Dewskie wrote:
Thought this was interesting, and relevant.

Quote:
One in three college grads said that access to social media sites like Facebook and the ability to choose their own devices was more important to them than salary when considering a job offer. This according to a study of 2,800 college students and young professionals worldwide conducted by Cisco. More than 40% went so far as to say that they would accept less money for a job that was down with social media at work on a device of their choosing if it also included telework.
There is a larger story here. It's that the younger generation is demanding more which is great. They are going to change the entire workforce dynamic.
For so long, employers have screwed over employees. Anyone my age has probably watched parents wonder about layoffs, lowered raises/cost of living adjustments, companies being sold, and shrinking or problems with pensions. My dad worked for one of the "best companies" to work for. When he was hired, basically everyone at the company said "come work here, put in your time, and they will take care of you". That was true. It was a great company to work for. However, the dynamic changed and his division was for sale for a long time, others got laid off, it was eventually sold, and departments/groups of employees were let go immediately. Thanks for your 30 years! Go home! Luckily, my dad wasn't one of the ones sent packing but he had friends who were. From an early age, the concept that an employer truly cares about you made me skeptical. Now, I know it's not even their fault. If things go badly, they have to do something. The days of workers just being thankful that someone would give them a job is ending. The older generation won't like it but it's time for workers to be selfish. Worry about yourself and then worry about your company. Normally, those go hand in hand. In general, it's good for employers too as workers with this attitude will want to excel to improve themselves.
So, back to this facebook statistic. I think it's as much of a reflection of people wanting an enjoyable work environment. Most people can handle not checking facebook during work, but that same company probably has a bunch of other policies that are also restrictive. I would say in almost all cases that if a company blocks facebook it's less likely to be a nice place to work than a place that doesn't care(they can still track how much you use facebook without blocking). Given that corporations basically use you for their benefit why not factor things like this in if you have options? I have made a promise to myself that unless it's a chance I can't pass up I'll never work for a place that requires I wear a tie. It's not that I'm against wearing a tie, but it was representative of a certain culture that I don't want to spend 8+ hours a day at. People just seemed less happy there than any other job I have ever had. This is going to be really common in the future. It's going to be hard to attract good employees if you don't offer them a living situation they find acceptable. That's why I like the facebook question. I would probably answer that being able to check facebook is important too. Do you really want to spend 1/3rd of your day at a place that treats you like a child? I don't and given that this company would likely lay me off as soon as they needed to I don't really feel like they deserve any special treatment.