That is a term coined by Citrix and one I suspect we will see with some frequency. If gas goes to $4/gallon, I suspect these articles will publish daily. ManageSmarter.com offers up an article discussing the preference of today’s workers to have technological flexibility in their job. The key here is the demographics of the results (emphasis mine):
…U.S. workers aged 18-34 prefer flexible working conditions two-to-one over other age groups.
In fact, 70% of survey respondents agreed that working remotely would be a welcome opportunity. In an era where acquiring and retaining good employees is a challenge, and the workforce is becoming increasingly young and mobile, offering the ability to Web commute can serve as a competitive edge for recruiters.
We encounter this fact daily in our sourcing activities. In fact, we are seeing the web commute question coming up in discussion with older candidates too. In sales, these tools are essential. Sales has always operated outside of the company walls, but these tools allow outside salespeople the ability to have a completely mobile office which is a relatively new capability.
We have placed a handful of Gen Y salespeople recently and they all highly value remote tools.
Overall, the younger the respondent, the more apt he or she was to perceive value in online tools and services that enable them to work remotely.
The difference between the values expressed by younger workers versus others makes sense, given the proportionally higher familiarity with the Internet among Generations X and Y than among older workers. “As Baby Boomers retire, employers will be forced to compete for younger workers, for whom technology is a native tongue,” says Kellyanne Conway, CEO and president of the polling company, inc. “Offering the ability to Web commute is an easy way to provide a valued benefit to this age group.”
Today, it is difficult to compete for younger workers if you do not offer the technology that is their “native tongue.” In the near future, you will not be able to compete at all for their services unless you offer these tools.
One item that often gets overlooked is that these younger workers use the tools at all hours. We work with these salespeople to help get them onramped during their first few months at the new job. I am always amazed at the hours I can reach them electronically. They do not confine their work day to a traditional 8 to 5 schedule. If you provide them the tools, they will use them well beyond your assumptions.