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For as much as the sluggish economy has impacted workers, the attitudes of young people entering the job market are expected to have an impact on the workplace. A new study commissioned by Cisco found that access to the Internet and its benefits was influencing the attitudes, perceptions, and expectations that “Millennials” held regarding their employers. The study was based on interviews with college students and young professionals up to 30 years old, spanning 14 countries.

According to a recent study, workplace attitudes aren't what they once were.

The 2011 Cisco Connected World Technology Report found that a third of the college students and young people entering the workforce believe the Internet is now as important as basic needs such as food and shelter. Over 50 percent of those surveyed told researchers that they consider the Internet an essential part of their lives and couldn’t live without it. Some respondents even claimed it was more essential than dating and, if forced to choose, two-thirds would opt to have Internet access over owning a car.

Cisco believes these attitudes provide insight into expectations the next generations will have toward work and employers. Cisco’s report on its findings offers observations about how companies can stay competitive in light of changing attitudes and social trends.

In a finding that directly impacts work policies, Millennials are the first generation to significantly prefer to socialize online, with 27 percent stating being current on Facebook was more important than “partying, dating, listening to music, or hanging out with friends.” And 66 percent of students and 58 percent of young professionals consider mobile devices as the most important technology in their lives, more than computers, television, and other gadgets.

The dependence upon and preference of wireless devices underscores the question of whether brick and mortar offices will be as important, or as necessary, for many businesses as the ability to telecommute becomes increasingly easier, especially with the emergence of telepresence technologies.

More interesting is the blurring workplace boundaries social networking is bringing about. Globally, around seventy percent of those polled said they had “friended” a manager on Facebook, adding a personal element to workplace relationships, although that number was significantly lower in the United States, with just a quarter of respondents having friended their superior. But a much higher percentage say they friend co-workers.

What the study seems to indicate is that going forward, workplaces will rely more on social connections made through the Internet, either through social media or technologies such as telepresence. So employees need to be comfortable with emerging technologies so they can maximize their productiveness.

Marie Hattar, Cisco vice president of Enterprise Marketing says the report “should make businesses re-examine how they need to evolve in order to attract talent and shape their business models. Without a doubt, our world is changing to be much more Internet-focused, and becomes even more so with each new generation.”

This article was presented to you by LGI Homes, a leading Texas home builder with new homes in San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston, and Phoenix-Metro.