Anne All at IT Business Edge has a post about a recent(ish) survey, which suggested39% of US 18-24 year-olds would consider quitting their job if their employer banned Facebook (with another 21% who would be ‘annoyed’). Worth a read – as are the comments.

Anne’s response is a common one in the media, helpfully suggesting such people might like to consider growing up a little. She draws her evidence from the fact that Faceban-outrage drops sharply from the youngest staff upwards. I think she’s half way there. This is a generational thing true, but it’s not a problem for the kids, it’s a problem for us.

Taking the survey with a fistful of salt: At the moment the over 30s don’t care that their poking might get curtailed during office hours, whilst the 20 somethings do. I don’t think that means that in 10 years time, today’s yoof will have given up on their own generation’s ways of doing things. More likely we’ll have 2 decades of network-natives, not just the one.

Proof, you say? Consider these men. 51 and 38. Maybe they should have a word with Ann (Actually, I’d pay to read that post).

Ann also maligns younger workers more than a bit in thinking this is just about a selfish desire for playtime on the bosses’ time. She contrasts it unfavourably with similar numbers who want to work for a greener employer. I think they’re the same side of the same coin.

The new generation are highly idealistic, and don’t see such a need to bend their principles or attitudes to an employer. In banning Facebook, the company is saying both “we don’t trust you kids”, which is a slap, and “we just don’t get the new networking”, which is just as bad an omen for young people who aren’t setting out to be alienated from their own work from the get-go.

The 39% are really saying “We’d consider walking from an employer who was patronising and stupid”, and that’s not nearly such a contentious statement.