The Deployment of Computer-Mediated Communication in Workplace Writing Among English as a Second Language Millennial Workforce

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) is a transformative technology that has become a vital part of many workplaces. Workplace writing is an integral form of communication in the workplace which the current majority of workforce is the Millennial generation. The observed phenomenon shows the entangled experiences in the deployment of CMC among the workforce in completing their workplace writing tasks. To understand their experiences, this study gathered a total of five informants who are among the millennial workforce whose English is a second language and graduates from the local Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs). It was found that the workforce, especially at their early stage of work exploited a number of CMC to help them perform workplace writing which are deployed in stages: brainstorming, writing and editing. The aforementioned effectiveness of CMC comes with anxiety, learning, expectations of themselves and their community of practice who are the employers and co-workers, and also the linguistic challenges they encounter when trying to achieve their tasks. The understanding of the experience offers a great break to ensure IHL graduates have an understanding of the attributes, skills and knowledge of CMC at the real workplaces.