A new survey by Forrester Research shows that American workers not only support the concept of telework, but also want smartphones to help them stay even better connected to work e-mail and documents as well as co-workers, ComputerWorld reports. In fact, many workers are willing to foot all or part of the bill for such access, the survey found.
For example, just 11 percent of U.S. information workers today use a smartphone at work. But two-thirds of respondents noted that they want more flexible work hours, while a third want to work from home at least occasionally. A third of respondents also said they use their own mobile phones for work.
The survey also found that teleworkers work, on average, two hours more per week than office workers, largely because they can access applications anywhere. For example, 81 percent of information workers with smartphones use them from home, while 62 percent use them for work while traveling, and 64 percent use them while at their desks. And 29 percent of smartphone users spend three or more hours a day with the device, Forrester found.
As federal IT workers, are you in favor of having the ability to meld your work and personal life even more by having access to the office through your smartphone? Would you be willing to pay for such access from your own pocket?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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