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Collaboration drives younger workers

America’s youngest professionals value workplace relationships more highly than their counterparts from previous generations, according to a news release from SelectMinds, a provider of corporate social networking solutions.

The company polled 2,002 full- or part-time professionals age 20 and older working at least 20 hours per week, with about 26 percent of those between the ages of 20 and 29.

More than three-quarters (77 percent) of workers ages 20-29 told SelectMinds they “believe that the social aspects of work are very important” to their “overall sense of workplace satisfaction,” compared with 67 percent of their older colleagues.

Those ages 20-29 also ranked “cementing relationships with colleagues and supervisors” as their top challenge (41 percent), followed by “adapting to a new company culture” (33 percent) and “learning new job responsibilities” (27 percent); and 86 percent said they are “more likely to listen to information and recommendations if they are presented to me by someone I know and trust.”

Those in the 20-29 category are sometimes known as GenYers, according to the news release. “Today’s GenY workers demand a high level of connectivity and collaboration with employees at all levels of the organization — but especially with young, like-minded professionals,” said SelectMinds CEO Anne Berkowitch in a prepared statement. “Corporate social networks provide an opportunity to do just that. GenY workers want more than an office and a paycheck — they want to be part of a collaborative network.”

The survey also found:

• 46 percent of young workers rate the availability of support and networking programs for employees with common interests as very important in their decision to join or remain with an employer, compared with 36 percent of their peers.

• Of all the groups surveyed, young workers are the most likely to see professional networks as beneficial to their career development, with 72 percent of GenYers citing such networks as very important, compared with 66 percent of workers ages 30-39 and 61 percent of workers age 40 and older.

• More than three quarters (78 percent) of all workers — and 81 percent of GenYers — feel somewhat or very disconnected from the information flow, politics and career opportunities across their organization.

• More than one in four (28 percent) of workers ages 20-29 reports leaving a job because of feeling disconnected from the organization, compared with 21 percent of workers age 30 and above.

• An additional 20 percent of GenY workers say they have switched jobs because of poor relationships with coworkers, compared with 14 percent of their older colleagues.

The SelectMinds survey was conducted in late 2006 by IntelliSurvey, according to the SelectMinds news release.

— Staff and wire reports