“Global study by Cisco reveals 60 percent of workers believe being in the office is no longer needed to be productive.  Demand to work anywhere, anytime stronger than desire for higher salary; two of three workers expect IT to allow access to corporate information with any device, personal or company-issued” – Cisco release

A recent study commissioned by Cisco Systems, with statistics on worker mobility in relation to everything from productivity and corporate security, to company loyalty, salary and job preference, has been released with the tease line, “Is the office really necessary?”  The Cisco Connected World Report includes responses from workers and IT professionals in 13 countries worldwide.  Here are some of the key findings from the workers interviewed:

• As many as 60% of workers believe their office is not integral to their productivity, with 66% expecting IT to permit corporate access from mobile devices, whether corporate or personal
• A 66% majority said they would accept a position paying lower salary, provided it had greater flexibility with regard to mobile and  social media access, over a position paying a higher salary

The trends aren’t really surprising.  As offices offer increasingly greater options for mobile access, workers are going to continue to demand more.  The concern is actually with regard to the responses of the IT professionals interviewed :

• Nearly half (45%) declared their company unprepared for increased mobile demand, citing security as the greatest impediment, with corporate policies and inadequate technology infrastructure factoring in as well
• In support of their security concerns, 26% of IT respondents reported that one in four of the mobile devices issued to workers in the past year had already been lost or stolen

The study’s findings indicate that enhanced network infrastructure is absolutely necessary to accomodate the increasing demand for worker mobility, as well as management’s demand for worker productivity.  On the management side, progressive policies and employee education on mobile access will contribute to company morale and productivity, and, of course, data security.

Is your company ready to expand the boundaries of your office?  Contact Gyver Networks today to find out.