Upwardly Mobile

In the wake of Mobile World Congress it’s got me thinking about the idea of this new ‘21st Century’ way of working. Mobile technology is by no means a new innovation but people are claiming that the current need to cut costs has pushed us fully into the next stage of a truly mobile workforce.

Hot stories to come out of MWC last week included the buzz around fourth generation technologies such as LTE – where mobile broadband and downloading speeds are second to none. People are always ‘on’ and available to their clients, there is no dead time wasted whilst on the train or away from the desktop. The latest smartphones, such as the Palm Pre and open OS systems like Android that enable a wider ecosystem of applications available on one platform, mean you have the latest 3G technology in your pocket, with all the applications you need, and linked to all your devices. Work has become truly collaborated, mobile and instant.

I’m currently training for the marathon so welcome the fact that I can always leave the office on time, in order to get back to go for a run before it’s too dark or late. I know I can keep up to date with emails and the team whilst on the bus or can log into the server from home if necessary. Work can fit more easily around my life and commitments. This is all good, in theory. But with the increasing economic pressures and continued blurring between home and work is it not also slightly worrying that people are now expected to be available 24/7 and able to read and reply to queries instantly?

Beth