The Advantages of Being Computer Literate in the Workforce

Some level of computer literacy is required in just about every job on the market today. Although employers expect new employees to have a basic knowledge of standard office software programs and internet capabilities, they prefer to see a higher level of competency beyond the basics. As a business owner, when you hire a new employee, you need to evaluate the level of computer literacy you need to get the job done, and the advantages associated with various skills.

Reduces Training Costs

As an employer, you need to consider the costs of onboarding an employee, such as those associated with the time and resources to train employees on required computer programs, processes and resources. If a prospect is already well-versed in the necessary programs for the job, the costs to train new employees drops, as well.

Of course, there may be certain proprietary programs that are company-specific. Although you might not be able to avoid training employees on these programs, the training becomes much more effective if that employee has a solid background in computer programs, since many programs have similarly functioning platforms. When a new employee is learning everything from the most basic skills to proprietary software, it takes longer to learn and can become frustrating for employees and employers alike.

New Employees Start Strong

Usually, you hire a new employee to fill a need. Ideally, the sooner that gap is filled, the faster your company or department can get back on track. When an employee comes in ready with the required computer literacy skills, she can sit down and get to work. The time required to ramp up and get started is dramatically reduced.

Productivity and Efficiency

Employees that are computer literate are generally more efficient workers, thus are more productive. There are times a person might need to know a trick he learned years ago; he might not need that trick every day but when he does it can save a lot of headaches and frustration. For example, most executive assistants are well-versed in most office suite programs such as Microsoft Office. This means that he knows more than the basics of Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Assume you have been invited to speak to a local chamber of commerce about your company, and you ask your assistant to put together a PowerPoint presentation with text that slides in, while you are speaking. Being well-versed in software, he can probably figure out the process but being well-versed in the program itself might save him two to three hours of trial-and-error fiddling around, searching online for help or relying on help from colleagues or friends.