Tablets Improve Employee Productivity And Work/Life Balance, Survey Says

Allison Midori Reilly is a freelance writer based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. In her four years professional writing and editing experience, she's been published in over a dozen print and online publications, such as Anthill Magazine, American City & County, Ideabing, Transport Topics and St. Louis Magazine. Writing niches include politics, logistics, green [...] More...

This is how you use a tablet, in a nutshell.

A recent Staples Advantage survey of 200 tablet users found that 60 percent of them get more work done using a tablet. A whopping 80 percent of them have an improved work/life balance as a result of the technology. Although all those surveyed had personally purchased the tablet, this survey indicates benefits in small businesses providing tablets or encouraging their use.

"It's a productive tool used to connect back to the office," said Ed Ludwigson, Vice President of Staples Technology Solutions, a division of Staples Advantage. "There's a lot of optimism in using them."

Currently, this optimism revolves around the portability and convenience of the tablet, as the survey found that to be the number one motivator in owning the tablet. Convenience was so important to respondents that they also admitted using a tablet in bed (78 percent), in the bathroom (35 percent), and at a restaurant (30 percent).

"People are working from more and more places," Ludwigson said. "With that, there's a need to be connected with colleagues and clients."

Although tablets are increasing in popularity, Ludwigson said that they are still considered a consumption device, where users are consuming content instead of creating content. This is demonstrated by the fact that 75 percent of respondents use the tablet to check work email, while only 33 percent use it to edit documents.

"Ninety-five percent of respondents see the tablet as a supplemental computing device," he said. "However, 60 percent also said that they can see the table becoming their primary computing device once they become more powerful."

However, powerful tablets may need, security precautions still need to be taken to protect any data that could be on them. Unfortunately, two-thirds of tablet owners do not regularly back up data on their devices. Tablet users should also install and update security software. Less than 15 percent of those surveyed have installedencryption or anti-virus software on their tablets.

With the advent of hosted cloud services, data can be stored on a remote server rather than on the tablet. This way, if the device is lost or stolen, work documents and other data are not at risk. Ludwigson also suggested that companies implement a remote wipe, so in the case that the tablet is lost or stolen, the data cannot be stolen as well and put the company or customers at risk.

Overall, tablet users "love" their tablets, with 71 percent of respondents saying so. A tablet is more than a phone, with more functionality in using business apps and staying connected with the office.

Thanks to Allison Midori Reilly / Small Biz Technology
http://smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2011/09/tablets-improve-employee-productivity-and-worklife-balance-survey-says.html/