This document summarizes research on Generation Z employees and IT professionals regarding technology use in the workplace. Some key findings include: 1) Younger employees expect more advanced technology at work than is currently provided, such as laptops instead of desktops, but are aligned with security and policy compliance. 2) Businesses with more Generation Z employees are more likely to allow personal device use at work and have policies to manage it. 3) Younger workers communicate differently at work than with personal contacts, preferring in-person and email over social media for work. 4) Both groups agree end user influence over IT is increasing, especially in businesses with more younger employees, driven by demands for mobility and

1. The Contemporary
Workplace
Generation Z Research
© Computacenter 2012

2. The Journey to a
Contemporary Workplace
As a business, we’re constantly seeking to improve the services and technology
solutions we provide to customers. For the UK’s largest organisations, IT is increasingly
influenced by end user trends and changes to the working environment. These can
result in a range of considerations for the IT decision maker, from how to respond to the
proliferation of devices used formally and casually over the network, to how to engineer
working practices in order to improve end user productivity.
Computacenter commissioned independent research to understand how businesses
are responding to workplace change and where their challenges reside. The emphasis
of the research was to compare perspectives from the next generation of end users
and those of IT professionals devising workplace strategy for organisations today. The
findings in the report provide interesting results that should help inform next steps for
businesses in enabling a contemporary workplace.
At Computacenter, we see three factors impacting workplace transformation for IT:
the need for cost management, a shift towards flexible IT sourcing and the desire to
innovate with technology. Moreover, workplace change is increasingly becoming a
driver for broader infrastructure change. Issues such as the consumerisation of IT are
forcing companies to understand the workplace environment and, subsequently, how
larger systems should support it. This ‘workplace in’, rather than ‘infrastructure out’
approach gives way to new thinking on how IT solutions are devised and delivered into
the business.
It is, of course, important that any IT change be grounded in reality. Success and failure
in a business is not defined by smartphones and tablet PCs alone, just as mobile
access and virtual desktops are not a panacea for productivity challenges. However,
the managed deployment of these solutions, aligned with a clear view of their impact
on end user productivity and the bottom line can be transformative for businesses. The
research helps us to understand that a contemporary workplace is not an off-the-shelf
template, but an understanding of how these factors combine for our customers and
the market overall.
Enjoy the report!
Pierre Hall, Solutions Director, Computacenter
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3. Executive Summary
Several industry ‘buzz’ curves are influencing IT decision making in 2012. The
‘consumerisation of IT’ is one such term that suggests a significant shift in IT thinking, driven
by the sophistication and proliferation of consumer devices in the contemporary workplace.
The ‘Corporatisation of Generation Z’ research challenges some of the assumptions
surrounding this trend and also provides insights for IT strategists on how to balance the
often competing needs of commercial, end user and infrastructure demands on IT.
This research study was commissioned by Computacenter and carried out by an
independent research company, Loudhouse. The research surveys 200 IT decision makers
in large organisations, as well as 1,000 Generation Z end users in the UK. Generation Z
is the most recent age group to arrive in the workplace (aged between 16-24 years). This
research approach addresses two audiences that, ostensibly, occupy the polar extremes of
workplace demography – the young, vital talent that represents tomorrow’s business leaders
and the conservative stewards of today’s rapidly changing IT environment. Whilst tension
between these two groups is understandable and evident to some degree, Loudhouse
analysed the key findings from the data and has suggested a far more complex dynamic
between end user and IT strategy, summarised as follows:
The corporatisation of Gen Z
• ounger employees express clear desires to work within defined and controlled working
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environments where policy shows the way
- 22% of younger employees admit to using mobiles to access personal applications at
work, outside their employer’s knowledge. However, younger employees are mostly in
alignment with IT pros thinking on the importance of security, information control and
policy compliance
Workplace permissions and user power
• ompanies with a greater presence of workers under 24 year olds have different IT
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attributes and strategies than those where the average age employee is older
- Businesses with more than 25% Generation Z employees are more likely than other
businesses to operate a version of a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ policy (63% against 46%,
respectively). Such businesses are also more likely to have policies in place to manage
personal device use (73% against 50%, respectively).
Home tech ahead of the workplace
• evice technology used in the contemporary workplace lags behind the sophistication of
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personal devices or home-ware for Generation Z workers
- 70% of young employees have laptops at home, whilst only 26% use laptops at work.
38% have iPhones for personal use, with only 18% using iPhones for work
Research Methodology
The research combines two respondent groups. The first group is IT Decision Makers (those responsible
for IT budgets and purchasing decisions) in organisation of 500 employees or more. 53% of this sample
was of business with over 1,000 employees. The second group is workers between the ages of 16-24
years in full time or part time employment. 48% of the sample have degree qualifications, a further 28%
have professional qualifications and 17% have vocational qualifications.
The research for both groups was conducted online against a series of closed, multi-code questions
during Q1 2012, by Loudhouse Research, an independent consultancy based in the UK.
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4. Keeping social off the agenda
• ounger employees are less likely to see social media as a relevant workplace tool than IT
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professionals, although a blend of social and professional worlds is desired
- 66% of young employees state a preference for communicating with friends via social
media, whilst only 17% state a preference for interacting with colleagues using social
channels
- nly 16% of young employees consider that social networks should be fully permitted
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at work, whilst 34% of IT professionals report social networks as ‘fully permitted’ in the
workplace
End user influence
• he majority of IT professionals state that end user influence on IT strategy is increasing,
T
with network access and device use expectations difficult to manage
- 71% of IT professionals state that end users are very influential in shaping IT strategy for
an organisation. In businesses where under 24 years old form a larger percentage of
the workforce, this increases to 82%.
Summary
The workforce and the workplace are fundamentally changing the way that IT shapes
the organisation. It is no longer a ‘top down’ approach where users are simple nodes on
a network. Nor is it a landscape of device ‘rebellion’ where employees fail to grasp the
importance of governance and guidelines. However, the influence of end user needs on IT
investment combined with the potential for pragmatic IT planning to unlock user productivity
create new opportunities to align employee wants, technology change and business goals
under a cohesive IT strategy. Businesses able to manage this balance cost effectively,
avoiding disruption whilst accommodating change, stand to gain considerably from a
‘consumerisation’ of technology and constructive ‘corporatisation’ of the next generation of
business professionals.
S1: Model of relationship between younger end users and IT decision makers
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5. Home Tech and the Workplace
It is clear that the younger workforce is accustomed to working with technology in the
workplace that is more of a utility status than ‘state of the art.’ Figure 1 shows that this age
group are far more likely to have personal mobile devices, or more sophisticated personal IT
than that made available to them in the workplace. Most notable is the presence of laptops
against PCs (desktops). 70% of respondents have a laptop as a personal device, whilst only
32% have laptops allocated within the workplace. Similarly, smartphone devices are far more
likely owned by their users, rather than technology provisioned by their employers.
Figure 1 is a simple portrait of what is commonly referred to as the consumerisation of IT. The
‘power’ in terms of functionality and mobility resides in the hands of the end user, with the
workplace playing catch-up. On the basis that the two worlds never meet, there is no issue
with the status quo. However, the challenge and subsequent risk for IT management occurs
when a sophisticated array of personal devices become entry points for the corporate
network. This forces IT strategy to either clampdown via IT policy, or liberate via sophisticated
virtualised user environments to ensure that network performance and security remain in the
control of the IT function.
If Figure 1 describes the present, Figure 2 provides a glimpse into the near future. The
percentages show the status for mobile deployment and network access in instances where
at least half the workforce has either a smart device or some level of remote network access.
Whilst current levels of significant mobile deployment are relatively low when taking into
account the entire workforce, the expected increase in mobility to the point where over 50%
of the workforce is mobile is considerable. Remote email use, remote access to business
applications and smartphone management software deployments are all set to increase
significantly (in most cases double) over the next 12 to 24 months.
Fig 1: Device use at work and at home
Q: From the following devices, what do you use for work and/or personal use? (Base 1,000)
Fig 2: Mobile/remote deployment for the workforce
5 Q: To what degree are the following technologies and devices deployed within your organisation? (Base: 200)

6. Keeping Social off the Agenda
Looking at the nature of how younger employees communicate at work, beyond the device
that is used provides some insights into to versatility of today’s workplace communications
channels. Most encouraging is the recognition that face-to-face contact with colleagues
is the most preferred form of communication (85%). Email (65%) is of greater preference
than telephone (45%), with social channels, instant messaging and video all seemingly less
relevant for generation Z employees as colleague-to-colleague communications tools.
The picture changes when looking at how this group state preferences for communicating
with non-work friends in the workplace. Social media (37%) is on par with phone (38%)
and email (44%). Whilst it may seem unprofessional to be excessively in touch with ‘friends’
whilst at work, regardless of the channel used, it is notable to see that the percentage of
respondents using social media outside of work increases to 66% (Figure 3). This suggests
that respondents either recognise the implications of ‘chatting’ on work time, or are working
within policies or network environments where social media isn’t available.
An indication that this social ‘abstention’ is voluntary, rather than mandated, is provided
by Figure 4 where the majority of respondents believe that social networking shouldn’t be
present in the workplace at all, regulated or otherwise. Only 23% consider that it should be
regulated, 16% that it should be permitted without regulation, whilst 57% feel it should not
be permitted at all. There is a greater level of enthusiasm for professional networking sites,
such as LinkedIn, where only 21% believe its use should not be part of the workplace. This,
again, suggests that Generation Z draw clear differences between social for social channels
and social for work – perhaps to a greater extent than their ‘Generation X’, colleagues. It is
worth noting that new joiners to the workplace have grown up with social media and are very
mature users. Their older colleagues (25-35yrs) have seen social media disrupt the working
environment ‘as it happened’. This is perhaps why, when looking at the workforce as a
whole, 34% of IT professionals in the survey advocated a regulated use of social channels,
considerably higher than Generation Z.
Fig 3: Preferred communications
channels at work
Q: From the following, please
choose your preferred methods
of communicating with each
group (Base 1,000)
Fig 4: Communications channels
policies
Q: For each of the following,
please select the level of
regulation you think is appropriate
in the workplace Base: (1,000)
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7. Generation Z Expectations
IT decisions makers perceive that under 25 year olds have higher expectations of technology
in the workplace, are more likely to expect access to personal services, such as personal
email, whilst at work and are more likely to expect to use personal devices in the workplace.
This perception is somewhat borne out by experience. Figure 5 shows that IT professionals
from organisations where the workforce employs a larger number of 16-24yrs old (25% or
more) are more likely to consider these factors to be influential in the workplace in general,
but not to such a degree when looking at device use or network access.
72% of businesses with more than 25% Generation Z workers believe that this group
has generally higher expectations of IT performance, against 53% of respondents from
businesses with fewer than 25% Generation Z workers. This position inverts when looking
at personal device use in the workplace, 60% to 64% respectively. Therefore, whilst the IT
professional sample believes that younger workers are more likely than others to have high
expectations, there is some variability in exactly what those expectations are.
Figure 6 shows the same groups responding to the level of challenges in managing end
users overall. The top three challenges are all indicative of consumerisation of technology
and a general thirst for workplace choice. Flexibility of access points for company resources,
access to the network from new devices and access to the network from new locations are
all cited as key areas of development for the business.
Perhaps of greater interest is the fact that respondents with higher levels of younger workers
seem to be experiencing these challenges more acutely than the other group. Only when
looking at access ‘on the road’ does this trend, for understandable reasons relating to the
age of a ‘road warrior’ workforce, move in the opposite direction. It appears that there is a
clear relationship between IT demands and workplace demography.
Fig 5: Managing younger
workers
Q: In what way, if any, do
you think that younger
recruits (under 25yrs) differ
from the average user in
the business? (Base: 200)
Fig 6: Challenges in
end user management
Q: What are the most
important challenges you
face in managing the
7 expectations of your end
users? (Base 200)

8. End User Influence
Looking at end user influence in general, it is clear that IT decision makers have to listen to
them more intently. 71% of IT respondents state that the end user audience is very influential
on IT strategy, actually more so than customers (66%) and almost to the same degree as
the Board (76%). Again, Figure 7 shows that businesses employing a higher level of younger
workers are more likely to consider that end users have a significant influence on IT strategy
(81%).
Figure 8 describes the same issue in terms of a trend over the past 12-24 months. Not only
are end users influential, but 38% of respondents believe that influence has increased in the
past 1-2 years, with only 4% believing that end user influence has decreased. Compared
to the customer base and the Board, the increase of end user influence on IT strategy is
considered to be higher. Only 26% of IT respondents believed that Board influence was
increasing, whilst 37% felt that customer influence was increasing. Consistent with other
findings, business with a higher level of Generation Z workers are more likely to state end
user influence as increasing.
It seems that the sophistication of devices, greater levels of mobility and IT literacy are all
conspiring to empower the workforce in matter of technology. Whilst this may be interpreted
as a redistribution of power from the central IT hub, to the employees themselves, it is more
sensibly viewed as a transition that, not without challenges, will create notable productivity
gains for the business as IT environments transition to more user-centric models.
Fig 7: Level of end user influence
Q: What is the level of influence that end users have over driving changes in IT strategy? (Base 200)
Fig 8: Trend in end user influence
Q: Over the past 24 months, how has the level of Influence of this group changed?
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9. The ‘Corporatisation’ of Gen Z
The tables in Figures 9 and 10 use a set of polarised statements to understand how
sentiment towards key areas of the IT/user relationship differ. Respondents from both the
Generation Z group and the IT decision maker group provided answers on the following
three issues:
• User productivity (output) and time planning
• Control of corporate data user device flexibility
• Control of communications at work and user collaboration
The first point of interest is shown in Figure 9. Whilst the degree to which either group
considers user productivity to be more, less or equally important to time planning is notable,
the key point is that the groups are basically in agreement. This is also the case for company
control of information against device use. Generation Z respondents are as respectful
of productivity and compliance needs as their IT professional counterparts. Rather than
sacrificing productivity for autonomy, or device use for data governance, Generation Z is
‘corporatised’ to the needs of the organisation.
Figure 10 shows a similar picture, but with a degree of tension between the two groups
regarding control of communication and the ability for users to collaborate. Generation
Z respondents are almost twice as likely to consider that communications control is less
important than user collaboration (18% to 10% - IT professionals). This provides an indication
of where user needs start to decouple of from technology control. It seems that end users
assign greater value to working together (collaboration) than personal autonomy or personal
technology use.
Fig 9: Productivity and flexibility
Q: For each of the following pairs of priorities, which statement do you agree with? (Base 1,000 200)
Fig 10: Collaboration and control
Q: For each of the following pairs of priorities, which statement do you agree with? (Base 1,000 200)
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10. Workplace Permissions
User Power
Figure 11 asks IT professionals to consider if unmanaged use of consumer devices holds
back IT strategy. Respondents are most likely to think that the impact of such behaviour
would result in general compliance issues, security and ID challenges and the expectations
set on IT from the business (by increased device sophistications and flexibility).
Respondents from businesses with more than 25% of workers under 25yrs old are more likely
to state general compliance as an issue (62% to 48%) and high expectations on IT delivery
(43% to 30%). Respondents from businesses with a more mature workforce, those with under
25% of workers between 16-24 years old, are more concerned by security issues (61% to
55%) and costs relating to systems upgrades (40% to 35%) than the other group.
Turning to the benefits of consumerisation, Figure 12 shows the favourable aspects of
personal device use as seen by IT professionals and Generations Z users. Whilst the IT
professional group are somewhat more enthusiastic about benefits that the ‘Gen Z’ users,
the priority order is very similar. Productivity gains (69% and 49%) and flexibility (50% and
35%) are the two driving factors for tolerating, or planning for increased personal device use
in the workplace. Intriguingly, the attraction of younger workers (48% and 35%) is believed by
both groups as a more significant reason for personal device use that senior management
preference (43% and 25%) – suggesting that ‘top down’ device sophistication is less of a
driver behind workplace change than perhaps expected.
It is understandable that IT decision makers are more attuned the possible benefits that
device flexibility brings, even if this sentiment is balanced by a range of concerns. On the
basis of other findings in the survey, the key decision for IT over the next 12-24 months
is ‘how’ change should be managed, rather than ‘if’ it should be considered at all. Clearly,
productivity benefits are a recognised outcome of network and device flexibility. However,
understanding workforce demography and end users needs appears to be as important
as more traditional IT territory, such as cost management and systems compatibility; useful
insights to creating a sustainable view of IT change over the next two years.
Fig 11: Unmanaged device
use challenges
Q: Do you think that
unmanaged use of consumer
devices in the workplace is
holding back IT strategy in
any of the following ways?
(Base 200)
Fig 12: Drivers for allowing
personal device use
Q: Which of the following
would you say are good
reasons for allowing personal
technologies in the workplace?
10 (Base 1,000 200)

11. Summary
Looking exclusively at the 16-24yrs age group as a proxy for broader workplace
issues related to IT is a useful exercise. The research manages to dispel some
perceived myths about the disruptive nature of managing younger workers on a
wave of IT consumerisation. Whilst the stereotype may be of an ‘always on’ socially
mobile, corporately naïve and technologically demanding ‘force’, the reality is different.
Generation Z certainly has higher expectations of technology, but the most likely
outcome from such as position, with the acknowledgement that end users are
becoming more influential on IT strategy, is a net improvement in workplace IT, the basis
of a sound contemporary workplace evolution. The more practical reality for Generation
Z, known as the ‘protected generation’ is that they are keen to succeed, they are
mindful of acceptable corporate parameters and respectful of the need for organisation
IT governance – in fact they seek guidance on all such matters.
Whilst IT professionals grapple with the consumerisation of IT, a device-led transition to
more sophisticated user environments, they must also understand the impact of the
‘corporatisation’ of Generation Z. This could be defined as the need to assimilate the
younger workforce into a corporate environment in order to maximise user productivity.
Most importantly, this change doesn’t necessarily involve a device fashion parade or
tablet purchasing frenzy. In most cases, it means clear guidance on IT use, flexible
network access and sensitivity to the importance of a collaborative user environment –
approaches that evidently benefit the user base as a whole.
Most importantly, the survey shows that, consciously or not, businesses with a younger
workforce have different IT strategies. There is a relationship between workforce
demography and IT users that proves the assumptions of IT professionals regarding
age groups and the overall impact of end user power on IT strategy. If this represents a
tension between the IT function and the workforce then the future offers only disruption
and productivity issues as the consumer market dictating corporate IT adoption.
However, if this circumstance is being harnessed and exploited to improve the
contemporary workplace, it will no doubt offer tangible benefits to the organisation as
a whole. It seems that offering user flexibility in the context of a controlled environment
and understanding the benefits of personal choice and collaboration to end user
productivity are the key points to ensuring that these benefits prevail.
For Further information, please contact:
Computacenter
Hatfield Avenue
Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9TW, United Kingdom
Telephone: 01707 631000
www.computacenter.com/workplace
email: workplace@computacenter.com
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