According to a study by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Smartphones, thought to hamper workplace productivity due to their ability to make telephone calls, surf the Internet and play games may not be the costly distraction companies make them out to be.
Before the age of smartphones, customers and clients had to be contacted on their office phone. Smartphones provide employees and clients the ability to contact one another quickly and efficiently. Conflicts are resolved faster using smartphones. An individual is considered ‘rude’ if he does not respond to a simple text message, email, or phone call within a certain period of time.
According to a study by the University of Kansas, “Smartphone Micro-breaks During Work Day are Productive.” The study recommends that employees should be given a few short breaks throughout the day. It increases the productivity and more deadlines are met, as mini-breaks allow employees to take their minds off potential work stress and keep their mind fresh. The study says “workers who use their phones for short breaks throughout the day tend to be happier and have a more positive attitude.” Let’s take a look at some of the credible reasons to allow smartphones for official purposes.
- Organizing tasks
Smartphones help maintain a schedule and keep users up to date about upcoming events and allow them to manage their daily tasks more efficiently. A smartphone allows communication everywhere, away from office or home and personalizes data according to set preferences and priorities.
- Easy access
The best feature found in smartphones is that they enable access to anything from anywhere. Editing or creating documents and organizing appointments can be done on the move. Maps, locations, weather reports and latest updates from the business world can be accessed using a smartphone. Using a smartphone makes it possible for a mobile workforce to stay in touch with the business.
- Integration with Business apps
Integration of business applications with smartphones to stay connected with business activities allows users to create and send or receive up-to-date reports of financial and business operations.
- Business Presentations
Since smartphone devices give video input and output, users can view their business presentations and videos in their gadgets. Business users can connect their phones to a TV or computer monitor and show PowerPoint presentations or display whatever is running on the phone’s display.
- High Security
While certain smartphone features may attract regular consumers, business users are more concerned about the security of their data and official information. Solutions like Google Apps for Work offers Mobile device management MDM at no extra cost, give users more powerful security options that allow its users to keep personal and business data separate on the same device.
- Endless Apps
The early twenty-first century has brought with it hundreds and thousands of smartphone apps. A smartphone’s portability and programmability has made it a device with almost unlimited applications. There are tons of work-related scheduling, task-management and productivity apps available, to keep track of one’s tasks, meetings and important deadlines. Besides, Media downloading, Internet and stereo apps keep users connected with the world of audio. Smartphone torches, Compass and levelling apps and have made smartphones handheld utilities.
- Web Everywhere
In earlier days, Web browsing had to happen at a desk in an office, where a wired internet connection could be made available to the computers or laptops. Later on, wireless access and laptops allowed the Web to be accessed pretty much anywhere in the house or office. But in the age of smartphone technology, including broadband and wireless, Web access has made its way onto the subway, into cars and to the park or wherever there is a cellular connection.
Unlike the traditional mobile phones, smartphones are powerful devices with advanced features. From the point of view of businesses, important business files and presentations can be easily shared. Users can also send emails directly from apps. In this way, valuable time saved from performing communication actions can be allocated to other more important business matters.