Loss of benchmarks, feeling of frustration: “millennials” often experience the massive teleworking imposed by the health crisis less well than older employees.
The figures are surprising. Regarding teleworking, “nearly two-thirds (61%) of those under 35 say that the processes set up by their company make their work more difficult, while only 36% of those 55 and over share this observation”, according to a study Abbyy, specialist in digital intelligence, published in early February.
Carried out in November with 4000 people working in companies with more than 50 employees in France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, the study also shows that “millenials”, despite being at ease with computer tools, believe that this new way of working makes them waste time (85% against 20% of those 55 and over).
“The stake is more human and managerial than technological”, explains Christophe Nguyen, work psychologist. “It is a prejudice to assert that young people are digital natives, hyper flexible, independent, and want to work in this way that seems modern. They are losing their bearings since they have not had the time to s’ acculturate to the company, to integrate its codes and those of the trade, to acquire certainties that other older workers were able to transpose into teleworking. “
The difficulty is even greater for those who have discovered their business in the midst of a pandemic, from home. Pauline, 28, a lawyer in a pharmaceutical laboratory in Paris, arrived at her new company on a trial basis during the first confinement. “I asked myself: if I did not get out there, did I do well to quit my old job? It was a bit of a stressful time,” she admits.
Psychological distress
Young teleworkers are reduced to interpreting emails and messages to capture the personality and state of mind of their colleagues. Not enough to bond. Result: 70% of workers under 29 are in psychological distress, twice as many as 50-59 year olds, according to an OpinionWay survey carried out from December 2 to 9 among 2009 French employees.
Besides the loss of reference points, the loneliness associated with teleworking is experienced with particular acuity by “millennials”. “Being alone at home all day is hell,” sighs Marie, legal manager for two years in the same company as Pauline.
Beyond the fact that she “likes to go to the office for the social link”, she deplores “a loss of schedules”: “before I did not look at my emails in the evening, nor on weekends.”
Other factors explain the reasons for this disenchantment with telework. More precarious than those aged 55 and over, “millennials” often start their professional life in small spaces, not very conducive to work, sometimes in a shared apartment, and are more likely to have very young children to support.
Sometimes considered as the model of the future before the pandemic, teleworking is the object of a form of disenchantment which could push companies to adjust their strategy once the health crisis has passed.
“There are not many organizations that have really rethought their model of work organization in a sustainable way, they have only adapted it to the crisis”, comments Xavier Alas Luquetas, consultant in prevention of psycho-social risks . According to him, a reflection of the companies is necessary, in particular for the “millenials” who “operate more collectively, in networks, than the previous generation”.
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