Financial services companies could improve productivity and boost the appeal of workplaces to generation Y staff by employing wireless technology, according to office experts.
The sector had been slow to adopt local area network innovation because of security and privacy concerns, workplace specialist Roberts Weaver Group director David McEwen said.
"Gen Y's desire to feel independent and autonomous has in part driven the uptake of broadband mobility technologies like 3G and Blackberry. While many financial services roles continue to be office based ... the use of wireless mobility within the office is one way to give staff a sense of personal control," McEwen said.
"It's the type of capability that gen Y enters the workforce expecting and employers who can't deliver are missing out on talented staff and sacrificing critical workplace productivity tools."
Mobile technologies, including wireless office phones, laptop computers teamed with wireliess fidelity technology, enable staff to move between their desk and other parts of the office.
Productivity suffered in open plan offices if staff could not temporarily move to a quieter spot if they were unable to concentrate due to distractions, McEwen said.
Centric Wealth has installed wireless devices in its open plan offices. Joint chief executive officer Michael Pillemer said its office was designed to reflect the company's cultural values, which included open communication and internal transparency, however, wireless technology was often useful when privacy was needed.
