I’ve reported a number of cases where managers (most famously, Barack Obama)  implement an interrupt-free environment by mandating a “no cellphones” policy in meetings. While I wholeheartedly applaud this behavior, I must in all fairness report a dissenting viewpoint.

I was talking to a Gen Y worker whose company  had launched such a ban, and he told me that he thought it was not a good idea at all, because his millennial generation needed the cellphones to work, he said! To his mind, having a coworker without a cellphone in ringing mode meant they were inaccessible, and hence unavailable to help him get his job done.

This is interesting. It isn’t that the younger set are unaffected by interruptions and information overload; there is ample evidence that they are, and my bet is that they pay a price just like their elders. But unlike the Boomer and Gen X population, these younger folks weigh the pros and cons differently; to them, ubiquitous communication is a part of their lifestyle both on and off the job, and they feel at a loss without it.

Looking at the bigger picture, I’d say that the real goal should be to strike a better balance between communication and concentration that will benefit everybody, Gen Y and Boomers alike. We need a balance because we can’t simply disconnect them and let them work in their diverse methods.  They may have different expectations, but they share the same work environment and the same message flow; they can’t each choose their preferred work style in isolation. Finding a work culture that works for everybody, and that drives nobody nuts, will be a worthy challenge for the coming years.