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Story URL: http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/travel/0,3800011481,39159539,00.htm

Leader: Why we must embrace mobile working
Why fie on wi-fi?

By silicon.com

Published: Wednesday 14 June 2006

silicon.com has been talking a lot lately about wi-fi and the benefits of mobile working - where we'll work, what we'll do and how it will change our lives.

There are several factors which will shape the way we work in a wireless world - most simply though they boil down to human and technological factors. In a nutshell, we have to have the technology and we have to be able to use it.

We are nearing a situation where wi-fi access is widespread, if still far from ubiquitous, and thus more and more companies and individuals are discovering what this means to them. That is the hurdle which must now be overcome - what changes must take place before we are all working wirelessly?

If you don't believe us that this will happen, just think back to the days when the majority of people asked what need they could possibly have for a mobile phone.

Recent research from Coleman Parkes suggests 53 per cent of companies plan to dedicate more budget to mobile tools and technologies for their employees over the coming three years than they do today. But companies must also spend more time addressing the human issues - such as a culture which pervades in the UK where 'sat at your desk' is synonymous with 'hard at work', while staff working remotely - whether it's from their lounge, the pub, a coffee shop or a park - are seen as 'slacking off' to a degree.

At the heart of this culture is the fact the same research revealed that job satisfaction and a better work-life balance are the major reasons why companies would move to mobile working patterns. This suggests many companies still view it as a bonus - a perk - for staff. In some instances it is of course but it also goes hand-in-hand with greater productivity, when it is rolled out with the right level of trust and respect between employee and employer.

Research by silicon.com today found that laptop users believe they would be able to work most effectively in a pub, given a choice of many hotspot locations when they are out and about. And why not? Pubs are everywhere, they're often quiet during the day, they offer a decent environment in which to sit and they offer a degree of security perhaps above and beyond other hotspot locations.

But it's not about the location per se, it's about the justification for working anywhere which gets the best out of the employee by enabling them to maximise their time if they are out of the office, or do not need to be in the office.

There is no reason, other than a stigma in the minds of the perennially deskbound, why it shouldn't be an option if that employee believes that is how they will work best.

So beyond companies providing employees with mobile working technology and meeting associated costs (with a fairly clear ROI) - and beyond businesses providing customers with wireless access - there must be a bridging of issues. For mobile working to take the next step, it will require greater human understanding and a realisation that this trend is happening and should be embraced.