How Gen Z Could Use Technology as a Catalyst to Change the Workforce

Generation Z is poised to move into the workforce with preferences that differ from their millennial predecessors on how they want to use technology on the job.

Gen Z members are more willing to adopt wearable computing devices, as shown by the fact that 27 percent of people in that generation currently use the technology. It appears likely they will bring their interest in wearables with them as they move into the workforce in greater numbers.

Gen Z isn’t so fond of in-person, face-to-face communication in the office. In fact, only one-quarter (25 percent) of Gen Z respondents said they “prefer in-person communication” over digital contact with others.

Furthermore, 8×8’s data suggests that in-person communication might be viewed as a time-waster by Gen Z. Half of Gen Z respondents said they prefer communications tools that can help them save time. And, in a separate question, 51 percent of respondents reported they want to use only the tools that are the most effective means of communication at a given moment.

The 8×8 study found that email apps are preferred by just 19 percent of Gen Z respondents compared to other forms of communication, such as instant messaging apps on smartphones. Does that mean email’s best days are behind it?

If Gen Z could have its way, landlines would be eliminated once and for all, according to the 8×8 report. Just 5 percent of Gen Z respondents said they prefer landlines to other forms of communication, suggesting the old-style phone technology is on the way out as Gen Z starts moving up the corporate ladder.

Gen Z respondents said smartphones are the main tool they use to communicate with others. But when they’re using those smartphones, stand-alone messaging apps might not be on their screen. The study found that just 21 percent of Gen Z respondents are employing messaging tools currently. And within the next five years, that figure will drop to 13 percent.

Gen Z is decidedly unsure about the value of certain technologies in the workplace. Only 11 percent of Gen Z members believe connected cars will have a future and 15 percent say wearables will find their way into the office. But only 9 percent of Gen Z members say virtual reality could have a place in the office of the future.

Bots and other forms of automation aren’t so popular among younger people. A whopping 70 percent of respondents told 8×8 they believe bots eventually could automate their jobs, effectively leaving them without a position.

The internet of things might be finding its way into homes, but 55 percent of respondents told 8×8 that it could also have a place in the office. The respondents believe IoT devices could help them do their jobs more effectively.

When choosing tools to make them more productive in the office, Gen Z employees don’t want to jump back and forth between corporate-authorized applications and their personal apps. Instead, 56 percent of respondents said they want to use the same tools for work as they do in their personal lives.