By the end of 2013, 93 percent of employers plan to initiate mobile work styles, up from 37 percent of employers that offer these arrangements today, according to a survey of senior IT decision-makers by Citrix, a provider of mobile work styles and cloud services.
The survey defines mobile work styles as when employees can access technology and policies that allow them to work when they are outside the office. This includes connecting wirelessly by public networks and personal devices.
Among the survey respondents, 71 percent of say they are implementing mobile work styles to enable employees to work from anywhere while 63 percent say it is to allow people to work from home when necessary. Another 94 percent of respondents say mobile work styles are required for comprehensive business continuity, and 93 percent of respondents say desktop virtualization is an effective foundation for business continuity.
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The survey finds reducing costs is the primary driver for encouraging mobile work styles. In fact, respondents cite the main cost-reduction drivers are human resources-related costs at 45 percent, better recruiting in lower-cost regions at 39 percent, real estate costs at 38 percent and contribution to environmental sustainability at 26 percent.
To attract and retain talent, 51 percent of respondents report implementing mobile work styles to do so, and nearly half of respondents say this helps employers reach a broader labor pool by collaborating with outsourcing partners, contractors, business partners, temporary workers and consultants.
"Work shifting enables organizations to be more productive and agile and provides people with added mobility and flexibility to move work to the most convenient and productive times, locations and devices," says Mick Hollsion, vice president of integrated marketing and strategy for Citrix. "We've long believed that work shifting is a key part of a solid business and IT strategy, and these survey findings are an indicator that this trend is going mainstream. Organizations around the globe are moving from traditional work environments and realizing real estate, travel and labor cost savings by enabling mobile work styles."
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