Virtual Office Resource

As a mobile worker who rarely works in an office and long has struggled against telecommute prejudice, I’m happy to report that the next generation of employees will be much like me: mobile and unapologetically so.

That’s the finding from a recent study conducted by Domo and CEO.com. With one out of every three workers now from the Millennial generation (those born between 1982 and 1994), the study looked at college students and their expectations for when they join the workforce.

Young workers strongly skew toward mobile-first lifestyles, with 46 percent relying on their smartphone and only 43 percent living off a tablet or laptop. Roughly 70 percent of these future workers expect they will be able to bring their own phone to work through BYOD.

Young workers also expect to work more than 40 hours a week, with 70 percent expecting this workload and 90 percent claiming they like a fast-paced work environment. Being mobile obviously facilitates this fast-paced work environment.

A recent report by Aruba Networks (News - Alert) also indicates that the ability to work remotely is a big perk for these upcoming workers; roughly 65 percent said that the ability to telecommute is the biggest perk that a company can offer, far exceeding the 14 percent that mentioned company-sponsored gym membership and the 12 percent that cited free meals as a hook.

Businesses listening to these expectations will want to shore up their mobile collaboration technology, however; this generation that is growing up with WhatsApp and the likes of Google (News - Alert) Hangout is much more easily frustrated with outdated technology in the office. Roughly 71 percent of millennial employees face challenges with current software, according to Alfresco Software, compared with 45 percent among the baby boom generation.

Young workers are mobile and ready to work hard, but they also expect the firms they work with to support them in this endeavor.

I can relate; I was taking my personal laptop into work for added productivity long before BYOD was a trend, and many years ago I shifted to a mobile-first work life to get more done. Maybe I’m young at heart, because the younger generation behind me is now asking for the same thing.

Let’s hope companies are better prepared now than when I first started my mobile work life many years back.