×

CIOs are finding that millennials frequently want enterprises to deliver social networking tools, easy-to-use applications, and mobile computing experiences on par with those available to consumers.

Millennials increasingly expect a consumer-level technology experience at work, with their leisure-time behaviors around social media, intuitive applications, and mobile computing shaping presumptions of how they should be able to complete work and interact with colleagues. CIOs are in the prime position to help develop tools and interactive avenues to engage millennials, enabling them to not only work better, but be more satisfied with their overall work experience.

According to Deloitte’s ninth annual Digital Democracy Survey,¹ 51 percent of U.S. consumers check social networks daily, with 72 percent of leading millennials (ages 26 to 31) and 71 percent of trailing millennials (ages 14 to 25) checking social networks at least once a day, and frequently much more often. App usage on mobile devices has stayed consistently high, according to the survey, with social networking apps the most frequently used among millennials, followed by those aimed at a range of utilities, including checking the weather, gaming, Web browsing, and banking (See Figure 1).

The influence of millennials in the enterprise cannot be ignored: They currently comprise 34 percent of the U.S. workforce. The largest generational cohort, they will make up 50 percent of the U.S. workforce by 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). As such, their technology expectations, fanned by consumer social networking, mobile, and apps, are permeating the workplace.

If organizations do not provide millennials with the tools they want or feel they need to do their jobs, they risk losing their most talented employees. “Many millennials will leave when they see their counterparts at other organizations having cooler and easier tools for work,” says Garth Andrus, a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and leader in the Deloitte Digital Human Capital practice.

“There’s a misperception among executives that millennials will adopt habits of older generations over time but, in fact, the opposite occurs,” adds Gerald Belson, a principal at Deloitte Consulting. Millennials’ digital engagement habits only intensify as they age, he says, with older generations increasingly adopting millennials’ tendencies.

Solicit Input Early

CIOs should focus on building enterprise social networking tools and applications to enhance the productivity of the workforce, and improving design and delivery of services on multiple devices, with heavier input from millennials than is typical today, says Kevin Westcott, a principal at Deloitte Consulting. “This input from millennials can not only help creative ideas bubble to the surface, but also increase their acceptance of the resulting tools and platforms,” he says.

Early buy-in is also critical from a security perspective, as millennials frequently work around enterprise tools if the proffered options don’t reflect how they like to work. “Imposed social tools that don’t meet their needs can result in underground tools being used outside the firewall,” Andrus says.

Companies can use minimum viable product (MVP) principles to bring these work-related social networking tools, applications, and the like to their internal marketplace quickly. With MVP, speed from concept to delivery is prioritized over delivering a perfect product. “Part of the DNA of digital is ‘good enough is OK,’” Andrus says, although he is quick to add “this should not be confused with ‘quick and dirty.’”

Communication is Key

To draw out the best in their millennial workforce, CIOs can strive to encourage correspondence aligned with the ways in which millennials are already accustomed to interacting. “Email has become an archaic way of communicating. The requirement to ‘work the way we live’ is fundamental to millennials,” says Kevin Knowles, a principal at Deloitte Consulting. To meet millennials where they already reside, CIOs can encourage enterprise communication through open collaboration platforms, social media channels, video chats, and text messages, he advises.

CIO should also be cognizant that millennials, in particular, feel work can be done at any time in any location. “Accessing work via multiple devices, and uninterrupted connectivity around the clock, are considered essential to millennials,” Andrus says. In addition to enabling wireless connectivity and allowing employees to bring their own devices, CIOs can also encourage hot desking, whereby multiple employees use a single workstation and device at different times. This can lend to millennial-friendly, creative work environments, such as casual lounges, while also reducing the cost of space in an office, he says.

*****

Millennials coming into the workforce, or moving up in the ranks, are carrying with them consumer-level expectations for workplace social networking tools, applications, and the mobile experience. CIOs are well-equipped to respond to their desires in ways that will retain top performers, and bring more creative, work-ready tools to the enterprise.