Here’s another example of the generation gap: young employees today are better equipped at home and at work with IT tools, even though they don’t have the same level of responsibility as their managers.
new needs
Both young and experienced employees tend to bring habits from the personal sphere to their professional environment, including the use of instant messaging, social media and collaborative sharing tools. They want to maintain their personal lives and find the right equilibrium with their careers.
Companies must not only accept their employees’ devices, applications and personal practices, but also foster a healthy work-life balance.
new uses
The rate of equipment upgrade is accelerating:
- 645 million smartphones will be sold worldwide in 2013
- 84% of people in business use personal devices for professional reasons
Multimedia use will grow:
- 68% of individuals in business have at least partially abandoned their landline for their mobile phone
- more than 50% of these people would like to combine their fixed and mobile lines
Cooperation between the telecom and IT sectors will accelerate the development of unified communications solutions that integrate fixed and mobile voice, instant messaging, email, video and more.
new technologies
The replacement of desktop computers with laptops has been challenged by a new trend: some companies are considering replacing laptops with tablets. In fact, the combined sales of smartphones and tablets exceeded computer sales in 2011 and tablets are expected to outsell laptops in 2016. Finally, interactive touch screen equipment will be widely used in demonstration terminals and video communications. This new equipment will change the way we work.
image © Lasse Kristensen - Fotolia.com
As an active member of the Orange Business Customer Journey & Solutions community, I publish posts on our blogs on topics such as laptops, smartphones, and collaborative tools that are revolutionizing employees' environments. I contributed to the French Security blog for five years, where I published blog posts the security of information systems. I have worked in radio programs on topics such as cybercrime and denial of service attacks. Blogging at Orange Business enables me to learn and share my experiences in a fun and positive way.