Millennial Workforce: Communicating And Multitasking

Abstract

The habits and behaviors of the Millennials are of some concern to employers across the Western world (Alsop, Nicholson & Miller, 2009; McGuire, By & Hutchings, 2007; Myers & Sadaghiani, 2010; Smola & Sutton, 2002). This group of people born between approximately 1979 and 1994 has grown up with communication technology and has never known a time when these conveniences were not available. People of this generation are generally thought to have different styles of and expectations for communication, both of which could have an influence on teams and organization performance (Gorman, Nelson & Glassman, 2004; Greenbaum & Query, 1999; Howe & Strauss, 2000; Tapscott, 1998; Zemke, Raines & Filipczak, 2000). Organizations may find that they need to adapt their policies and procedures in order to take advantage of the special skills offered by Millennials and minimize problems within the organization (Gursoy, Maier & Chi, 2008). For those Millennials pursuing higher education at the university level, going to school could be considered their primary job, with paid employment on the side. How this generation behaves in classes can be an indication of how they expect to act in their careers. Just as they use computers and smartphones to access the internet and send sms text messages and email throughout the day, (even during their college classes), they also expect to stay connected during the course of their working day, including the time spent in meetings with subordinates, peers, managers and those outside the organization. Indeed, staying connected is a central part of their lives (Frand, 2000) and they expect that others, including managers, will also use these forms of communication to stay in constant contact with them (Hagner, 2001; Robinson & Stubberud, 2012a, 2012b). Business students are among the most eager to use technology in the classroom, and assumedly, at work (Kvavik, 2011). To gain a better understanding of the communication behaviors of the workforce that is joining the working world, this study examines the behaviors reported by both American and Norwegian university students. Comparing the responses of students in two countries allows shows which behaviors are typical in both countries. This is important not only for managers who deal with international employees, but also for those who need to know about employees in their own countries.

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