4 Data-Backed Reasons to Use Mobile in the Workplace
Mobile technology is reshaping work and business but few companies have taken full advantage of the potential.
By Matt Straz •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Long gone are the days of working solely from the office or haulin g stacks of paperwork from one place to another. Mobile technology pervades in the workplace not as a distraction, but as a tool for building workplace productivity, communication and morale.
Workers are constantly on-the-go and, as such, mobility has become a key factor affecting today's workplace. Here are four data-backed reasons you should consider taking advantage of mobile tech in the office:
1. Mobile learning drives company success.
Mobile learning, sometimes referred to as m-learning, is defined as learning across multiple contexts using personal mobile devices. Mobile learning enables employees to receive and engage with real-time information while on-the-go anywhere, at any time. This form of information distribution is especially useful for training employees, who benefit from the flexibility to take in information at their own pace. It serves as a great reference tool for on-site and remote workers alike.
An estimated 90 percent of organizations now support corporate applications on a variety of personal mobile devices and by the end of this year the majority of workers will interact with those applications. Mobile is a great way to connect employees with the training tools they need to be productive and engaged members of the workforce. It also saves employers both time and money associated with training.
Related: 4 Ways Technology Can Help 'Clone' Your Best Salespeople
2. Mobile technology provides flexibility.
Mobile technology continues to make working anywhere a possibility for many. As the new generation of workers who grew up with social and mobile technology begins to enter the workforce, it is crucial employers create workplaces that support these technological advances.
Today's workforce is more mobile than ever. The global mobile workforce grew from one billion in 2010 to an estimated 1.3 billion in 2015, according to a forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC). The rise of mobile in the workplace has greatly impacted the way we work. A 2014 survey of 1,500 job seekers conducted by FlexJobs revealed that 20 percent of respondents would take a cut in pay for flexible work options, largely to achieve a better work-life balance (74 percent). The flexibility mobile technology offers can greatly benefit employees and companies -- particularly companies looking to hire remote workers.
3. Recruiting is made easy with mobile tech.
Mobile recruiting is a trend that is likely here to stay, seeing as 43 percent of job seekers use mobile in their job search, according to Jobvite's 2014 Social Recruiting Survey of 1,855 recruiting and HR professionals. Despite the fact that so many job seekers are searching for jobs on their mobile devices, Jobvite's survey found that 59 percent of recruiters currently invest nothing in mobile career sites.
Related: 6 Recruitment Trends You Can't Ignore in 2015
Investing in mobile career sites is crucial to recruiting new talent. A 2013 CareerBuilder survey of 5,518 workers and 2,775 hiring decision makers found that two in five candidates say their perception of a company is negatively impacted if a company career site is not mobile-optimized. With so many job seekers using mobile day-to-day, companies should aim to remedy the mobile disconnect between job seekers and recruiters by making the necessary mobile upgrades to their career sites and applications.
4. Mobile tech takes global business to another level.
As organizations continue to grow and expand to other countries, mobile technology becomes a necessity. The use of mobile devices in the workplace allows for instant access to employees and clients both near and far.
The use of mobile tech helps employees cross work barriers caused by various employee and client time zones and locations. In its Tech Trends 2013 Elements of Postdigital report, Deloitte predicts a "mobile only" future for the global workforce, making the move to mobile something employers need to consider.
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