Smartphones in the Office and Gym

During my fieldwork I noticed a common theme which was smartphones whether it was Android or Apple. On a rare occasion I might see someone like the secretary at my office using a tablet or an elderly person with a big ol’ tablet on the treadmill at the gym. One thing is for sure, is smart phones are being accepted into the workplace and I can think of a few reasons why.

One reason why smartphones and mobile technologies are becoming more prevalent in the workplace is because it can ultimately boost productivity. You might be thinking “ wait, shouldn't it be the opposite?” but what I realized, myself included, is that smart phones allow you to take an occasional break from what might be a heavy workload that day. This short break of just separating you from your task can allow you to regather your thoughts and start back at 100%, or close to it, rather than overloading your brain and powering through at just 70% focus.

Another thought I had was smart phones can reduce the costs of IT and even make your computer run faster. This is because an employee knows their phone inside and out for the most part, so they know what works and what doesn’t. For example, just last week my professor and I were having difficulties setting up a Google Hangout on my laptop and rather than call my buddy Bob up in IT, I simply downloaded it onto my phone and we continued the face chat from there. Matt Atkinson’s article lists several more reasons why phones are/should be allowed in the workplace.

As for my observations in the gym, I noticed just about every single person there is on some kind of mobile device either listening to music, reading a book, and even checking emails that could very well be their work email. I also some cringe worthy mobile phone use too…