Study finds young gov't IT workers say tech is dated

Young IT workers in the U.S. government believe technology is obsolete by the
time it is rolled out and are concerned that they can't get the experience they
need because some functions are outsourced, according to a focus-group report
released Monday.

A group of technology interns at the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency
(DISA) also said cost-cutting in the U.S. government limits their ability to
innovate, and they raised concerns that the more veteran IT workforce isn't
oriented toward information sharing, according to the report, released by Telework
Exchange, an Alexandria, Virginia, group that promotes telecommuting among government
workers.

But the coming retirement of a huge portion of federal workers also presents
opportunities that the interns were aware of, said Cindy Auten, Telework Exchange's
general manager. About 60 percent of U.S. government civil service workers are
eligible for retirement in the next five years, she said.

"They show a good perception of the way the workforce is changing,"
Auten said. "They focused on this knowledge gap that's going to exist with
the baby boomers retiring. Obviously, knowledge management plays a critical
role, but they also looked at the fact that it provides them a lot of opportunity."

On the downside, the IT workers said the U.S. government is hampered by slow
product and service procurement processes, and government agencies don't have
proper business processes in place.

For the report, the Telework Exchange interviewed 14 IT professionals who are
part of a DISA fast-track internship program that offers rapid promotions. The
focus groups were conducted in September. The IT workers were all part of Generation
Y, people born after 1977. DISA gave permission for Telework Exchange to talk
with its interns.

While the focus groups raised concerns about working in government IT, they
also saw several benefits. They saw government jobs as more stable as those
in the private sector, they praised government benefits, and they said they
enjoyed reasonable work hours and flexible schedules. The interns praised DISA's
leadership for supporting teleworking options.

Asked how they prefer to communicate, the group focused on e-mail and text
messaging as the top tools. The interns had mixed reactions with social-networking
sites, with some reluctance to admit use, the Telework Exchange said. Outside
instant messaging services aren't allowed, due to security regulations.

The group said they prefer to find information online, through search engines
and through online publications. "Fifteen times a day, I am Googling something,"
one intern said.

The young IT workers said they frequently go to blogs for information, but
most often through search engines. There was "little loyalty, no name recall"
for blogs, Telework Exchange said. The interns also tended not to trust some
publications focused on government IT, saying they seemed to be "brag sheets"
for federal executives with exaggerated successes.

About half of the group used podcasts, although some saw podcasts as "propaganda,"
Telework Exchange said.

There was also an "obvious disdain" for print publications, Telework
Exchange said. "If you are reading a magazine or newspaper, it looks like
you are goofing off," one IT worker said. "If you are reading your
screen, [it] looks like you are working."

Telework Exchange predicted that when this generation of young government IT
workers is in charge, they will try to steer procurement and development processes
to be more like the private sector. They will focus on information sharing and
knowledge management, and they will look for employers who provide a work/life
balance, the group predicted.