The old adage about a thing sounding too good to be true not actually being true has served many well in life. Sometimes, however, something merely sounds too good to be true, and yet actually is. Such a case was recently discovered as a new report detailed how better employee engagement and performance on the job could be realized just by optimizing the business' operations for mobile use.
The report detailing this, called “Mobility, Performance and Engagement”, pointed out how businesses whose employees considered them “pioneers” in the support of mobile technology responded with clear improvements in performance. Productivity was up 16 percent against those businesses who weren't pioneers, and creativity was up 18 percent. Loyalty went up 21 percent, and overall satisfaction rose 23 percent. There's no part of this that isn't desirable as a business outcome, so looking into mobile optimization might be a good way to get still more productivity in play.
The biggest driver of that productivity hike comes as part of an understood package: the ability to work anywhere, at any time. With that, 49 percent of respondents noted that flexibility has the greatest impact overall on productivity, and 38 percent consider it the greatest impact of overall satisfaction with a current employer. So mobile optimization must therefore come with telecommuting options; if the business is optimized for mobile, but no one's allowed to leave the building, much of the productivity boost will likely be lost.
It doesn't just stop there. Better collaboration, improved creativity...all of these things are conducive to satisfaction. The study further noted that 29 percent found workplace flexibility to be the biggest measure driving employee loyalty. What's more, while mobile optimization is considered a big driver for Millennials, they aren't alone; even those who describe themselves as technology “laggards” noted value in mobile. Fifty percent of those laggards considered mobile a way to improve productivity, and 48 percent said it improved satisfaction.
While the old Dilbert concept of a “healthy and life-affirming raise” still holds true, it's just one part among several when used to gauge satisfaction. Flexibility, creativity...these things have value in the workplace, as long as the lights stay on and there's food on the table. Companies that are willing to make some changes in corporate culture may well find that people are willing to stick around, even through the dark times where raises aren't possible and cuts are more likely than anything else.
Mobile devices are changing the way we view the world. Having ready access to information and entertainment just about anywhere makes our world a different place, and it's not surprising to see so many want the changes to apply to the job, too. With this study, however, we may well see those changes start to take place thanks to the impressive gains mobile technology can offer.