Millennials like being social, and they like using technology. What
some don’t recognize is how the combination of these behaviors may cause
issues for organizations.
As part of my research, I have found that a majority of millennials
reported that they contact co-workers through internal or external
social-networking sites. And a majority reported that their contact was
taking place outside of corporate systems. In other words, millennials
who work together were interacting electronically outside of corporate
security controls.
While some of those interactions were personal, others were about
work. For many millennials, instant messaging or texting to discuss what
is going on in their lives is as natural as sitting down for a drink
after work. The types of conversations any of us would have about work
over a beverage (of whatever type) are natural to them to have through
technology such as social media. The question leaders have to think
about is whether there is a greater risk when people have those
conversations electronically rather than in a public venue. In a public
venue people can overhear what you’re saying if you’re not careful. When
the conversation is electronic someone can also “overhear,” in that
they can get hold of the actual text of the conversation and use it.
While many millennials said they were contacting their work friends
through social media to be social, other millennials said they were
contacting co-workers through noncorporate systems because the corporate
security controls made their work so inefficient–and they hate
bureaucracy wasting their time. Need to send files to someone at a
different site and don’t have an easy way to do it internally? Use
Dropbox. Want to instant message someone but don’t want the conversation
flagged? Use an external system such as Facebook or Google.
The use of noncorporate systems shows us that millennials have strong
relationships with their friends at work, in that they want to be in
contact with them even during their free time. It also shows us that
millennials are focused on getting their work done, and are trying to
avoid wasting a lot of time to do so. These behaviors are positive, in
that they show how robust the relationships are among friends at work
and how productive millennials want to be. At the same time, these
behaviors can result in information security issues for organizations.
While organizations need to set up rules for how information can be
shared electronically, it’s going to be impossible to prevent work
friends from talking about (complaining about) what is happening at work
during their personal time, whether in a bar or online. And as long as
corporate systems are perceived as being a hindrance to efficient work
rather than as a system that helps protect the individual and the
organization, people are going to look for other avenues to share
information.
Leaders need to make sure that employees know how security controls
protect the individual as well as the organization, and what information
can be shared outside of work technology systems and security, and what
cannot—even among friends.
Written By:
Jennifer Deal
Senior research scientist at the Center for
Creative Leadership and an affiliated research scientist at the Center
for Effective Organizations at the University of Southern
California. She is co-author of the forthcoming “What Millennials Want
from Work.”
Source:
Photo Credit: www.tom1st.com
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