. These are highschool graduates.
    via tireddesperation
  • raisputin They use phones and tablets more than computers, and digital clocks more than computers I would think
    via raisputin
  • VegasBH For a couple of years, I actually had folks taking a test on Microsoft Office and the Google suite as a way to gauge Technical proficiency. I think listing the test
    via VegasBH
  • in the job announcement helped us both filter applicants, and for folks to self select out. I've always been a believer that investing in a rigorous interview process is super helpful. It's way too hard to get rid of somebody once they've started in my organization.
    via VegasBH
  • Ljubljana_Laudanum I feel like the bigger problem is that younger generations aren't used to spending time figuring stuff out anymore. I'm late Gen Y and even I notice it in myself sometimes.
    via Ljubljana_Laudanum
  • AdamJ311 Some of the kids at my work are the same. They've been brought up on tablets to the extent that they simply don't know how to use a PC.
    via AdamJ311
  • ElectroNetty Now is the start of the idiocracy where people use technology without knowing what any of it means.
    via ElectroNetty
  • Google et al have simplified "apps" so much because it is more profitable to get the user to the payment screen.
    via ElectroNetty

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

employee manager work gen z workplace job interview job application
Scroll Down For The Next Article