By Kevin Christopherson
NEC Display

For those of us who remember a world before the Internet, and even those who remember when the cool factor about mobile phones was you could make or receive calls when you weren’t near a landline, technology is generally viewed as a means to an end.

Not so for the generation that grew up with the Internet in its pocket.

In Cisco’s Connected World Technology Report released late last year, researchers report just how important technology is to tech-savvy young professionals entering the workforce today. They said, given the choice between more money and access to smart phones, Facebook and other hot technologies, they’ll take the technologies, thank you very much. That’s a very different attitude than the generations before them, and one recruiters and hiring managers are going to face more and more.

Remember, these Millennials spend hours upon hours watching high-end LCD LED TVs, and using tablets and smartphones with screens that deliver bright, exciting colors that pop. So understandably, they want a certain level of technology sophistication in their workplaces, which means forward-looking companies will have to change their thinking to attract and retain the brightest talent. Good enough isn’t good enough anymore for the up-and-coming generation.

The good news for organizations looking to tap into this pool of desirable candidates is that a high-end monitor technology on par with what Millennials are used to is now readily available in displays that are affordable. Not only would upgrading company work displays help with hiring hot prospects, but for those already on board, it could provide an incentive for staying.

This technology, called in-plane switching (IPS), was once was the domain of graphic designers, photographers, CAD engineers and others who required the most accurate color representation. The latest IPS technology is called Advanced High-Performance IPS (AH-IPS). It’s applicable for companies with a wide range of employees, from paralegals to real estate brokers, and it offers many advantages over Twisted Nematic (TN) LCD technology—the basic display brains behind millions of work monitors for many years.

Better Color Representation

One of the main benefits of IPS-based monitors is that they deliver the best and the most accurate color representation. More and more workflow requires colors to be displayed correctly on a screen — even for employees who are not graphics professionals. For example, workers may be asked to review marketing materials on their displays. Without good color representation, they run the risk of misconstruing what they’re seeing. They may think that the colors don’t look right when, in fact, they are. In extreme cases, they may even misinterpret charts or graphs. This may not be a monitor calibration or color profile issue, but basic color representation. IPS delivers screen images with colors that are accurate, real and life-like, not muted.

Better Multitasking, Collaboration

AH-IPS technology also provides the best off-angle viewing available for both individuals and groups of people compared to TN displays. More and more work is done in collaboration — whether through virtual meetings or with groups of people congregating around a computer screen.

Plus, think about those Millennials again. They are used to gaming and group thinking, and collaboration is in their DNA.

But with a TN-based monitor, the viewer needs to be centered directly in front of the display to see the most accurate colors and contrast. That’s also the case with multi-monitor configurations. When off-viewing angles aren’t clean, the color and contrast can decrease dramatically.

The concept applies to individuals who multitask, too. A nurse screening a patient’s blood pressure should be able to see the BP monitor on his or her mobile cart clearly from a workstation with no straining or body repositioning required.

Off-angle viewing is important for groups, as well. When employees want to be show their colleagues something on their screens:

• They should not have to move out of the way.
• Their colleagues should be able to view the image correctly on the screen from an off-angle.
• They should experience good color representation from edge-to-edge across the screen and without color changes in the corners.

Younger generations entering the work force today want technologies they’re using at work to meet the performance levels they’ve become accustomed to in other aspects of their lives. Taking advantage of the performance and affordability of IPS technology will give your workforce something they need to do their jobs better while giving recruiters and hiring managers one more edge in the battle to attract and retain the best employees.

Kevin Christopherson is the director of product marketing for Desktop Displays at NEC Display Solutions. He can be reached at kchristopherson@necdisplay.com.