#GenMobile Employees Driving Major Shift in Australia and NZ
Announcement posted by Aruba 04 Jun 2014
An emerging breed of mobile workers is eroding traditional work patterns requiring employers to respond. Retail customers, students, carers, spectators and clinicians are forcing a shift towards mobility.
Sydney and Auckland – 4 June 2014 – An emerging breed of workers, students, customers and others is forcing employers and organisations in Australia and New Zealand to respond by making their workplaces flexible and mobile rather than fixed and at their desk. Known as #GenMobile, this new breed relies on mobile devices for every aspect of work and personal communication, and stay connected to everything all the time, no matter where they are.
Aruba Networks surveyed 5,000+ people worldwide[1], and the research reveals characteristics of the newly dubbed #GenMobile, a group of employees or network users defined by their preference for mobility both in terms of the devices they use and their approach to work. They have a tendency for non-traditional work hours, demand flexible work locations over higher salaries and request reliable internet, asking for Wi-Fi versus 4G, 3G or wired connections.
#GenMobile are often employees, yet they may also be customers, suppliers, collaborators, clinicians, carers, spectators, students or teachers. The majority of #GenMobile[2] are in the early stages of their career, yet many are also in the mid- or late-stages of their careers. They own three or more connected devices (62%) and 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.
The report reveals that, rather than acting as an aide to the workday, #GenMobile are shaping their working lives around their mobile devices. With the ability to work effectively any time, any place and on any device, they expect employers to make the policy and structural changes necessary to enable their preferred form of working.
Trends driving #GenMobile into the workforce
How to spot #GenMobile
The typical #GenMobile abides by the ‘anywhere, anytime’ principles of flexible working, where office hours are no longer constrained to the traditional workday and play or personal use is no longer restricted to after hours.
For #GenMobile, mobile is second nature to both their work and personal lives. However, there remains space for human interaction in the life of a #GenMobile. Nearly two thirds (63%) indicated that they still value the time when they can disconnect their devices, suggesting that companies must be able to provide effective downtime when it is needed.
“#GenMobile is driving a major change in the way organisations work, the way in which organisations engage with customers, and also how they help students to learn, said Steve Coad, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Aruba Networks. “#GenMobile represents the confluence of flexible working, BYOD and always-on connectivity elevating mobility to be a way of life, not just a way of working.”
“This report suggests that #GenMobile won’t have patience with companies which do not accommodate their mobile lives. In order to attract and keep the best employees, businesses need to start looking for solutions to ensure levels of empowerment and productivity in this emerging working world. Ultimately, many will have to totally redefine traditional work, retail and learning environments.”
Aruba Networks believes that understanding and catering to #GenMobile’s needs is the key to a:
Australian companies lead the way with #GenMobile
Many of Aruba’s customers in Australia are demonstrating leadership in both innovation as well as their commitment to #GenMobile. These include:
“Making the necessary workplace changes needs to be supplemented with solid technology choices; employers will only succeed in motivating #GenMobile workers if they have the security and connections available to facilitate this shift,” added Steve Coad.
How prepared are you for #GenMobile?
Aruba has created a free tool enabling organisations to quickly understand how prepared they are for #GenMobile. The tool is available here: http://genmobile.arubanetworks.com/en-us/survey?page=general
Additional Resources
About Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aruba Networks is a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise. The company designs and delivers Mobility-Defined Networks that empower IT departments and #GenMobile, a new generation of tech-savvy users who rely on their mobile devices for every aspect of work and personal communication. To create a mobility experience that #GenMobile and IT can rely upon, Aruba Mobility-Defined Networks™ automate infrastructure-wide performance optimization and trigger security actions that used to require manual IT intervention. The results are dramatically improved productivity and lower operational costs.
Listed on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000® Index, Aruba is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook, and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products visit Airheads Social at http://community.arubanetworks.com.
© 2014 Aruba Networks, Inc. Aruba Networks’ trademarks include Aruba Networks®, Aruba The Mobile Edge Company® (stylized), Aruba Mobility-Defined Networks™, Aruba Mobility Management System®, People Move Networks Must Follow®, Mobile Edge Architecture®, RFProtect®, Green Island®, ETips®, ClientMatch™, Virtual Intranet Access™, ClearPass Access Management Systems™, Aruba Instant™, ArubaOS™, xSec™, ServiceEdge™, Aruba ClearPass Access Management System™, Airmesh™, AirWave™, Aruba Central™, and “ARUBA@WORK™. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Aruba Networks surveyed 5,000+ people worldwide[1], and the research reveals characteristics of the newly dubbed #GenMobile, a group of employees or network users defined by their preference for mobility both in terms of the devices they use and their approach to work. They have a tendency for non-traditional work hours, demand flexible work locations over higher salaries and request reliable internet, asking for Wi-Fi versus 4G, 3G or wired connections.
#GenMobile are often employees, yet they may also be customers, suppliers, collaborators, clinicians, carers, spectators, students or teachers. The majority of #GenMobile[2] are in the early stages of their career, yet many are also in the mid- or late-stages of their careers. They own three or more connected devices (62%) and 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.
The report reveals that, rather than acting as an aide to the workday, #GenMobile are shaping their working lives around their mobile devices. With the ability to work effectively any time, any place and on any device, they expect employers to make the policy and structural changes necessary to enable their preferred form of working.
Trends driving #GenMobile into the workforce
- Wi-Fi matters: Nearly 58% prefer fast, consistent Wi-Fi at the expense of other connections (4G, 3G or wired), while 51% declare that their mobile devices help them to manage their lives.
- Tech at work is essential: 38% would rather be able to bring their own device to work than have an office with a window, and 53% would rather their company paid for their choice of device than provided them with lunch. 84% would not use a desktop computer if given the choice
- Mobile at every pause: The average consumer spends 21 hours per week on their mobile devices doing errands like banking, or viewing movies for entertainment, and 37% expect their number of remote work hours to increase in the next twelve months.
- More addicted to smartphones than coffee: 25% would give up coffee before giving up their smartphone, which tells you how much #GenMobile are addicted to using mobility for everything they do.
- Money isn’t everything: A third (32%) would rather have their employer pay for the smartphone of their choice than a 5% higher salary.
- A new workday is emerging: Over four in ten (45%) believe they work most efficiently before 9am or after 6pm.
How to spot #GenMobile
The typical #GenMobile abides by the ‘anywhere, anytime’ principles of flexible working, where office hours are no longer constrained to the traditional workday and play or personal use is no longer restricted to after hours.
For #GenMobile, mobile is second nature to both their work and personal lives. However, there remains space for human interaction in the life of a #GenMobile. Nearly two thirds (63%) indicated that they still value the time when they can disconnect their devices, suggesting that companies must be able to provide effective downtime when it is needed.
“#GenMobile is driving a major change in the way organisations work, the way in which organisations engage with customers, and also how they help students to learn, said Steve Coad, Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Aruba Networks. “#GenMobile represents the confluence of flexible working, BYOD and always-on connectivity elevating mobility to be a way of life, not just a way of working.”
“This report suggests that #GenMobile won’t have patience with companies which do not accommodate their mobile lives. In order to attract and keep the best employees, businesses need to start looking for solutions to ensure levels of empowerment and productivity in this emerging working world. Ultimately, many will have to totally redefine traditional work, retail and learning environments.”
Aruba Networks believes that understanding and catering to #GenMobile’s needs is the key to a:
- More productive workforce in both government and private enterprises
- Higher engagement with customers in retail environments and users within public facing enterprises, such as sporting stadiums and entertainment precincts
- Better and more collaborative learning for students in K-12 and Tertiary education institutions
- More efficient and greater patient care within the healthcare sector
Australian companies lead the way with #GenMobile
Many of Aruba’s customers in Australia are demonstrating leadership in both innovation as well as their commitment to #GenMobile. These include:
- The Catholic Education Office: now enables greater collaboration and more flexible learning across a single, fast and secure Wi-Fi network spanning 39 schools and 30,000 #GenMobile students and teachers.
- KFC / Yum: is now providing free, fast and secure Wi-Fi to #GenMobile customers, with the opportunity to market to them digitally on their device.
- Epworth HealthCare: now providing secure and reliable mobile apps for clinicians enabling #GenMobile doctors and nurses to enter and review patient information from any location without delays or interference or data loss.
- Feros Care: Now provides reliable high bandwidth Wi-Fi supporting high definition video conferencing and VoIP phones at every bedside for #GenMobile residents. Additionally provides a Telehealth capability and PCEHR compliance.
- Australian Open Tennis: provides more than 600,000 #GenMobile spectators, officials and players with access to high performance indoor and outdoor Wi-Fi for access to tournament information, social fane engagement applications and the web.
- MCA – Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney: provides #GenMobile visitors with Wi-Fi access to interact with every exhibit via indoor location-based application.
- KPMG, Medibank: Supporting business grade unified communication over fast, secure Wi-Fi networks for #GenMobile workers and guests.
“Making the necessary workplace changes needs to be supplemented with solid technology choices; employers will only succeed in motivating #GenMobile workers if they have the security and connections available to facilitate this shift,” added Steve Coad.
How prepared are you for #GenMobile?
Aruba has created a free tool enabling organisations to quickly understand how prepared they are for #GenMobile. The tool is available here: http://genmobile.arubanetworks.com/en-us/survey?page=general
Additional Resources
- Report: Are you ready for #GenMobile?: http://www.arubanetworks.com/pdf/solutions/GenMobile_Report.pdf
- Aruba AirHeads Community: http://community.arubanetworks.com/
- Aruba Social Media Community: http://www.arubanetworks.com/company/socialmedia/
About Aruba Networks, Inc.
Aruba Networks is a leading provider of next-generation network access solutions for the mobile enterprise. The company designs and delivers Mobility-Defined Networks that empower IT departments and #GenMobile, a new generation of tech-savvy users who rely on their mobile devices for every aspect of work and personal communication. To create a mobility experience that #GenMobile and IT can rely upon, Aruba Mobility-Defined Networks™ automate infrastructure-wide performance optimization and trigger security actions that used to require manual IT intervention. The results are dramatically improved productivity and lower operational costs.
Listed on the NASDAQ and Russell 2000® Index, Aruba is based in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. To learn more, visit Aruba at http://www.arubanetworks.com. For real-time news updates follow Aruba on Twitter and Facebook, and for the latest technical discussions on mobility and Aruba products visit Airheads Social at http://community.arubanetworks.com.
© 2014 Aruba Networks, Inc. Aruba Networks’ trademarks include Aruba Networks®, Aruba The Mobile Edge Company® (stylized), Aruba Mobility-Defined Networks™, Aruba Mobility Management System®, People Move Networks Must Follow®, Mobile Edge Architecture®, RFProtect®, Green Island®, ETips®, ClientMatch™, Virtual Intranet Access™, ClearPass Access Management Systems™, Aruba Instant™, ArubaOS™, xSec™, ServiceEdge™, Aruba ClearPass Access Management System™, Airmesh™, AirWave™, Aruba Central™, and “ARUBA@WORK™. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
[1] Research conducted in, France, Germany, Nordics, UAE & Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, USA
[2] ‘While #GenMobile is not an age group, for the purposes of this report #GenMobile has been defined via a cross-section of the survey base who showed the highest preference for mobility at home and at work. Typically these respondents were aged between 18-35.’