Enterprise mobility fueling employee productivity, report finds
The rise of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices for business use has been lauded for improving employee productivity, as the always connected nature of the devices means users have constant access to corporate email and data. A recent report from a mobility solutions provider quantified how much mobile devices are changing the work environment.
According to the quarterly Mobile Workforce Report, employees are now thinking about work even during their personal downtime more than ever, thanks in large part to their smartphones.
As a matter of fact, 91 percent of respondents to the firm's survey said they check their smartphones during downtime. Another 30 percent said they check their device every six to 12 minutes during this period.
"Mobile employees are taking advantage of being connected 24/7 to help them be more productive at home and work – working an average of 240 hours more a year," said Steven Wastie, senior vice president of marketing and product management for the solutions provider.
With employees accessing their email and corporate data as often as they do, companies will want to be sure they have deployed the correct contract to enhance efforts for managing corporate wireless spend. Also, a wireless expense management program can ensure that allotted minutes and data are used appropriately by mobile workers.
The report drew on a survey of 3,700 mobile employees at 1,100 enterprises worldwide. It found that 94 percent have a smartphone and 41 percent have a tablet.
Thirty-four percent of respondents plan to purchase a tablet in the next six months, while 87 percent of employees who already own a tablet say they use it for at least some work-related tasks.
Also, 27 percent of respondents have a tablet supplied by their company {something is missing in this phrase}, leaving 73 percent to provide their own.
Other interesting findings show that 61 percent of respondents sleep with their smartphone nearby, 43 percent of whom keep it at arm's length. That causes them to check it in the middle of the night and read emails first thing in the morning.
If the latest market report from Gartner is any indication, the pervasiveness of smartphones and the commonality of always being connected will only increase. According to the research firm, a total of 427.8 million mobile communication devices shipped during the first quarter, 24 percent of which were smartphones.