Tools that contributed positively to employee productivity included email (85 percent), telephones (75 percent), text messaging (67 percent), and instant messaging (66 percent). Mobile employees were fairly evenly split on the value of meetings (54 percent) and travel (48 percent) to their productivity. And despite its recent rise in popularity, 78 percent of mobile employees saw social media as drain on their work productivity:
Figure 3. Do you view these are a drain or gain to your productivity?
Mobile maniacs (30 percent) and mobile masters (25 percent) were more likely to see social media as a productivity gain versus the mobile majority (20 percent) and the mobile minority (22 percent):
Figure 4. So you view these as a gain to productivity? (Ranked by mobile employee segments.)
Technology Productivity Comments
“Mobile technology allows me to prioritize tasks, rather than spend time responding to tasks that are not urgent… but the owner of the problem can get hold of you when they need to (e.g., phone). It also saves me tons of travel time (both overseas and locally).”
- Business analyst, mining and exploration
“Being connected makes it possible to resolve situations quickly, develop ideas, and make things happen when needed. On the other hand, it increases everyone’s email traffic, sometimes without so much purpose.”
- University professor
