Employees infused with mobile devices spend about 28 minutes per day on technology distractions, according to a new report from iPass. The quarterly “iPass Mobile Workforce Report” noted that the top two most time consuming distractions employees face are work e-mail and technical issues, with the third most distracting being social media.
The distracting nature of wireless devices is becoming more commonplace in the work environment as the report also noted that business smartphone usage has increased 26% year-over-year to 91%, with 95% of mobile employees in possession of a smartphone. IPass noted the surge in smartphone possession amongst employees is due in part to the “bring your own device” policies of many enterprises, with 42% of mobile employees currently using a personal-liability smartphone for work.
That personal-liability also pours over into personal time as the report found mobile employees skimping on sleep and exercise. One-third of those surveyed said that they slept less due to work, with one in four saying they slept less than six hours per night. The survey also found that 60% of mobile employees attributed reduced exercise to work. More disturbing was that 59% of those surveyed said they would feel “disoriented, distraught or lonely if they were without a smartphone for even a week.” Yikes!
As for those devices, iPass found that Apple’s iPhone has become the top smartphone among mobile employees, unseating Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices. The report noted that the iPhone now was 45% market share amongst mobile employees, while BlackBerry has seen its market share decline from 35% last year to 32% this year. Google’s Android platform surged past Nokia/Symbian into the No. 3 spot with 21% market share.
As for the demographic of employees, iPass found that the median age of mobile employees has dipped to 41, “indicating that mobile employees are no longer only business travelers; they are every knowledge worker with a smartphone,” iPass noted.
“Today’s mobile employees are critical to the success of every enterprise, contributing 240 more work hours a year than their non-mobile counterparts. Connectivity is essential because work is no longer where you go but what you do,” said Evan Kaplan, president and CEO of iPass.
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