Millennials and Email in the Workplace

The Millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000, have been entering the workforce for over ten years. They are beginning to reshape the culture and norms of businesses and other organizations in a number of ways. For example, significantly less men wear neckties than they did just five years ago. I personally thank this younger generation for removing the daily noose from my neck.
I wrote this article primarily for Millennials, but I think it might benefit all of us in the workplace. Good communication is one of the keys to success, and the primary form of communication in the workplace is email.

Not the Preferred Form of Communication

In a large research project published in the book, The Millennials, my son, Jess Rainer, and I discovered that relatively few members of this generation prefer email as a form of communication. Texting is the dominant choice. Social media, primarily Facebook, is second, with Twitter following at a distant third. Email hardly made double digits as one of the preferred forms of communication.

Many of this generation are thus entering the workplace with an aversion toward email and a relatively small amount of experience with it. As an old man of 55 years, I am amazed how a form of communication I began using just over 15 years ago has already become passé with the younger generation.

But such is the challenge of the Millennials in the workplace. Email is the dominant form of business communication. These younger adults may change that reality in a few years, but it is reality for now.

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