Digital Generational Divide: Affects Everything in Workplace

The Millennials’ reputation for knowing technology is well-earned. According to an Accenture report , Millennials see little distinction between personal and work-related uses of technology. On the job and off the job they simply tap whatever technical resources they need to get things done. Not surprisingly, they prefer employers who offer state-of-the-art technology, while also expecting to be able to use their own, personal devices at work. Most importantly, they want the freedom to choose which tools they use.

Generation X, Boomers, and Traditionalists, while familiar with technology, are less likely to use it. According to a Pew Research Center report on the Millennials, 83% of Millennials sleep with their cell phone next to their bed, compared with 68% of GenXers, 50% of Boomers and 20% of Traditionalists. Similarly, 75% of Millennials have a profile on a social networking site, compared to 50% of Gen Xers, 30% of Boomers and 6% of Traditionalists.

Millennials enter the workforce networked, wired, and confident of the technical tools at their disposal. Is it any wonder older workers, who might just have “dipped a toe in” by creating a Facebook profile, find this bewildering?

What is your organization doing to help Millennials and older workers understand this generational difference? How could acknowledging different stances toward technology help your organization better serve its clients?

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