Meet #GenMobile

GenMobile workers are on the move. The growth of smartphones and tablets have commonly become a part of the user lifestyle. According to Aruba Networks, #GenMobile are a group of people for whom smartphones have gone beyond personal entertainment and BYOD. These type of users are shaping their world around mobile devices.

The recent report by Aruba Networks shared deeper insight about #GenMobile users, what they expect in the workplace and how, as an employer, can best cater to their mobile needs. The online survey asked over 5,000 members of the public across the USA, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Aruba has also defined a younger #GenMobile group via a cross-section of the survey base who showed the highest preference for mobility at home and work. The younger #GenMobile group happen to be between the ages of 18-35.

Aruba identified interesting statistics about the mobile worker. The research showed that 86% of all respondents have two or more connected devices (those with the ability to connect to the internet), and nearly two thirds (64%) already own three or more connected mobile devices. Another 39% own four or more. Indicators led to a more flexible working environment. 45% of respondents say they work most efficiently before 9am or after 6pm. Introducing flexibility in the working day could help increase productivity. 70% of people prefer flexible working than working 9 to 5 with an early finish on Fridays.

The report also indicates that #GenMobile are so attached to their mobile devices that they are 15 times more likely to give up coffee and seven times more likely to say goodbye to their televisions than their beloved smartphones. Disconnection is still a favorable alternative. 64% of global consumers claim that their mobile devices make them more productive at work, the same number (63%) of consumers still appreciate ‘disconnected’.

Over half surveyed prefer to work from home or remotely two to three days a week than receive a 10% higher salary. Globally 37% expect an increase of remote working – just 4.5% foresee a decrease reports Aruba. By country, those in South Africa are likely to increase their remote hours by the most, with almost a quarter (23%) expecting an increase in remote working of over 25%. For younger #GenMobile, this leaning towards remote working is amplified: 49% of the group forecast an increase in the time they spend working remotely in 2014.

These users are connected. The younger #GenMobile is more interested in connected devices than any other group, with connected cars (54%), clothes (17%) and wallets (19%) of particular interest. While interest in connected cars may be expected, there is a clear demand from younger #GenMobile for the technology to go further, with almost a fifth expressing an interest in connected clothes and shoes as indicated in the report. Aruba Networks states that employers need to pay attention to this demand for a more connected world.