Citrix, a workspace technology company, recently conducted an opinion survey of knowledge workers about their preferences related to work. (1) The focus of the survey was on “Born Digital” workers, those born between 1981 and 1996 (Millennials) and those born after 1996 (Generation Z). The survey participants were 1,000 business leaders and 2,000 knowledge workers in 10 countries.
The survey results showed a disconnect between business leaders and the Born Digital workers:
- 58% of business leaders believe that young workers want to spend most or all of their work time in an office
- On the contrary, over half (51%) of Born Digital workers want to work from home most/all the time, 39% prefer a hybrid approach, spending at least as much time at home as in the office. Only 10% want to work in the office full-time.
There was also a discrepancy on who uses instant messaging apps like Slack or WhatsApp for work purposes:
- 21% of business leaders
- 81% of Born Digital workers
Other priorities for this cohort of workers include:
- Autonomy, or the opportunity to work in a high-trust environment (83%)
- Compensation that recognizes and rewards performance (81%)
- Strong and visible leadership (79%)
- Freedom to be able to choose their starting and ending times for daily work (27%)
Tim Minahan, executive vice president of business strategy at Citrix says, “Successfully attracting and retaining the Born Digital will require organizations to invest in the work model and tools to create the flexible, efficient, and engaged work environment that this next generation of leaders craves and thrives in.” (1)
(1) https://www.benefitspro.com/2021/06/03/what-do-younger-workers-want-from-work-autonomy-recognition/