Gen Y and Your IT Department

Managing Generation Y workers -- those born from 1980 to 2000 -- has created a lot of buzz in recent years, as many view this group's affinity for social, collaboration and mobile technologies as potentially disruptive to business. But a new study by Forrester Research suggests that Gen Y's views on tech do not differ much from those of their older co-workers.

Among the key points in the study:

Gen Y began entering the workplace in 2001, and they are now entrenched. Fifty-two percent of Gen Yers have been in their current role between three and 10 years, and 27 percent are managers or executives. "They are experienced hires who understand how their companies operate and how they can thrive in the business," the report states.

Gen Y views personal tech as better than business tech, but they're no more likely than older generations to bring their own tech to work. Forrester found that workers of all ages are sneaking software and devices into business or downloading applications to their work computers.

The majority of Gen Yers are satisfied with the technologies they use to do their job (55 percent), which is in line with the views of Baby Boomers and seniors. Gen Yers also are generally more satisfied with on-the-job tech than are their Gen X counterparts.

Many Gen Yers, like Gen Xers and other employees, view IT as a helpful resource, not as a hindrance. Thirty-three percent of Gen Y views their IT departments as a "great partner," while only 8 percent believe their IT department is "clueless" and 2 percent view IT as "significantly hindering" their ability to get work done.

Can you identify with the results of the study? Or do you still see Generation Y's views on technology as potentially disruptive to your agency?