The Virtualisation of Work

Friday, September 16th, 2011 Rob Bamforth, Principal Analyst, Quocirca

By Rob Bamforth, Principal Analyst, communication, collaboration and convergence, Quocirca Ltd

Once, for all but hardened road warriors, the separation between work and ‘life’ seemed only slightly permeable, with few business activities – checking emails, taking the odd phone call – bleeding out beyond the edge of the traditional working environment or time. Now, according to the most recent iPass enterprise mobility survey, many more mobile employees are adopting a far more flexible approach to working time and location, and apparently with both personal and business benefits.

Not so long ago a flexible working location meant a home office, hotel room or coffee shop, being largely dictated by available connectivity and the space to unpack and set out a laptop. Now, within many traditional workplaces there is more flexibility with shared spaces, hot-desking, and wireless connectivity from anywhere in the buildings or campus. Employees are no longer tethered or constrained by their need to access IT to perform their duties and the vast majority access a mobile device daily within the office.

The home is still the most common secondary workplace and is a daily point of connection for almost half of the mobile enterprise employees recently surveyed by iPass. Outside of the comfort of office and home, over a third will connect while travelling, in coffee shops and restaurants and while otherwise out and about several times per week..

Hours are also flexible and around a quarter will work while commuting, but a greater number will stretch to pre- and post-commuting times too. For some it might be a way of relieving the pressures of work, and for others perhaps a way to focus without the frequent interruptions and distractions of the workplace. However the most striking observation is the large numbers that choose to re-engage with working activities after they have wound down and had meals or time with their family.

The reasons why this is happening are crucial for deciding whether this is a stress related ‘blip’ or part of a longer-term trend. The consumerisation of mobile technologies means the same devices are now used for personal as well as work activities, allowing individuals to more easily choose when to switch between one activity and another, irrespective of where they are. Now, more than half of employees think this flexibility makes them substantially more productive.

There are also individual and personal benefits as over half feel less stressed and two thirds believe that it is now easier to balance personal and work commitments. This balance has taken an unexpected twist as increasing numbers feel they can switch off the mobile connection when they choose, and use this disconnection to dedicate more time and attention to personal activities, such as enjoying going out or spending more time with the family – controlled disconnection reintroducing a calmer quality to personal time.

The nature of work is changing. For many, work is already not defined by place, and it is now no longer a discrete activity or period of time. Through the proliferation of small, smart devices and ubiquitous mobile connectivity, work is being ‘virtualised’ and broken into fundamental component parts. These individual units of effort can be used far more effectively and efficiently as employees exert their own controls over time and place, benefiting both their work and personal life.

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