If you can imagine your life without the internet, you're probably not part of Generation Y.

Many studies have shown how important technology is to the lives of younger generations, the Cisco Connected World Technology Report is just one of the many reports I've read that puts this into sharp focus for me.

Even if studies like these are half right, they remind us that for younger workers, connection of the online variety is incredibly high on their list of needs.

This is really tough for older generations to understand, but from their earliest childhood, Gen Y’s have used technology and devices to connect them with learning, knowledge, information, entertainment—and people. This is one of the key differences between the generations, and one that we often still don't grasp as employers.

Think for a moment about how you define a friend. For older generations, this is going to be significantly different because technology has facilitated a different kind of experience of connection and friendship. But for younger generations, keeping up-to-date with Facebook feeds is connecting. Previous generations just didn’t have the luxury of connecting with people in these ways—not as their ideas of how the world works were forming anyway, and that’s why they still don’t totally get it.

Today, connectivity is what Y’s expect. They are the 'Now Generation' because they can be. They are accustomed to a level of “now” that previous generations just couldn’t have—and it has made Gen Y more open, less concerned with privacy and less likely to keep their opinions to themselves.

So, how can employers respond? Well, the way we see it, allowing younger workers to use the techniques they've honed in using social media and collaborating online is likely to increase productivity, not hinder it. In fact, these tendencies are part of the solution to some of the key challenges organizations face, not the problem.

1. Employers should promote connectivity: Gen Y doesn’t just approve of social media use at work, they often see it as work. It is the new form of relationship building and networking, and companies must learn to use it to their advantage. Find ways to use social media principles and tools for work purposes to fulfill the Gen Y need for consistent, ongoing input and dialogue with co-workers—regardless of rank or location. Crowd-sourcing of answers to questions can now yield faster results than Googling a topic—and this is a skill that companies should exploit.

2. Use social media tools built for the workplace: There are many solutions to harness the power of social media for the workplace. At Kelly Services, we’ve used ‘Salesforce Chatter’, which has proved successful and allowed people to connect across geographic boundaries, as well as across organizational silos.

This post belongs to this new white paper, Don’t Manage Me, #understandme. You can download a free copy here.