Just read this fascinating article over at Huffington Post: How to Manage Me: Millennials and Communication.

The article talks about the shift in management styles needed to manage the millennial generation…changes that are likely to become even more pronounced and necessary as the older generations rapidly move out of the workforce.

The key quote comes at the end…

Don’t take away our most potent communication tools: we millennials live on a network that includes our friends and our parents, and it can be a powerful tool for your business or non-profit. Brinkerhoff equates telling a 26-year old to not use Facebook to telling him or her not to breathe. Managers who want to get ahead need their millennial employees connected and networking–it’s a natural skill set we already have when we walk in the door.

“If you have policies against IM’s and Facebook, you are cutting off powerful tools of the millennials,” says Howe, “If you’re worried about them wasting time, simply give them more work.”

Wow. How true is that. The “distractions” that we engage in at work have the potential to actually be our greatest strengths.

Food for thought when you’re coming up with your organization’s policies.