According to Google’s Consumer Barometer, the percentage of people in the UK who use a smartphone rose from 51% to 71% from 2012 to 2015. In 2016 that is set to rise to well over 80%. Google’s research shows that smartphones are for more than just keeping in touch – many people (especially young millennials) use them for just about everything: work, shopping, Facebook, watching videos, recording videos, the list goes on… Google estimates that 90% of millennials go online daily and that 75% of this group use a smartphone at least as often as a desktop computer.
Here are 5 ways in which smartphones are changing the world of work:
Flexibility
Smartphones enable workers to do all the things they might have previously done on a desktop or laptop on the go. Take presentations for example which now don’t require lots of bulky devices or suitcases full of documents. Everything can be shared via mobile. Smartphones give workers access to clients, colleagues, documents and social media whether they are on a train, at a business meeting or even on the beach. We have effectively created a 24/7 workplace.
An App for Everything
Modern workers now have a dizzying range of apps for their devices that mean a vast range of tasks can be completed at the touch of button. Project management apps like Basecamp and Trello allow tasks and campaigns to be organised remotely. Skype makes conference calls a breeze from anywhere and storing documents in the cloud has become almost second nature. Could you live without Dropbox, Google Docs or One Drive?
Job Search
Studies have shown that a majority of today’s job seekers search for new roles using a mobile device. Mobile devices allow users to search in real time for the latest opportunities. Services like Linkedin even send targeted job ads to your mobile device.
Information Gathering
Mobile devices have made the process of researching information more and more streamlined over the past decade. Crowdsourced information is easily available from social media channels and review sites. Curated updates can be sent directly to your device.
Speed
Information can be sent and received in a matter of seconds with today’s mobile devices and high speed broadband. Today’s top phones have computing power that could only have been dreamed about by early internet pioneers. It’s also very easy to keep up to speed with the latest technology today – users can get the inside track on the best handsets with trusted mobile reviews.
Wow – do you remember when mobile phones first came on the scene? Too young to remember? Take a look at this history of mobile phones. In the space of a few short decades we have seen a shift to a completely connected world, a world in which mobiles allow us to be always on. This trend looks set to continue with the rise of #iot, the Internet of Things – a world in which everyday objects are connected to each other via the internet. Soon you’ll be discussing the day’s weather with your fridge!
Image by Janitors used under Creative Commons License.
