Working on the way to work
Fornebu
9 minute read
Almost one in three Norwegians work on their way to and from the office, a new study shows. 'Cloud services, apps, and high-quality network give us the freedom to work when and where it suits us,' says Telenor Norway's Marina Lønning.
Smartphones and tablets have made it easier to work on the move. Some 28 per cent of us work while we are on the way to and from the office, while commuting on the bus, train, or in the car, a survey carried out by YouGov on behalf of Telenor Norway shows.
'It means that people are very well prepared when they arrive at the office. Many have already read and replied to emails, read documents, or talked to customers by phone,' says Marina Lønning, Telenor Norway's business market manager.
And it is not just minor tasks we are doing while we are away from our desks, whether at home, in a hotel, or on the way to and from work. One in six Norwegians conducts at least half of their work elsewhere. Only those who stated they had office jobs were included in the study.
Even though we now have smartphones, tablets and laptops, it does not necessarily mean we can carry out all tasks as we would at our desks. Just 37 per cent say that they have sufficient access to documents they are working with when they are away from the office.
'Today's employees need to be able to work when they want and where they want, and for that they must have the necessary tools to make it possible to work effectively. We have therefore developed a solution that provides you with access to all the documents you have at work, whether you use a PC, mobile phone, or tablet,' says Lønning.
This is possible because the solution is a cloud-based service. This means that all your data is stored on an external server. From there you are able to retrieve all the files you need, regardless of where you are, and you can share documents when working with colleagues. The solution also includes a voice feature that allows you to talk via mobile, tablet, or PC, and moves the conversation to the tool that is most suitable at any given time.
You can also start a video conference on your PC before leaving work and continue the meeting on your mobile phone, while travelling to a customer or home, to collect your kids from nursery.
Such solutions have mainly been used by large companies because they have the necessary investment and IT resources in-house, while small to medium sized businesses don’t have the same resources.
'Now small businesses can make use of the same tools that were formerly only available to larger companies. You simply order one subscription per user, and then you have the office and communications solutions you require to run a business. There are no investments, and you always have up-to-date software. Soon we'll all be working in the cloud,' thinks Lønning.
A strong trend in work life over the past five years is that it has become more flexible, according to work researcher and Institute director, Arild H. Steen of the Work Research Institute.
'Many people have so-called task-controlled jobs, where the most important thing is that the job gets done, not how or when it gets done. This gives employees flexibility that makes it easier to combine work and family life. Employers have more motivated employees who can offer more,' says Steen.
Telenor's study confirms this. Some 35 per cent say they are more effective, 29 per cent state they concentrate better. Almost 46 per cent say that the biggest advantage is that they can work when it suits them, and 28 per cent say that it is easier to combine their job and private life.
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FACTS
Survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Telenor.
What percentage of your work do you do outside of your regular workplace/office?
None: 27 %
10-20 %: 37 %
20-40 %: 20 %
Around half: 10 %
More than half: 6 %
Where do you work most often outside the office? Multiple answers permitted.
On the way to and from work (bus, tram, train): 14 %
In the car: 14 %
At the airport: 9 %
In hotels: 16 %
In cafés: 7 %
At home: 58 %
In a cabin: 5 %
Other: 27 %
What type of work do you do when you work outside of your regular workplace/office?
Read and reply to email: 60 %
Talk to customers/contacts by phone: 43 %
Read documents: 51 %
Write or create presentations: 36 %
Participate in phone meetings: 20 %
Participate in video conferences: 8 %
Other: 23 %
What is/are your most important tools when working outside of your regular workplace/office?
Mobile phone: 47 %
Tablet: 19 %
PC: 68 %
Other: 9 %
What advantages do you see when working in locations other than your regular workplace/office?
I become more creative: 17 %
I concentrate better: 29 %
I become more effective: 35 %
I can work at the times that suit me best: 46 %
It is easier to combine my job with my private life: 28 %
Other: 11 %
None of these: 13 %
What disadvantages do you see when working in locationsother than your regular workplace/office?
I miss social interaction with colleagues: 37 %
I miss good, professional conversations about work: 29 %
I work more than I should: 36 %
Colleagues and managers expect me to be present outside of normal working hours: 16 %
Other: 5 %
No disadvantages: 24 %
Do you require easier access to your work documents, regardless of where you are?
Yes: 20 %
No, I do not require this: 44 %
No, I already have good access: 37 %
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Contact:
Kristin V. Tønnessen, Telenor's PR Manager, Tel. 934 80 648, Email: kvt@telenor.com
'It means that people are very well prepared when they arrive at the office. Many have already read and replied to emails, read documents, or talked to customers by phone,' says Marina Lønning, Telenor Norway's business market manager.
And it is not just minor tasks we are doing while we are away from our desks, whether at home, in a hotel, or on the way to and from work. One in six Norwegians conducts at least half of their work elsewhere. Only those who stated they had office jobs were included in the study.
Working in the cloud
Even though we now have smartphones, tablets and laptops, it does not necessarily mean we can carry out all tasks as we would at our desks. Just 37 per cent say that they have sufficient access to documents they are working with when they are away from the office.
'Today's employees need to be able to work when they want and where they want, and for that they must have the necessary tools to make it possible to work effectively. We have therefore developed a solution that provides you with access to all the documents you have at work, whether you use a PC, mobile phone, or tablet,' says Lønning.
This is possible because the solution is a cloud-based service. This means that all your data is stored on an external server. From there you are able to retrieve all the files you need, regardless of where you are, and you can share documents when working with colleagues. The solution also includes a voice feature that allows you to talk via mobile, tablet, or PC, and moves the conversation to the tool that is most suitable at any given time.
No investments
You can also start a video conference on your PC before leaving work and continue the meeting on your mobile phone, while travelling to a customer or home, to collect your kids from nursery.
Such solutions have mainly been used by large companies because they have the necessary investment and IT resources in-house, while small to medium sized businesses don’t have the same resources.
'Now small businesses can make use of the same tools that were formerly only available to larger companies. You simply order one subscription per user, and then you have the office and communications solutions you require to run a business. There are no investments, and you always have up-to-date software. Soon we'll all be working in the cloud,' thinks Lønning.
Open office
A strong trend in work life over the past five years is that it has become more flexible, according to work researcher and Institute director, Arild H. Steen of the Work Research Institute.
'Many people have so-called task-controlled jobs, where the most important thing is that the job gets done, not how or when it gets done. This gives employees flexibility that makes it easier to combine work and family life. Employers have more motivated employees who can offer more,' says Steen.
Telenor's study confirms this. Some 35 per cent say they are more effective, 29 per cent state they concentrate better. Almost 46 per cent say that the biggest advantage is that they can work when it suits them, and 28 per cent say that it is easier to combine their job and private life.
[featurebox full]
FACTS
Survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of Telenor.
What percentage of your work do you do outside of your regular workplace/office?
None: 27 %
10-20 %: 37 %
20-40 %: 20 %
Around half: 10 %
More than half: 6 %
Where do you work most often outside the office? Multiple answers permitted.
On the way to and from work (bus, tram, train): 14 %
In the car: 14 %
At the airport: 9 %
In hotels: 16 %
In cafés: 7 %
At home: 58 %
In a cabin: 5 %
Other: 27 %
What type of work do you do when you work outside of your regular workplace/office?
Read and reply to email: 60 %
Talk to customers/contacts by phone: 43 %
Read documents: 51 %
Write or create presentations: 36 %
Participate in phone meetings: 20 %
Participate in video conferences: 8 %
Other: 23 %
What is/are your most important tools when working outside of your regular workplace/office?
Mobile phone: 47 %
Tablet: 19 %
PC: 68 %
Other: 9 %
What advantages do you see when working in locations other than your regular workplace/office?
I become more creative: 17 %
I concentrate better: 29 %
I become more effective: 35 %
I can work at the times that suit me best: 46 %
It is easier to combine my job with my private life: 28 %
Other: 11 %
None of these: 13 %
What disadvantages do you see when working in locationsother than your regular workplace/office?
I miss social interaction with colleagues: 37 %
I miss good, professional conversations about work: 29 %
I work more than I should: 36 %
Colleagues and managers expect me to be present outside of normal working hours: 16 %
Other: 5 %
No disadvantages: 24 %
Do you require easier access to your work documents, regardless of where you are?
Yes: 20 %
No, I do not require this: 44 %
No, I already have good access: 37 %
[/featurebox]
Contact:
Kristin V. Tønnessen, Telenor's PR Manager, Tel. 934 80 648, Email: kvt@telenor.com