Gen Y gets a rude awakening in the work world

For those recent college graduates lucky enough to have an IT job, the workplace may come as a bit of a shock. No, not necessarily because of the hours or even the work itself, but because of the low-tech nature of communicating. 

For younger workers, instant messaging, Facebook and smart phones are routine. But in the workplace, the technology provided to Gen Y workers often does not match what they've used in the consumer market. And in some workplaces, common social networking tools may even be banned in favor of dull and sometimes less efficient corporate technology. Jonathan Yarmis, vice president of Disruptive Technologies at AMR Research, said the younger generation has embraced social networking.

"Why would a recent grad want to work for an awesome company who blocks such sites when they can work for an equally awesome company that doesn't?" Yarmis asked.

He said there are three communication technology trends taking place that affect the working world--an increased use of social networking, the continued evolution of the mobile devices and the growth of cloud computing. It may be time for companies to adjust. Change is inevitable, and Gen Y will no doubt push to make it happen.

For more on the influence of the next generation:
- check out this CIO.com article

Related Article:
Gen Y demands new tech at the office