This week's issue of Buffalo's Business First featured an article titled "Gen Y tech culture collides with rules of corporate life." It pointed out that tech tools like cell phones, iPhones and Blackberry devices have become a virtual necessity for Generation Y. (For those of you who have no clue about the definition of Gen Y, it represents the 77 million Americans born between 1977 and 1997.) That dependence is going to make it hard to transition into the workplace, where employers have rules about use of personal cell phones, texting, etc. during the work day, says the article.
The article's author, Matt Chandler, who also writes occasionally for WNY Family, interviewed some Buffalo State College students for the story. Asked about how she'd make the transition from tech-addicted student to productive corporate employee, one 19-year-old history major said that she could not imagine an employer imposing restrictions on her personal communications during company time. She actually said that if she had to choose between jobs where one employer was going to limit her and another was "more chillin about it," she'd take less money to be able to have that freedom.
Another said, flat out, that she'd go as far as to quit a job that imposed any restrictions on her personal communication on company time. This from a young lady who spends between $200 and $300 a month on her cell phone, which she's had since she was just 12-years-old.
WHAT are we teaching our youngsters? That they can do whatever they feel like, regardless of what the work rules may be? What happens to productivity? Remember, we're competing in a global economy these days and I doubt that Chinese workers are allowed to spend whatever time they feel like chatting and texting while they work.
Cell phones first came into our family's life when my daughter was in high school (the mid to late 1990s). When I was concerned that she was going out with friends to somewhat "indefinite" destinations, I gave her MY cell phone so that she could check in with me, or so that I could reach her to calm those irrational motherly fears that sometimes grab us late at night. Once she went to college and earned money from a part-time job on campus, she bought and paid for her own cell phone.
At that point, I was relieved she had it. I knew that since it was practically glued to her body at all tmes, I felt it was a safety feature. I could even reach her in a NY City subway during a summer internship, which was a comfort.
So, I'm not totally against technology. It certainly comes in handy in emergencies. And owning a business myself, I have seen technology ease my workload tremendously while allowing us to produce so much more. But, whoever said "everything in moderation" was very wise.
If you have a young child who hasn't yet entered the cell phone age, give plenty of thought to the rules you will need to set forth so that they can use communication devices with practical ease, yet not be ruled by them.
I'd like to know how YOU handle cell phone usage in your family. At what age did you get your child his own phone and how do you manage its usage? How is personal cell phone use treated at the place where YOU work? What do you think a fair cell phone policy at work would consist of?
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