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'Millennials' demand consumer tech at work

Nick Heath silicon.com

Published: 07 Nov 2008 12:52 GMT

Businesses must open their doors to iPhones, Facebook, instant messaging and open-source software if they want to attract the next generation of workers, a report has found.

The next generation of workers — the so-called 'Millennials' — demand to be allowed to use consumer tech, social networking and open-source software at work, a survey by Accenture has found.

More than half (60 percent) of the 400 14- to 27-year-olds questioned by Accenture found they were more inclined to rely on their own technology.

A similar number claimed it was important employers provided state-of-the-art tech, with more than one-fifth saying the tech provided by employers did not come up to scratch.

Those aged 18 to 22 favour technology not supported by their employer, with 39 percent using their own mobile phones, 28 percent using social-networking sites, 27 percent instant messaging and 19 percent installing open-source software.

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They also regularly download non-standard technology from free public websites such as open-source communities, 'mashup' and 'widget' providers, with three-quarters of 18 to 27-year-olds accessing online collaborative tools and online applications from free public websites when those technologies were not available at work or not meeting their expectations.

The days of a heavy reliance on email may also be coming to an end, with students spending fewer than two hours per week emailing, instead preferring text and instant messaging and communicating on social-networking sites.

Gary Curtis, managing director of Accenture Technology Consulting, said in a statement: "The message from Millennials is clear: to lure them into the workplace, prospective employers must provide state-of-the-art technologies.

"And if their employers don't support their preferred technologies, Millennials will acquire and use them anyway."