18 March 2008
Graduates question low-tech communications
Millennials want instant messaging, webcams and hands-free headsets.
New independent research reveals that recently recruited graduates are disappointed to find a lack of innovative communication technologies, such as instant messaging and webcams, to support them at work.
The survey of 1,000 graduates and managers, commissioned by Plantronics, shows that graduates want to see the same technologies they use to communicate outside the office being available in the workplace.
What do graduates want?
The shopping list includes:
- hands-free headsets would allow greater privacy for conversations away from their desks (82%); and
- webcams (77%) and access to instant messaging (IM) applications (73%) would help them respond more quickly and personally to clients and suppliers.
Paul Clark, UK general manager Plantronics says, “The way this new generation wants to work is different and that’s no surprise. Graduates today have grown up with newer forms of communication and we aren’t just talking e-mail and mobile phones.
63% of managers in the UK believe graduates use less vocal communication with colleagues, preferring e-mail over face-to-face and telephone conversations.
“By embracing IM and hands-free, or even providing this new workforce with greater flexibility in where and when they work, employers can maximize the potential of the young talent they have.”
E-mail continues as the favorite
But there may be a digital opinion divide over these technologies and perhaps millennials – those entering the workforce from 2000 – are more tech savvy than their older colleagues.
Less than 20% of managers agree with graduates over instant messaging and webcams, for example.
63% of managers in the UK believe graduates use less vocal communication with colleagues, preferring e-mail over face-to-face and telephone conversations.
But it seems everyone relies on e-mail – both the managers and graduates surveyed – though neither believes it is the best way to communicate. Graduates and managers alike blame the lack of privacy in modern offices (78%) and the security of being able to refer back to e-mails (53%) as the main reasons behind this behavior.
64% of workers say face-to-face is the best way of communicating with customers but only 31% said they could find the time.
Small versus large companies
Graduates also say:
64% of workers say face-to-face is the best way of communicating with customers but only 31% said they could find the time.
- Small companies do not provide mobile communications devices or sufficient flexibility in working hours and location (40%).
- Larger companies – graduates are disrupted by office noise and lack of privacy during their working day (58%).
Have your say
Do you tend to e-mail rather than pick up the phone or meet face-to-face? Until the newer forms of video conferencing become more pervasive across organizations, more and more people are resorting to "virtual communication" in all its forms. Where do you think the balance lies – and have organizations gone too far in reducing face-to-face interaction?
What of the digital divide? Have you noticed that younger workers have different expectations of communication in the organization – and are they frustrated by "old tech"?
How does your organization support graduate communication – same as the rest, or do you provide more immediate methods?
Discuss these issues with other comms practitioners by joining the Internal Comms Hub members' group on the Communicators' Network.
Other recommendations:
A communicator's guide to Generation Y
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