UK managers dream of mobile offices

NEWS Two thirds of UK managers said mobile offices could improve their productivity, but employers are determined to keep-up the status quo. A report out today from ICL claims mobile offices or mobile work locations, including working from home, could improve workers productivity. 68 per cent of 200 managers surveyed said it is now harder to work from one office location than it was five years ago. Four out of five respondents believed they could work away from the office at least one day a week and two thirds said they were interested in electronic 'virtual assistant' support for mobile working. Without the necessary technology 39 per cent said they struggle to keep track of messages when out of the office. Only 35 per cent of managers were offered smartphones or WAP phones and only 22 per cent were offered personal digital assistants (PDAs) by their companies. Andy Irvine, mobile messaging manager for ICL, said teleworking will never replace the benefits of face-to-face interaction for managers, but improved technology - especially in the telecommunications field - allows people to "work smarter". "Do you really want to travel an hour and a half to the office to write a two hour report and drive all the way home again?" he asked. Brian Winn, analyst at Schema, said he believes a mobile office can benefit productivity, but there could be a problem with workers who are always out of the office disconnecting with the organisation. "That's something that may prevent its up-take," he said. Tom O'Conner, business systems director at British Gas off-shoot Littice Group, said his company issued PDAs to many of its staff and is now offering such services to third parties. He added: "It adds value and creates better practice because of its flexibility."