The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way we live. While some changes will be temporary (hopefully), some aspects of life might not ever go back to the way they were before. For many people in the U.S., remote work had become a necessity in the past year to keep businesses running. During that time, people have become increasingly dependent on their mobile devices in both their personal and work lives. While vaccines have allowed many employees to work in person, there is still uncertainty around when and if people will fully return to offices.
Digital Turbine conducted a survey to better understand the state of the American workplace and how mobile devices are used at work. The Digital Turbine Future of Work Survey was distributed nationwide in the U.S. and asked employed people about current and preferred work situations, mask and vaccination requirements, and how smartphones are used during work.
Let’s dive into the survey’s highlights, and be sure to scroll down and download the infographic and full report!
Most employees are working in person. - Despite the ongoing pandemic, most respondents said they are working in person in some capacity. Almost half of the respondents said their current work situation is in-person only, while 31% are in a hybrid situation (both at home and in-person). Fully remote work is still uncommon with only a 19% share.
Employed Americans prefer a hybrid work model. - A majority of respondents said they prefer to have a mix of working at home and in-person. A significant share (30%) favor working in-person full while only 26% would like to only work remotely. While much has been said about the flexibility of working remotely, employees still see the value in working in person. The hybrid model allows for some flexibility but also includes socialization and access to resources that might not be available at home.
Masks are required but vaccinations are not. - More than half of respondents said they are required to wear masks at their workplace regardless of their vaccination status. While most companies enforce a mask requirement, they are not so stringent when it comes to vaccinations. 52% of respondents say their employers do not require vaccinations before returning to the workplace. Vaccination mandates have been a hotly debated topic as several major companies have begun to require vaccines for their employees.
Smartphones are critical when getting work done. - Just under half of employed Americans say it's important or extremely important to use smartphones specifically for work purposes. The U.S. has one of the highest smartphone adoption rates in the world so mobile devices are often used for both personal and business use. Because many Americans are not going to their workplace every day, they are using smartphones to keep up with work when not at the office.
Communication is the prime way employees use their smartphones for work. - Email is the most common way to use a smartphone with a 68% share. Messaging clients or colleagues is not far behind at 66%. Surprisingly, many people (60%) are still using their devices to make phone calls for work. Besides communication, 40% of respondents said they are using devices to maintain their work calendars.
Don't forget to click on the infographic to open it full size!
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