Mobility’s Annual Productivity Gains Per Federal Employee Can Reach $14,000—Study Says
Mobility’s Annual Productivity Gains Per Federal Employee Can Reach $14,000—Study Says by UCStrategies Staff
The new report Feds on the Go: Network Needs for Maximum Mobility examined how outdated IT infrastructure hinders mobility and how mobile devices are used by government employees in the workplace. The study is based on a June 2013 online survey of 209 federal managers (GS-13 and above).
Underwritten by Brocade and conducted by federal IT consortium MeriTalk, the results of the study also show that the annual productivity gains per mobile federal employee can reach an estimated $14,000 or an average of additional seven hours every week.
Aside from productivity gains, reliable remote connectivity and mobile access offer flexibility to federal workers, according to the results of the survey. Eighty-one percent of Feds polled connect to work remotely at least once a week, 54 percent report connecting at least once a day, and 45 percent say that they connect multiple times a day. In addition, federal workers say that they spend around nine hours per week to check their inbound correspondence through their mobile devices—on top of their full-time work schedule.
To achieve connectivity, 88 percent of federal employees use laptops, 53 percent use smartphones, and 19 percent use tablets.
Because of mobile access, 45 percent of the federal managers surveyed report being able to work more efficiently, 34 percent say that they feel “more available” to their respective teams, 28 percent indicate feeling more “tuned in,” and 28 percent say that they collaborate with their colleagues more frequently.
However, existing IT infrastructure limits the additional productivity gains brought about by increased mobility among government workers, according to the study. Seventy percent of respondents report their inability to remotely access all the information they need. In addition, 82 percent of respondents express frustration about their agency’s connectivity and mobile access options. Sixty-five percent cite slow connection problems, 57 percent specify cumbersome security measures, and 43 percent point to limited network access as the challenges associated with mobility.
When embracing mobility and maximizing the productivity gains that come with it, government employees are not confronted by technology-related challenges alone. The ongoing emphasis on traditional work settings also presents a hurdle. Even if 56 percent of federal managers polled say that they feel most productive while at their desk, 82 percent of them spend most of their workday there.
To increase work efficiency, 54 percent of respondents suggest reliable connectivity to work regardless of location, 51 percent recommend improvement on network access, and 51 percent recommend fast service.
“Federal employees are increasingly unplugging from their desktops and using mobile devices to connect to work,” said Anthony Robbins, vice president Federal, Brocade. “Not only is mobile connectivity what Federal workers want, it can provide substantial productivity gains to Federal agencies. Just as large commercial companies have been doing for years, agencies should enable mobile connectivity. They need to embrace the growth in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend by investing in and deploying modern infrastructure improvements that deliver seamless connectivity, improved access, and increased speed of service.”
The report also comes with a guide for IT leaders to help them understand the different mobile working styles and infrastructure needs of today’s government workers. (KOM) Link. Link.