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Teleworking tools
Teleworking tools
The Sensis® Business Index and the Sensis® Consumer Report also asked both individuals and businesses about the equipment they use to telework and who provides that equipment. Again, the surveys are of different populations – individuals and businesses, and the responses need to be interpreted in this context.
However, for both populations, the most common item of equipment used to telework was the mobile phone. Over half of individuals (53 per cent) reported using a mobile phone to telework, and almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of businesses reported having employees using mobile phones for this purpose. Individuals reported that approximately two-thirds of mobile phones used for teleworking were provided by employers, with almost 90 per cent of businesses that reported mobile usage for teleworking saying that they had provided employees with this equipment.
The second most common piece of equipment used for teleworking was a notebook computer, which was reported by 42 per cent of individuals and 44 per cent of businesses, with both populations reporting over three-quarters of teleworking notebooks as provide by businesses.
After notebooks, individuals reported the use of desk-top computers (37 per cent); broadband internet (25 per cent) e-mail (21 per cent); telephone land-lines (also 21 per cent) and dial-up internet (20 per cent) as all being used by at least one in five teleworking individuals. The only equipment items that individuals reported using and more likely to have provided themselves than obtained from their employers were desktop computers and dial-up internet, however broadband access and land-line telephones for teleworking were reported as being almost equally split.
Businesses reported fairly similar equipment usage patterns, with e-mail being reported more frequently as the third most used item for teleworking in their business. For most items used by their employees, businesses reported much higher rates of having provided their employees with the equipment than individuals reported having received from their employees, however, it must be remembered that each business response may cover multiple teleworkers and reflects an organisational perspective.
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