Tech Habits of Employees in the Workplace

Gone are the days where the water cooler served as the hub of workplace discussion. With the advent of social media and mobile technology, more and more people are using their smartphones, tablets, and other devices to communicate with one another.

In noticing this trend, Verizon Wireless surveyed more than 3,000 people and found the following results based on their usage of mobile tech in the workplace.

How, then, are people using their mobile devices?

How Many Devices Are People Using?

For most, they're limiting to one or two devices. However, nearly 30 percent of responders said that they use three or more devices while on the clock.

It's not all about smartphones. While the numbers aren't staggering for tablet usage, one in three people are using them at work. It's likely that this number will rise in the near future.

What Are The Devices Being Used For?

Texts are being sent, but not as many as you may think. Nearly 70 percent of people said they only send up to five work-related texts per day. As for those sending non-work related? That's probably much higher.

Most people are keeping it clean on their phones and tablets. An overwhelming majority of responders (80.4 percent) said, "I hope not!," when asked if they ever sent a photo, text, or email that could get them fired. As for those who do? Six percent said they do it all the time.

Work phones are becoming a thing of the past. At least, it appears that way based on the 61.6 percent of people who said they only use one phone for both personal and work use. They favor keeping it simple rather than complicating things by having multiple devices in their pockets, bags, etc.

The Impact of Mobile Tech on Productivity

Mobile devices may not be as distracting as you assume. More than half of those surveyed said that their devices actually make them more productive compared to when they weren't using those items.

More usability leads to more work being done. With the ability to read and write emails, among other tasks, at one's fingertips, it's only inevitable that more work will be done.

Some argue that more devices is actually bad for productivity. The other responders admitted that they actually get distracted by the number of devices available to them. It's one thing to have Facebook and Twitter accessible on your computer, and another thing entirely when they are easy-to-access apps on your smartphone.

While some are clearly using their mobile tech for reasons other than finishing up a project or communicating with a co-worker, it appears that the majority are taking advantage of their smart devices to create a more efficient workplace.

It will be particularly interesting to see if Verizon provides an update on this survey in the next few years because the dynamics are sure to change right alongside future technological improvements.

Tech in the Workplace Infographic