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Digital Natives: should you adapt your workplace for them?

We’ve seen a number of reports which suggest that in order to keep up with millennials and their tech-savvy nature, your company’s training and provisions need an update. Technology news site Business Tech explain that these workers “make up the generation that will represent nearly 75% of the work force by 2030”. With that in mind, the importance of both attracting and retaining these employees is vital.

Millennials, Digital Natives, Generation Z, they are the future business leaders and are changing the working world. The question is, can your business keep up? HR website, Personnel Today propose that “technology may be a fantastic tool, but HR must work with CIOs or IT directors to place the focus on employees. By investing in online digital skills, companies empower employees and make them feel more invested in their work”.

What are Digital Natives?

The term Digital Natives started it all. It first came from Education writer, Marc Prensky. His paper defined those born into a world of technology as Digital Natives and those who were born before the internet was widely used- Digital Immigrants. He explained that “the importance of the distinction is this: As Digital Immigrants learn-like all immigrants, some better than others- to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their “accent,” that is, their foot in the past”.  The idea of hiring a digital native is that they have a technologically wired brain that will pick up new systems easier than their predecessors would, and feel less stressed when met with new technology. The Digital Native would bring new technology, and confidently show their colleagues how to use it. It’s not just what they work with, but how that is proving to be important. Technology publication Enterprise Innovation sum up the shift by explaining that now “work is a thing you do, not a place you go”.

What changes could you make?

The suggestion is that workplaces can be adapted to support and motivate digital natives. New technology is already having an impact on companies and Digital Natives could bridge the gap. Workplaces could be refreshed by changing training to support how the tech generation learn or by including the latest advancements to attract and retain new staff. It’s not all about new equipment though, workspaces are just as important.

The idea has grown from being about flexible working to adaptable spaces. Updated office designs now include layouts that support modern working. Pods for uninterrupted writing time and more open spaces to work in. The New York Times agrees and explains that “Space drives behaviour, experts say, and the goal of the new designs is to hasten the pace of sharing ideas, making decisions and creating new products. They are also meant to appeal to millennial recruits, many of whom are more comfortable working in a Starbucks than in a traditional office”.

The key here is being able to recognise the star quality these employees will bring and what changes you could make to encourage the way they work. Supporting the move from static offices can bring the spark in creativity that leads to award-winning ideas. Use your employee’s unique selling points and experiences to shape the future of your company. This could be their use of technology or their cultural and commercial awareness. Utilise their fresh thinking to create supportive training and innovative schemes.

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