Millennials: Private Sector Finds it Hard Too

Much has been written about the need for agencies to provide young workers â€" called Generation Y or the Millennials â€" with the technological devices and applications they have grown accustomed to using in everyday life â€" for most of their life. Allowing these young workers to access during work hours MySpace, Google documents, Twitter, instant messaging, Hotmail, YouTube, Second Life and peer-to-peer applications is seen as inevitable. Many workplace experts say agencies must change their notions about what is appropriate and productive in the workplace if they ever want to attract younger workers to replace the flood of outgoing Baby Boom employees. After all, it is argued, private companies are making the shift.

Well, maybe not. An article from cio.com reports how twenty-something workers face a “rude awakening” when they show up for their first jobs. “Not only will the technology their companies provide Gen Y workers with potentially outdated technologies than what they've used in the consumer market, they might be banned from using them in favor of dull and sometimes less efficient corporate technology,” according to the article.