Survey: Younger workers break company computer policies
Filed under: Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Security and law, Uncategorized
Most companies have some kind of policy regulating how employees use their computers at work. And a new study shows who’s most likely to break them (hint: it’s the generation that’s most tech-savvy).
That’s right, members of Generation Y (people born after 1980) have the toughest time sticking to what’s considered “acceptable use.” No surprise there. These are people who know technology and who use it more for personal reasons, so it makes sense that personal use would cross over into work hours more often than with older folks.
But the study, released last month by security vendor Symantec, shows that younger employees might have a very different take on what’s OK for work. For example, 75% of the millennials surveyed said they use personal e-mail at work (compared to 54% of other workers). About two thirds (66%) use Facebook and Myspace, compared to just 13% of older workers.
But it isn’t all fun and games (even though, yes, more millenials play games online while they’re working). Younger employees also turn to their preferred technologies to get the job done: 69% said they’d use whatever application or device they wanted for work, rather than simply sticking with items that IT has issued or approved. That’s compared to just 31% of older workers.
What’s it all mean?
What do these results mean for companies? Possibly that an increase in education and enforcement is needed, in order to keep people productive and work-related data safe and secure.
Symantec also suggests companies use millenial’s technological proficiency as an advantage. They say some companies have started relaxing policies and giving employees more choice, which can help convince them to work with tech folks and let them know what devices they’re using, instead of doing it without IT’s knowledge.
More information on the study and advice from Symantec is available here.
