Graduates play by a different set of IT rules
Generation Y college graduates who enter the workplace are not that interested in IT policy compliance, according to a new study.
The third annual Cisco Connected World Technology Report found that this young generation (Gen Y) put corporate cultures and policies to the test, with expectations of social media freedom, device choice, and mobile lifestyles that the generations before them never demanded.
Conducted across 18 countries, including South Africa, the report found that 90% of IT professionals surveyed said they have a policy governing the use of certain devices at work – yet only two of five Gen Y respondents said they were aware of such a policy.
To make matters worse, four out of five Gen Y respondents who were aware of IT’s policies said they do not obey those policies, Cisco said.
IT professionals know that many employees don’t follow the rules, but they don’t understand how prevalent it is.
More than half of IT professionals globally believe their employees obey IT policies, but nearly 3 out of 4 of the Gen Y workforce say that they don’t obey policies.
Online monitoring
Two of three Gen Y respondents globally said IT has no right to monitor their online behavior, even if that behavior is conducted using company-issued devices on corporate networks.
The aversion to employer IT monitoring was greater than the aversion Gen Y respondents had to retail sites monitoring their online behavior.
In other words, Gen Y is less averse to complete strangers at retail sites monitoring their activity than their own employers’ IT teams – teams that are there to protect them and their companies’ information.
Globally, 91% of millennials feel that the age of privacy is over. However, one third of respondents said they are not concerned about all the data that is stored and captured about them.
Password and device muddle
Gen Y average two to three devices, with almost half using an average of two technology devices, according to Cisco. Nearly 30% had up to three devices, 6% had four devices, and 2% even had five or more devices.
According to the technology group, more than 25% of respondents say that they have 5-9 passwords, with one in 10 confessing that they have so many, that they have lost count.
Gareth Vorster was hosted by Cisco to attend the Cisco Live event in London.
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