March - 2016 - issue > CXO Insights
Collaborating Millennials Are Happy Millennials
Frederic Gillant, Vice-President & MD-Asia-Pacific, ShoreTel
If you have any doubt that technology tools like instant messaging and Web conferencing define workplace collaboration, consider this: the Millennial generation were expected to surpass Baby Boomers in the workplace before the end of 2015. Already, their numbers exceed those of Generation X, and by 2020 they will represent 50 percent of the workforce.
What's this got to do with technology and collaboration? As the first generation to grow up with computers, mobile phones and social media, Millennials are adept at digital interaction. Often called the 'collaboration generation', they value a business culture that focuses on teamwork.
While they may be much-maligned as self-centered and unfocused, Millennials are not only poised to take over the workplace, they're already moving into leadership positions. As they do, they're bringing with them preferences for tools that make communication & collaboration easier and faster.
While in-person interaction is still the favored method of communication, a significant number of Millennials prefer to work collaboratively through digital channels. In one study, PwC found that 41 percent preferred electronic communications over face-to-face conversations. And a Network Computing survey said that 40 percent favored online meetings over in-person sessions.
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