But new research commissioned by my company, EE, shows businesses are lagging dangerously behind this mobile revolution. People have mobility in their personal lives and they expect it at work as well, yet only one in five employees in large businesses are equipped to work away from their desks, while 41 percent of respondents said the mobile devices they use for work are old and not fast enough. And just 18 percent of organisations provide mobile apps to employees, despite the business and productivity benefits.
For example, UNITE, a leading UK operator of purpose-built student accommodation, introduced an app for its facilities maintenance team, allowing them to update and view information about maintenance jobs. The app increased the number of completed jobs by 30 percent.
In many ways, it has been a lost mobile decade for British businesses, which have been slow to embed mobile-enabled processes and practices into the fabric of their organisations.
While some businesses cite barriers to truly embracing mobile, some – worryingly – still don't even see its potential for unleashing the workforce and unlocking growth.
For many businesses, it is a cultural and organisational transformation that needs to take place – not simply a change in CIO mindset or an activity for the IT and procurement teams. We are approaching a mobility watershed and British businesses need to plan now or risk disruptive change being forced on them.
One of the cultural shifts impacting mobility is the emergence of Generation Y, brought up in a digital age, into the workplace. Gen Y people use six apps per day and spend over two hours on their smartphone on average and flexible working practices are an important factor when they consider employers.
Gen Y hasn't quite yet ascended into executive leadership roles in British businesses, but this will happen within the next decade and lead to a sea change in the way organisations use mobility.
Employees who have options to work in ways that make the location of work arbitrary are able to operate dynamically, innovate more readily and ultimately be more productive and engaged team members.
When equipped with the right tools, employees work and are productive everywhere, anytime – 17 percent while queuing, 8 percent from the beach, half while in meetings.
Of course, work-life balance is also important, but the figures show how productivity improves when mobility frees employees from the shackles of a culture where the workplace is seen a specific building or set location.
Employee expectations for mobility will only continue to grow as consumers become more and more sophisticated users, as mobile device penetration increases and connectivity becomes faster.
Powering mobile Britain is about trusting and empowering employees to meet their responsibilities in more flexible and productive ways. More than technology, it is about creating a culture of mobility throughout the organisation.
I'd be interested to hear how this post reflects your businesses' approach to mobility – wherever you are in the world. Is your business ready for the mobile revolution?
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