One in three college students and young employees would prioritise social media freedom, device flexibility and work mobility over salary when accepting a job offer, a report from Cisco suggests.
The 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report surveyed more than 2,800 college students and professionals below 30 years of age in 14 countries to see what new challenges businesses face with network demands and security risks.
Forty per cent of college students and 45pc of employees would accept a lower-paying job which offered more flexibility with regards to mobility, device choice and social media access as opposed to a higher-paying job with less flexibility.
If they were offered a job within a company which banned social media usage, more than half of college students would not accept the job or would accept it but try to bypass this policy.
Sixty-four per cent of college students plan to ask about social media usage policies during job interviews, with 24pc saying it would be a key factor in deciding whether or not they would accept the offer.
Two out of five employees said their companies marketed a flexible device and social media policy when trying to attract candidates to the job.
Remote access
Fifty-seven per cent of employees can connect to their corporate network from some remote locations, but just 28pc can do so any time and anywhere.
The top reason employees were prohibited from accessing corporate networks and applications remotely was due to corporate policies and resistance to allowing a more distributed communications culture.
Three out of 10 students believe working remotely to a flexible schedule will be their right and not a privilege. Some 70pc of students and 69pc of employees believe it’s unnecessary to be in the office regularly, apart from attending important meetings.
One in four students believe they would be more productive working from home or remotely than in an office.
More than half of college students and employees want access to corporate information over corporate networks from their home PC and personal mobile devices.
Mobile device usage
Seventy-seven per cent of employees have multiple devices, such as a laptop and a smartphone, or multiple phones and PCs. One in three employees use at least three devices for work.
Seven out of 10 college students think company-issued devices should be allowed for personal and business use. Some 81pc of students want to choose their device for work.
