An increasing number of workers are ‘going mobile’, according to research commissioned from YouGov and Coleman-Parkes by Sony Ericsson.
Some 53% of working adults in Britain work on the move, with 13% doing it on a daily basis. Almost half of UK employees surveyed said their mobile working has increased in the last year.
A key driver for this increase is that employees are now able to perform a wider variety of tasks away from the office. Mobile devices in particular are becoming more sophisticated. Almost half of respondents access the Internet via a mobile device, 22% of those sampled also said they are able to work on company documents and emails outside the office.
Employers seem happy enough with this trend; 82% of medium and large UK companies say they are prepared to invest in mobile devices for. Businesses clearly see mobile working as a tool to improve efficiency, increase productivity and keep staff motivated. They might have to work harder to put that across; half of workers feel that their employer discourages mobile working.
The problem might be that employers are finding it difficult to keep pace with demand. 51% report that they often cannot see enough tangible benefits to justify costs. More important, 8 out of 10 medium and large UK companies still have data and security concerns about mobile working, particularly with regard to accessing company files.
98% of companies with mobile workers give these staff mobile phones, 91% provide them with laptops and 74% will supply a BlackBerry or equivalent.
A key driver for this increase is that employees are now able to perform a wider variety of tasks away from the office. Mobile devices in particular are becoming more sophisticated. Almost half of respondents access the Internet via a mobile device, 22% of those sampled also said they are able to work on company documents and emails outside the office.
Employers seem happy enough with this trend; 82% of medium and large UK companies say they are prepared to invest in mobile devices for. Businesses clearly see mobile working as a tool to improve efficiency, increase productivity and keep staff motivated. They might have to work harder to put that across; half of workers feel that their employer discourages mobile working.
The problem might be that employers are finding it difficult to keep pace with demand. 51% report that they often cannot see enough tangible benefits to justify costs. More important, 8 out of 10 medium and large UK companies still have data and security concerns about mobile working, particularly with regard to accessing company files.
98% of companies with mobile workers give these staff mobile phones, 91% provide them with laptops and 74% will supply a BlackBerry or equivalent.