The behaviour patterns of the average worker are changing - and it is all because of mobile. SA is a prime case in point, considering the country's rapid and continuous mobile uptake, which has steadily been changing the way we live, work and communicate.
Enterprise mobility provider Aruba Networks - which has dubbed the new group #GenMobile - has compiled a report exploring the new breed of employee it says is "changing the workplace as we know it".
Aruba describes #GenMobile as a group of employees defined by their preference for mobility - both in terms of the devices they use and their approach to work.
"The majority of #GenMobile are in the early stages of their career and are so attached to their mobile devices that they are 15 times more likely to give up coffee and seven times more likely to say goodbye to their televisions than their beloved smartphones.
"They have a tendency for non-traditional work hours, demand flexible work locations over higher salaries and request reliable Internet, asking for WiFi versus 4G, 3G or wired connections."
The report surveyed 5 000 respondents worldwide in November - including 500 South Africans - and these are the findings when it comes to our country's own #GenMobile:
- A new workday is emerging: More than five in 10 (53%) believe they work most efficiently before 9am or after 6pm.
- WiFi is becoming a preference: Nearly 42% prefer WiFi at the expense of other connections (4G, 3G or wired), while 72% declare their mobile devices help them manage their lives.
- All things connected: 64% own three or more devices with the ability to connect to the Internet and 61% selected their car when asked what connected technology they would most like to see in everyday use in the next five years.
- Money isn't everything: Over half (64%) would prefer to work from home two to three days a week than receive a 10% higher salary - and 45% would rather have their employer pay for the smartphone of their choice than get a 5% higher salary.
- Tech at work is essential: 57% would rather be able to bring their own device to work than have an office with a window, and 73% would rather their company paid for their choice of device than provide them with lunch.
- Mobile at every pause: 67% expect their number of remote work hours to increase in the next 12 months.
The report reveals that, rather than acting as an aide to the workday, #GenMobile are shaping their working lives around their mobile devices, says Aruba. "With the ability to work effectively any time, any place and on any device, they expect employers to make the policy and structural changes necessary to enable their preferred form of working."
Matthew Barker, regional manager for sub-Saharan Africa at Aruba, says the company has seen flexible working and always-on connectivity growing for some time - but the latest report shows it has now become a way of life.
"What this report suggests is that #GenMobile won't have patience with companies who do not accommodate their mobile lives or frustrations with traffic across SA's urban road network."
Share