Studiu Ericsson ConsumerLab: Generation Y and the ideal company

Cristina Blanaru Marketing, Studies

A new study from Ericsson ConsumerLab shows that Millennials think personal communication during work hours is a right not a benefit and they expect to stay connected at work .

“Young professionals at work” study looks at the latest generation to enter the workforce, the Millennials, focusing on working Millennials aged 22-29 in the US, who have a college education and who are ambitious, forward-looking and see themselves as taking on leadership positions in the future.

This segment bring a good deal of their personal lives into work, but do not necessarily allow work to enter their private lives. Keen to  perform well at work, it is virtually impossible for them to leave their personal lives behind, as they typically check Facebook, engage in instant messaging and send and receive texts on their devices throughout the day, as they see this as a right rather than a benefit.

They want close relationships with their supervisors, and expect frequent feedback. They dislike ambiguity and expect transparency and fairness in all their dealings with work organizations. A key factor for many Millennials is keeping a balance between work and leisure time and they expect that employers to come up with solutions to help them achieve this.

Ann-Charlotte Kornblad,

Senior Advisor Ericsson ConsumerLab

According to the study, 45% of Millennials use their private phones, which they pay for themselves, at work, also paying for work-related use of their phones. On the other hand, 23% have mobile phones (mostly smartphones) fully or partly paid for by their employers.

Millennials are also impatient and they want instant gratification, having low tolerance for modes of communication that are slow or do not provide immediate feedback.

This segment think the ideal company offers the following:

  • generally satisfying work
  • be able to carry their personal lives into work (be able to multitask)
  • goal oriented – activity based, your own responsibility when and where you work.
  • the opportunity to work in teams and with others in their own age
  • a flat organization
  • engaged, pro-active manager
  • clear directions/promotional prospects – constant feedback
  • transparency
  • respect for work/life balance
  • close relationship with the manager
  • up-to-date technology, especially in the area of communication

Ericsson ConsumerLab gains its knowledge through a global consumer research program based on interviews with 100,000 individuals each year, in more than 40 countries and 15 megacities – statistically representing the views of 1.1 billion people. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used, and hundreds of hours are spent with consumers from different cultures.

Ericsson is a world-leading provider of communications technology and services and has a team of over 110,000 people working with customers in more than 180 countries. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.