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Millennials spend most of their time accessing the Internet with a mobile device: 46 percent via a mobile phone and 43 percent on a tablet or laptop, according to a survey of 2,000 college students by Domo. Additionally, the report uncovered how much time Millennials spend on various mobile activities.
More than 97 percent use their phones to send or receive text messages, 96 percent use them to access the Internet, and 68 percent turn to a mobile device to stream music and send or receive pictures.
The survey results also indicated how important technology is for this future workforce, with 22 percent saying they would be less likely to accept a job offer at a company in which mobile technology is not part of the company’s standard working environment.
“One of the most interesting findings is the percentage of Millennials—70 percent—who expect to be able to bring their own device to work and the implication this has on the workplace of tomorrow,” Chris Harrington, president of Domo, told eWEEK. “For a mobile-first generation, employers need to think about how to enable [mobility] to use those devices to get work done.”
Of the respondents, 29 percent expect their employer to provide them with a mobile phone, and 70 percent expect that they will be able to bring their own mobile phone to work (BYOD).
“Businesses need to think about mobile channels as the primary way they get the word out about their company and culture,” Harrington said. “Effective companies will understand the mobile media landscape and how their own presence plays into those networks. By that I mean—do they have good company profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? Are they leveraging employees as brand advocates on those channels?”
When asked to rank employee benefits, 65 percent said that technology (smartphone/laptop) is the most important perk to them. By comparison, only 12 percent chose free meals/a stocked kitchen, and 14 percent chose a gym membership/wellness stipend as most important.
“If delivered correctly, mobile will continue to change all aspects of the workplace. First, whatever business gets done via mobile, it has to be all about convenience—or it doesn’t happen,” Harrington said. “This means work apps and services have to be available in real time. There’s no such thing as lag time or delay. It also means business apps have to be designed so they get to the task very quickly.”
He also noted that mobile technologies will continue to reshape the definition of the workplace itself, explaining that—for all the talk about a remote workforce—most organizations still aren’t there yet.
“In terms of talent acquisition, mobile-first doesn’t mean trying to relocate talent; it means trying to integrate them into the company culture wherever they are,” he said. “Millennials are a hyperconnected generation—it’s the technology, not [the] location that creates that depth of connection for this group.”