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For the humorous article of the week but one in which executives should be aware of - some Echo Boomers would take a lower paying job if it meant that they could access Facebook at work:
According to Cisco’s second annual Connected World Technology Report, which surveyed 1,400 college students age 18 to 23, and 1,400 young professionals under 30, across 14 countries, the ability to use social media, mobile devices, and the Internet more freely in the workplace can influence job choice, sometimes even more than salary.In fact, 40 percent of college students and 45 percent of young professionals said they would accept lower-paying jobs in exchange for those freedoms. You read that right.
In other words, some Echo Boomers see work as another place to "digitally hang out" with their friends. We see this pattern with some Echo Boomers; they don't see doing work as something that fulfills you. Some Echo Boomers don't respect their time, money or the value of their work. To them, work is time to have fun not serve the customer or client.
In other words, companies like Microsoft, Cisco or Apple may consider cutting their Millennial employees' salary while giving them Facebook freedom, and about half of the their Millennial workforce would remain. Likewise, Echo Boomers may not see companies provide them with raises to stay because the generation doesn't take work seriously - as a means of providing value. We may see employers in the future reluctantly give Echo Boomer raises, if at all.
As an interesting side note, I could not tell if the author of the article was kidding or not in some places. For instance:
Remember, as kids they earned trophy after trophy for just for participating. So it’s no surprise to learn that they are hungry for positive feedback.But like anything else in their lives, if it isn’t posted on their wall, it’s almost like it didn’t happen at all. In other words, accolades that can be viewed by their colleagues will pack twice the punch. Facebook makes it painless to commend and reward your employees publicly.
The message that employers may get here is don't give the Echo Boomers a raise - post a "good job" on their Facebook Wall, and they'll be happy for a day (or week, or month, or year). Technically, Echo Boomers enjoy self-esteem boosts (more than sex and money), and for some, a self-esteem boost may be a post on their Facebook Wall. Getting a "good job" publicly on their Facebook Wall and looking good in front of their friends beats a raise. Of course, there will be Echo Boomers who do not value this flattery and they'll see it as such. If you have an employee who does not have Facebook at all, you may want to stick with giving him the actual raise.
