Knowing full well that Gen Y is more tech-savvy than any generation that's come before it, why do so many companies ignore that resource?

A couple of weeks ago, Allison wrote in this space about the advantages GY'ers (especially GY women) can offer because of their lifelong tech and social networking skills. So what happens when they hit the business world?

They're shoehorned into doing thing only in a certain, well-prescribed way, even though that "way" may be ignoring all the newer possibilities. If Facebook has opened socialization to go beyond networking, but now includes sharing technology and tech knowledge, why not take advantage of it? (Side note: that's exactly what the internet was originally designed to do -- share technical knowledge).

In a recent CNET article, Tony Speakman of database company Filemaker said, ""We've all got e-mail, and we've all got access to the Internet, and so we probably tend to think we're completely up to date.

"But what we've tended to do in many businesses is we've automated a paper process rather than necessarily look at the capability of the technology that you have and ask if there are even more efficient ways to use it," he said."

So what can be done? Companies can get their heads out of the 20th Century and start thinking creatively about how employee skills can help. They can do regular employee check-ins of what skills are available and how they may be used. And then they can take make a priority out of finding ways to let employees -- especially GY'ers, but not limited to them -- use those skills as part of their jobs. Maybe it would even help the employees feel more valued, and help with employee retention.

Go on, I want to hear some legitimate arguments as to why that can't be done. Or shouldn't be done. Go on, tell me why...

Photo by DMBFreakNo41