Tag: office

On mobile devices in the workplace

Web Worker Daily shares the results of an interesting study done by Forester Research:

Forrester Research decided to find out recently, asking more than 10,000 information workers in 17 countries about what devices they use to get their jobs done.

The results are now in, and while the fact that more and more knowledge workers are importing their smartphone and iPad addictions to the office probably won’t surprise you, the extent of the use of these devices and employees’ willingness to pay for them might. The survey found:

  • Globally, one-third of devices being used for work are non-Microsoft.
  • One-quarter of devices used for work are mobile (i.e., smartphones and tablets).
  • In Europe and North America many workers choose which devices they use themselves: Seventy-three percent select their own smartphone, 53 their laptop and 22 percent even choose their PC.
  • Forty-eight percent pay the entire cost of their tablets themselves; 41 percent shell out for their laptops.

That might be good news for mobile workers looking to get stuff done on the go and on devices of their choice, but it adds up to less cheerful reading for Microsoft. The report concludes that “mobile devices will become the majority of devices used for work, surpassing PCs” and “Windows’ device share will fall below 50 percent by 2016.” It goes on to suggest this will demand a shift in marketing on the part of Microsoft, obliging the company to target individual workers as much as IT decision makers.

Their Microsoft predictions is something else.  But for the rest of it, I think it’s quite important for anyone who is involved in office planning and management.  The world is changing…

Office poetry

I’m about to share some office poetry with you.  To better understand it, here’s some context for you:

  • The whole office is non-smoking area.  Those who need to smoke, have to go on floor up (from where I am), to the balcony.
  • Most of the important things are discussed on that balcony and not in the meeting rooms, so even non-smoking people frequent it.
  • On Fridays, it is customary to have a long lunch somewhere out, with a pint or two.  After which people still come back to the office to finish the day’s work.

Now that you know everything you need to know, here is some poetry from the internal instant messenger exchange between me and a colleague of mine.  These are just from today.

Leonid Mamchenkov:
For all week’s troubles to dismay
We should have lunch at TGI Friday.
We’ll eat and drink and have a cheer
Not to forget a glass of beer.
It will be cold such as the ice
And overall it will be nice.
Mihai Milea:
Let’s get ready for a feast
Pull some ribbs out, like a beast
That’s how hungry now I feel
Let’s all eat and then we chill
Leonid Mamchenkov:
We are going out for lunch
With an Easy Forex bunch
We will eat and drink and laugh
Until everyone’s had enough
We’ll come back and work a bit
Until everyone will quit
Cause today is Friday’s rest
And I wish you all the best
Mihai Milea:
Poems, rhymes, that’s all we do
Let’s go out and get some food!!!!!!!!
Leonid Mamchenkov:
If we go up, you’ll have a smoke.
I don’t want to, so I’ll grab a coke.
Breeth some fresh air, rest the eyes.
It’s an hour or so until we say goodbye’s
here is a grim one :
While we are here, trying to pay the bills,
Why don’t we do upstairs something that kills?
There is no question that I’m looking to answer.
You, however, should be careful – smoking causes cancer.
Mihai is busy, Sam’s disappeared.
I’ll go alone – the air has cleared.
No more smell, no more smoke.
It sounds just fine, but something’s broke.
Mihai didn’t like the last one, complaining about the rhymes.   I tried to get away with this one then.
That was a dunk.
Because I am drunk.
But you aren’t too good,
You are breaking my mood.