EIU study finds under half of employees view their employers' approach to mobile technology as "positive"

A new global study, ‘Mobility, Performance and Engagement’ by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has revealed that of the 1,865 employees questioned about their employers’ approach to mobile technology, just under half (48 per cent) are “positive”.

This breaks down as 11 per cent regarding their employer as “a pioneer” and 37 per cent saying that they make “good use” of mobile technology. The largest group (42 per cent) viewed it as “adequate” and eight per cent as bad. The study reveals that there are a number of policies and practices that are “significantly more common among highly rated organisations”. This includes technical support for employee-owned mobile devices if technical issues are affecting their ability to work.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of organisations which are rated highly offer this support, compared with just 17 per cent of those which are not. Statistics from the report also show that IT leaders who are concerned with the employee experience should consider the extra investment required to provide first-line support for employee-owned devices. The report found that just under a third (31 per cent) of employers provide IT support for employee-owned mobile devices if technical issues are affecting their ability to work in any location and at any time.