In his article, Lee Rainie discusses the challenges that modern employers may encounter when they need to hire young workers. The author argues that people, who are aged below 20, have different attitudes towards information technologies. In particular, they believe that the use of such tools should be an inseparable part of a person’s life. As a result, companies have to change many of their HR strategies to ensure that such employees can work efficiently.
In the beginning, Lee Rainie introduces such a term as “digital natives” (226). This notion is used to describe people who have been able to use information technologies since childhood. In turn, the author shows how these individuals act in the workplace. It should be noted that young people cannot always evaluate the accuracy and reliability of information that is available on the Internet. In many cases, they forget to check the authenticity of the arguments that other people make (Rainie 230).
This behavior can create significant challenges for companies. For instance, one should consider the problems faced by media companies such as news channels. Additionally, younger individuals prefer to share their experiences by using social networks. So, sometimes they can completely forget about the confidentiality rules adopted in modern corporations (Rainie 230).
Furthermore, Lee Rainie notes that the extensive use of such technologies makes people accustomed to multi-tasking. The main problem is that they cannot concentrate on a single task for a long time. Therefore, the performance of these people can be impaired considerably. Such problems can manifest themselves at the time when even a small error can undermine the value of the entire project. It is one of the challenges that should be taken into account.
In many cases, such attitudes towards information technologies can lead to misunderstanding and conflicts. For instance, the employers can believe that younger workers are impolite because some of them can check their accounts on social networks even during job interviews. It is one of the difficulties that attract the attention of researchers. Nevertheless, Lee Rainie is not necessarily critical of the new generation.
The writer notes that in many cases, such employees can be very productive. In particular, they are more skilled in finding the new information as quickly as possible (Rainie 232). Additionally, very often, the ability to do several tasks at the same time can be a very valuable attribute of a person.
This argument applies to those cases when workers are pressed for time. Thus, employers should modify some of their rules to incorporate the skills that the new generation has. This approach can be useful for increasing the efficiency of modern companies. So, Lee Rainie’s can have significant practical implications.
One can distinguish several terms that are useful for categorizing this reading. In particular, it is possible to mention formal and informal styles. Lee Rainie attempts to combine both of them. For instance, the informal style is used to represent the speech of younger workers.
However, in most cases, the author prefers a more formal style that is typical of articles published in various periodicals. Additionally, much attention should be paid such a notion as the trade publication or any periodical that is intended for certain professionals such as HR managers. In turn, Lee Rainie’s article can be of great interest to HR managers and business administrators.
Works Cited
Rainie, Lee. “Digital Natives Invade the Workplace.” Identity: A Reader for Writers.
Ed. John Scenters-Zapico. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. 226-232. Print.