Menu
Gen Y workers forgetful and easily distracted, says survey

Gen Y workers forgetful and easily distracted, says survey

Forget passwords, send wrong versions and always on Facebook, suggests research from Nitro

Young people are more likely to forget passwords, lose digital documents and get distracted from their work by Facebook than older generations, suggests a survey.

The results of the Nitro commissioned research raised “concerns about the efficiency and focus of the future workforce”, the company said.

The online survey of more than 1000 Australians found that found nearly nine in ten 18 to 25 year olds had recently faced a ‘digital roadblock’ — such as forgetting a password or losing a digital document — nearly double that of respondents over 55 years old (55 per cent)

More than half of those in the 18 to 25 age bracket said that they get “distracted from more important tasks by email or social platforms” while only 18 per cent of those aged 45 and over reported the same problem.

Those in the younger age group was almost three times as likely to forget their password or login details than the over-55 group.

“While young Aussies are the biggest adopters of newer technologies like social media, apps, and cloud storage, our study shows it could be resulting in a generation that struggles with channel and content overload,” said document productivity start-up Nitro’s APAC Director, Adam Nowiski.

Millenials and Gen Ys are increasingly representative in the Australian workforce and business leaders should take a considered approach when implementing newer workplace productivity tools,” he added.

The survey found 31 per cent of 18-25 year olds had lost a digital document in the last six months while only 18 per cent of over-55s had. Nearly a fifth (18 per cent) of younger people had sent, received or worked on the wrong version of a document, compared with only 4 per cent in the older age bracket.

“Our younger workers are facing a myriad of distractions, with numerous social channels, multiple email accounts and, more recently, the incorporation of workplace communication platforms like Slack, Yammer, and Skype. When you factor in the different file sharing and cloud storage applications, it’s clear there’s a flood of information and documents washing over the workforce from all angles.

“To avoid teams becoming unproductive due to digital overload, CIOs need to take a measured approach to embracing new technology that enhances, rather than distracts, their teams,” said Nowiski.

Millennials are becoming a bigger part of the corporate workforce, with both positive and negative anecdotal evidence about their ability and attitudes toward work. Some have said millennials force companies to undertake a cultural change to accommodate them

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags document managementmanagementgen Ystaff managementmillenialsyoung workers

More about APACFacebookSkype

Show Comments
[]