87% of Hong Kong workers agree that Gen Ys are driving the change in workplaces with new ways of working and communicating
HONG KONG, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Gen Ys are changing the way in which Hong Kong companies communicate and share information, reveals a new survey from PGi (Premiere Global). Nearly Nine out of ten Hong Kong workers (87%) point to the fact that Gen Ys are at the heart of this change, with the introduction of more online business tools such as social networking, video conferencing, web conferencing and instant messaging.
The survey[1], commissioned by PGi in 2010 asked a total of 1,000 full-time office workers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia about the current state of their workplace, such as which generation is driving change, and what specific changes they see taking place now and in the future.
When asked about the types of tools Gen Y's have helped to introduce into the workplace, social networking (such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter!) topped the list for most Hong Kongers (60 percent). Thanks to Gen Ys, social media online tools are now more acceptable in an office environment. 41 percent also said that Gen Ys had helped to introduce video and web conferencing to the office environment.
Joanne Rigby, Asia-Pacific marketing director at PGi, said, "It's positive to see that companies in Hong Kong are realising the benefits of adopting online tools such as Facebook and instant messaging for their business communications, something that only a few years ago may have been frowned upon. It's clear that Gen Ys are helping to drive this adoption, and organisations are not only listening to the younger generation, but recognise the opportunities and benefits these tools can offer."
The workplace generation gap
Although there is an abundance of positive change, the survey identified a potential 'workplace generation gap', defined as a lack of awareness of how different generations of employees prefer to work. This could be a key stumbling block in further adoption of online tools. Of the 65 percent who agreed that there is a generational divide in their office, 82 percent felt that it could undermine the use of online tools.
"Whilst it's good to see businesses catering to the needs of younger employees, it's important to not forget the baby boomers in the company who didn't grow up with technologies such as webinars, web conferencing and wikis," Joanne notes. "The key lies in having appropriate training and support so that all employees can feel encouraged and use online business tools for their day-to-day work," Joanne advises.
What is the future of the workplace?
In terms of how the workplace will need to adapt in the future as the next generation of employees enters the workforce, the concept of flexible working resonated strongly amongst Hong Kong workers. 'Greater training requirements' (62 percent) and 'Flexible working hours' (53 percent) were the two highest priorities when workers were asked how their workplaces should adapt.
The good news is that Hong Kong businesses appear to be on the right track when talking about evolving the workplace to cater to a younger generation of employees. Over 70 percent felt that they were already in that process or will soon be.
"As an increasing number of Gen Ys and indeed Gen Zs enter the workforce, it will certainly be interesting to see how we measure up in the next few years," Joanne concludes.
About Premiere Global Services, Inc. (PGi)
PGi is a global application software and services company that enables real-time, virtual meetings. For almost 20 years, PGi have innovated technologies to empower people to connect, collaborate and come together in more enjoyable and productive ways. Every month, the company brings together over 15 million people in nearly 4 million virtual meetings. Headquartered in Atlanta, with Asia Pacific and European regional head offices in Sydney, Australia and London, England, PGi has a presence in 24 countries worldwide and an established base of greater than 30,000 customers, including 75% of the Fortune 100. For more information, please visit www.pgi.com
Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are made based on management's current expectations or beliefs as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. A variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in Premiere Global Services, Inc.'s forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following factors: competitive pressures, including pricing pressures; technological changes; the development of alternatives to our services; general domestic and international economic, business or political conditions; risks associated with challenging global economic conditions or a prolonged recession, including customer consolidations, restructuring, bankruptcies or payment defaults; market acceptance of our new services and enhancements; our ability to complete acquisitions and successfully integrate acquired operations; concerns regarding the security of sending information over the Internet and public networks; our ability to upgrade our equipment or increase our network capacity; service interruptions; continued weakness in our legacy broadcast fax business; our dependence on telecommunications supply agreements; increased financial leverage; our dependence on our subsidiaries for cash flow; future write-downs of goodwill or other intangible assets; assessments of income, sales and other taxes for which we have not accrued; our ability to attract and retain key personnel; our ability to protect our proprietary technology and intellectual property rights; possible adverse results of pending or future litigation or infringement claims; federal, state or international legislative or regulatory changes, including further government regulations applicable to traditional telecommunications service providers; risks associated with international operations and fluctuations in currency exchange rates; changes in and the successful execution of restructuring and cost reduction initiatives and the market reaction thereto and other factors described from time to time in our press releases, reports and other filings with the SEC, including but not limited to the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or a person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.
For further information, please contact:
Kathryn Ellis
PGi
Tel: +61-2-9338-7540
Email: kathryn.ellis@PGi.com
[1] PGi's research was conducted by Pure Profile in June 2010. Sourced from an online research panel, the survey polled 333 Singaporeans, 333 Hong Kongers and 334 Australians to represent correct demographics of age, gender and state.
