Research reveals IT departments have misjudged the attitudes of young workers towards new workplace technologies and trends

1. Vision
Don’t fall into the
generation
gap
Research reveals IT departments have
misjudged the attitudes of young workers
towards new workplace technologies
and trends.
Corporate IT departments are mistakenly jumping on
the consumerisation bandwagon to meet the needs of
Generation Z workers, according to new research.
Although three-quarters of organisations now allow
employees to use personal devices for work purposes,
almost half of Generation Z workers aged between 16 and
24 believe that it is more important for companies to stay in
control of data than to embrace consumerisation.
Pierre Hall, Director of Workplace Collaboration and Software,
comments: “Generation Z just want to be given the right
tools to do the job; although they have grown up with instant
messaging and high-tech gadgets, they don’t necessarily
want to bring them to work.”
In fact the survey, which was conducted by Loudhouse
Research on behalf of Computacenter, reveals that 85
per cent of Generation Z employees actually prefer to
communicate with their work colleagues face-to-face rather
than use new online collaboration tools. For example, only 17
per cent voted for using instant messaging or social media
networks in the workplace.
“Although home and work technologies have yet to converge
for many Generation Z employees, corporate IT departments
need to ensure they can meet the heightened performance
and flexibility expectations of members of staff – young and
old,” comments Pierre. “If corporate IT systems prevent
workers from delivering their best, they could start to take
matters into their own hands.”
The independent survey was carried out in February 2012
by Loudhouse Research and involved more than 200 IT More choice, more control
professionals and 1,000 employees aged 16 to 24. Seventy-five per cent of Generation Z want their employers
to provide more extensive technology at work, in particular
iPhones and laptops. Yet only eight per cent of organisations
have a current or planned deployment for smartphones.

2. Vision
The research demonstrates that IT departments are aware of this
disparity; meeting user expectations for new devices and more
flexible access points were cited as the two biggest challenges
by over half of IT professionals.
“IT departments need to avoid getting caught up in the hype
surrounding consumerisation – it is just one of many enablers
for today’s contemporary workplace,” comments Pierre.
“Organisations also need to optimise their collaboration solutions,
workplace operating systems and client devices to address the
growing working requirements of employees of all ages.”
The survey suggests that the consumerisation hype cycle has
already clouded the perception of potential benefits. For example,
69 per cent of IT professionals think using personal technologies
in the workplace improves employee productivity - yet only 49 per
cent of Generation Z workers are of the same opinion.
They are also surprisingly pragmatic about the potential disruptive
nature of deploying new technologies in the workplace. More
than 60 per cent of Generation Z think that social networking and
similar tools could prove a distraction to work activities.
As such, only 16 per cent think social networking should be
permitted as part of corporate policy; personal email, online
storage and tools also get the thumbs down for unrestricted use
by at least half of Generation Z.
“The research demonstrates that younger employees recognise
that new workplace technologies can enhance and encumber
productivity,” comments Pierre. “Rather than second-guessing
Generation Z’s requirements, IT departments need to engage
directly with this growing user group to create an accurate profile
of their work-style. As the research reveals, the workplace is
not being defined by the consumerisation of IT but more by the
‘corporatisation’ of younger workers.”
Breaking the rules
The survey also reveals a major gap between the IT department’s
perception of how personal devices are being used and the
workplace reality, which could lead to data security and support
issues. An optimistic 87 per cent of IT professionals believe that
employees generally follow corporate policies for the usage of
personal devices.
Generation Z workers, however, are more realistic about the
risk of non-compliance, with only 53 per cent believing that
employees toe the corporate line when it comes to personal
device polices. While almost a quarter think that employees
generally disregard company policy – and for their generation,
they are right.
Just over 20 per cent of Generation Z admit to using mobiles to
access personal applications at work without their employers’
knowledge, while 16 per cent access work applications behind
info
their employers’ backs.
Further
“IT departments need to ensure they don’t come disconnected
from not only Generation Z employees but also other core
user groups,” comments Pierre. “By undertaking a work-styling
exercise, organisations will be able to prioritise their investment Download a copy of the generation Z report fom our web site at:
in the best-fit, best-value technologies and trends – whether it www.computacenter.com/news/GenerationZ/
involves consumerisation or not.”