69% Of Gen Y Believe They Own Their Social Media Accounts, Not Employers

Social media is used more than ever in the workplace, and according to a new study from Millennial Branding, 69 percent of Gen Y employees believe that they own the rights to their social media accounts.

Titled “Gen Y Workplace Expectations,” the study analyzed responses from 1000 Gen Y employees aged 22 to 29, and 1000 managers.

Only 54 percent of managers believe Gen Y employees own the rights to their social media accounts, and just 16 percent of managers see the use of social media as very or extremely important.

With the Gen Y crowd, that number is up just one percent to 17 percent.

When it comes to being connected on social networks, 14 percent of managers are very or extremely comfortable being Facebook friends with Gen Y’s, and 24 percent of Gen Y’s are comfortable being friends with managers.

LinkedIn saw a higher percentage from managers at 24 percent, and Gen Y’s connecting with managers was at 32 percent.

38 percent of Gen Y’s are more comfortable making introductions on social media compared to 19 percent of managers.

Email still trumps social media with 25 percent of Gen Y employees preferring to interact with managers by way of email, and 66 percent of managers still prefer in-person meetings.