The demand for instant communication is adding to workplace stress, causing anger among colleagues and strangers alike, and is proving to be a distraction for all. In short, office workers are becoming increasingly SAD. The underlying resentment of communication intrusion and the emergence of the SAD worker, were uncovered in a survey by the University of Surrey Social and Market Research team.The survey was commissioned by Siemens Communications to find out whether new technology had changed patterns of acceptable business etiquette.The researchers found that office workers get frustrated, stressed and annoyed when they can’t reach somebody; and yet recent distractions caused by intrusive communications to their own or their colleagues’ meetings and work. Commenting on the findings, Professor Michael Warren, University of Surrey said: “I’m afraid the research survey shows that we all want to have our cake and eat it. There is a clear need to establish workplace rules and for management to take a lead in setting examples and standards for each organization. Suggestions for addressing the issue include changing mobile voicemail to request text for urgent messages and breaking out of the e-mail jail by talking to colleagues.
The public sector is leading the field when it comes to mobile technology deployment according to a survey commissioned by O2, the UK market leader in mobile data services. The survey, carried out by Network Research, reveals that the UK public sector is rolling out or has completed more successful wireless projects than any other industry. For example, 70% of the public sector is currently going through, or has completed, pilot mobile projects. Also 42% of the public sector organisations questioned are involved in smartphone implementation projects. Hugh Griffiths, Head of Data Products & Services at O2 comments, “There is a lot that UK business can learn from the public sector when it comes to mobile data adoption.”In comparison to other industries such as professional services, the public sector is far more sophisticated in its deployment of mobile technology. High levels of mobile project success within the public sector are attributed in the research to tight management of purchasing decisions and centralised administration. According to the independent research, the public sector has the most centralised administration of mobile technology purchasing with over two thirds of its mobile spending now centrally managed and controlled by the IT department. This compares to other sectors such as IT where as many as 52% of IT purchasing happens outside the IT department.
Read more on PUBLIC SECTOR TOPS THE LEAGUE IN MOBILE TECHNOLOGY…
By Monique Juchaud Information management can be seen as steering a course between deluge and drought. A new breed of business intelligence systems holds out the prospect of refining the burgeoning volume of information into streams that are valuable to users. The author describes how Nuneaton Council is benefiting from a system that has started a process to give users the information they need.