In an interesting twist on the generational 'young whippersnappers' argument by more senior employees against younger members of staff, Mimecast's research found that an influx of social media savvy employees are displaying a particular frustration with corporate email restrictions.
Mimecast, who took in responses from 2400 users worldwide, 1080 of whom were in the UK, reports that 'Generation Gmail' are complaining that mailbox sizes are too constrained and that they will readily 'work around' it using personal email to be as productive and flexible as possible.
Mimecast's researchers found that the use of personal email for work purposes is pervasive, with 85% of under 25s admitting that they send work related emails or documents to or from personal email accounts, the highest of all age groups.
"With social networks and personal email a ubiquitous part of their life, the way email is used by this demographic is bleeding into the workplace", said Nathaniel Borenstein, chief scientist with the company.
Borenstein, an internet veteran credited as a co-creator of the S/MIME protocol, added that it is not surprising that expectations for workplace technology are shifting accordingly.
"The results find workers frustrated with corporate restrictions and working around these using personal email accounts in order not to affect their productivity or flexibility", he explained.
Researchers also found that more than half (51%) of under 25s say if they had an unlimited work mailbox they would be less likely to send work emails to personal accounts - 11% higher than other age groups.
In addition, the study revealed that more than a third (36%) of incoming email to work inboxes is not work related, and that more than 300 work-related emails are sent per person via personal accounts annually.
Borenstein says that email is a vital channel, indeed the preferred choice, of communications within companies today. He adds that, although more fanciful headlines would have us believe that email is on the verge of extinction, the reality is that email is embedded within company culture and will remain a core communication channel for some time to come.
"However, unprecedented change is afoot as a new generation of people who have had lifelong exposure to technology enter the workforce, bringing with them unique challenges in the provision and management of email and other technologies for companies", he said.
"The proliferation of social networks and mobile devices has transformed the communications landscape within companies; employees increasingly mix and match technologies, using devices and platforms interchangeably to find workarounds that maximise their flexibility and productivity", he added.
Against this backdrop, Borenstein concluded that employers need to work out what they are going to do in the face of this cultural shift.