Here's another reason for those with computer phobia to feel guilty (as if they didn't have enough anxiety already.)
Computer illiteracy, defined as an inability to productively use computers, is said to be at the root of a crisis in corporations throughout the country."When workers fail to adequately use their expensive computer equipment, business productivity plummets, corporate profits drop and personnel needs skyrocket," said Elliott Masie, president of the Association for Computer Training and Support (ACTS). "It's a major problem facing corporations and other organizations."
Masie bases his claim on the results of a a survey of some 1,000 computer trainers which found that nearly a third of all computer programs in office environments are not being used six months after the software has been bought.
The survey also found that nearly half of all computer workers lack the skills and confidence necessary to get the most out of their machines.
Here's a sample of comments by some of the computer pros surveyed:
- "Companies underestimate what it takes to give people the computer skills they need and sometimes they don't do it at all."
- "There is a human cost of computer illiteracy. Many new computer users who are not adequately trained are quickly discouraged and become technology dropouts."
- " Undertrained personnel are putting a real strain on corporate productivity. A person's worth to their company rises in relation to their level of computer competency."
- "The challenge now is to teach people how to use the software and hardware that they've already got. We need to fully harvest the benefit of our investment in both our employees and their high-tech equipment."
Computer trainers warn that the problem will intensify during the '90s as corporations upgrade their operations with high-tech equipment and computer knowledge becomes mandatory for most jobs.
One respondent noted that as organizations get leaner, every employee will be required to use a computer to do their job. "If a corporation has workers who don't know how to use their computers properly, it will not be able to meet its business goals and objectives."
One of the experts surveyed offered this ray of hope: "It's a relatively quick fix through focused training. The capacity to learn computer skills is there for people at all levels in the corporation."
ACTS is an international membership organization for professionals involved in computer training and support. It was launched last year as an active network and advocacy group for the computer industry. The organization has a tip sheet of 10 ways to improve computer training, available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to ACTS, Sagamore Road, Raquette Lake, NY 13436.