Executive Report

Ideas for Work

Get the most from the modern workforce

Introduction

The last few years have seen a substantial shift in the way we use technology. Previously successful business models have been swiftly outmoded by disruptive new start-ups, offering consumer services that are faster, cheaper and more efficient – and customers are voting with their feet.

By leveraging the power of data, the cloud and smartphones, many of these once small start-ups have redefined entire industries in a matter of months. These businesses are often more dynamic, more innovative and more in tune with the needs of their customers than many of their more established competitors.

But agile and forward-thinking organisations come in all sizes, and they’re creating a simpler, more intuitive world for everyone. It’s important to note that this shift wasn’t driven from the top down; this new world has gradually emerged from the bottom up, created and shaped by the demands and expectations of everyday people.

This isn’t just reshaping the lives of your customers, the experiences your employees have with technology in their personal lives are influencing their expectations in the workplace. A new breed of employee has emerged. For them, work no longer runs from 9 to 5. They’re positively liberated by mobile, social and online tools and services.

1 Source: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ Annual Trend Report2 Source: CCS Insight3 Source: People Inspired Security Report, Samsung

A new breed of employee has emerged, positively liberated by mobile, social and online services.

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Strengthened by an Internet connection and carefully curated apps and services, they finely balance work, life and play without compromise. Provide them with the right tools as employees and they are more productive, more engaged, and firmly in control. Technology doesn’t rule their life – it helps them run it better.

By understanding and embracing these individuals, companies can gain a real advantage. Thanks to heightened expectations and increased effectiveness in their personal lives, modern consumers are catalysts for change in the way organisations work. They’re the key to building a business that leads in our faster, bolder and better-connected economy. As a more open-minded organisation, driven forward by an ambitious and empowered workforce, you’ll be more able to adapt and innovate. You’ll no longer be at risk of being disrupted, you can be disruptive.

This new breed of worker is ready, willing and able to change your business for the better. Are you?

Thanks to heightened expectations and increased effectiveness in their personal lives, modern consumers are catalysts for change in the way organisations work.

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Smartphone users check their phones over 150 times a day

68% of employees keep track of work while out of office

75% of employees carry out personal tasks at work

Work/life trends

Identifying the modern consumer

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Smartphone trends

36% more time is spent online on smartphones than the average European consumer

80% think mobile tech is critical to getting their job done

1 Source: Kantar Tribes2 Source: CCS Insight

Recognising ambitious modern consumers at work in your organisation won’t always be easy. This isn’t about a demographic – it’s about an attitude and a way of life.

Well-connectedThey’re switched on and very much connected – typically spending 36% more time online via their phones than the average European consumer.1

Their dependence on all things mobile extends into their working life – 80% now believe mobile technology is critical to getting their work done.2

Living digital livesThey’re fully empowered to live life on their own terms. Out of the workplace, they’re able to stay on top of their social commitments at the tap of a screen, constantly rating and sharing their experiences with others. But being well-connected has its business advantages too, as employees have the freedom to work wherever and whenever they want. This will result in a more responsive, more agile workforce – benefits that will filter all the way through to your customers.

Natural multi-taskersThey’re instinctively efficient, being loyal and habitual multi-screeners. As they’re entirely comfortable navigating between the four or more connected devices used across their personal and working lives, they hop effortlessly from one to the other – often using more than one at the same time. Notifications aren’t seen as interruptions, but opportunities.

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Being well-connected has its business advantages, creating a more responsive, more agile workforce – benefits that will filter all the way through to your customers.

Notifications aren’t seen as interruptions, but opportunities.

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At home in the cloudThey don’t give a thought to entrusting their most valuable data to the cloud, knowing it’ll always be there when they need it. They constantly stream entertainment and educational content. Being connected to whatever and whoever they need, whenever they need to be, is simply a more convenient way to live and work.

Great expectationsTheir expectations are shaped by the brands they engage with on a daily basis and, in turn, these experiences influence which brands they choose in future. Uber. Airbnb. Dropbox. For them, it’s not about software, apps or the cloud – it’s just a smarter way to get things done.

Effortless and intuitive wins every timeThey’re firm believers that technology shouldn’t need a manual – instead it should be intuitive and easy to use from the word go. If they’re dissatisfied with one app, they know another is just a quick download away – even better when it’s available for free.

A keen eye for designThey don’t geek out on technology – but they know the difference between a good user experience and one that’s bad. They also know and value good design when they see it.

Informed early adoptersThey’re discerning early adopters that can see through the latest hype and hyperbole – discounting any technology that doesn’t fit the bill for the task in hand.

Work/life blendThere’s a lot of talk about work/life balance but when it comes to the modern consumer, for them it’s more about work/life blend. There’s much more blurring between their work and social lives – so much so that 75% say they use work time for personal tasks – and 75% work in their ‘free’ time.1

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For them, it’s not about software, apps or the cloud – it’s just a smarter way to get things done.

1 Source: People Inspired Security Report, Samsung

Do you know one?

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Perhaps you’ve already identified yourself as one? Or recognise the characteristics in certain colleagues? Or maybe the descriptions of these modern consumers seem as alien and far removed from the people you employ today, or work with, as you can imagine?

What’s important to acknowledge is that they are a hugely important force to be reckoned with, whether inside or outside your organisation.

They are a hugely important force to be reckoned with, whether inside or outside your organisation.

By harnessing the power of these individuals and letting them flourish and thrive within your firm, you can reap real benefits.

More productiveGive them an inch and they’ll give you a mile. Consumers these days are geared up to find the fastest and most efficient solution by default. In work, as in play, they’re always on the look-out for technology that will make their lives better – if something’s not working, they’ll find a way to tackle it differently.

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Consumers these days are geared up to find the fastest and most efficient solution by default.

Why they matter

Customer-centricThey never lose sight of the people who really matter to your business – your customers. Empowered by their mobile devices, these members of staff are able to respond faster to the needs of their customers. Give your employees ready access to the right information and their inherent ability to multi-task means they’ll deliver a more personalised experience, setting your business apart.

Growth driversAmbitious, go-getters by nature – they get the bigger picture. For them it’s not a question of “why do we need to do this?”, but “how can I do this in the best way?”

Being highly engaged, they’ll find creative and intelligent ways to achieve your business goals. That’s why it’s great to have them onside rather than outside your organisation.

The enterprise challenge

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Simply employing highly-capable modern consumers and expecting them to perform is not enough.

Simply employing highly-capable modern consumers and expecting them to perform is not enough. In fact, many organisations today are failing to get the best from this new breed and realise their true potential.

The issue is primarily that companies are struggling to adapt to meet the needs and expectations of these employees.

Often there’s one key element to empowering staff that’s missing. Specifically, the technology and tools that organisations sanction for use by employees to get their jobs done.

The enterprise to consumer technology lagThe days when the technologies we use at work far outperform those that we use in our personal lives have long gone. For some baffled employees, stepping into the workplace can feel like stepping back five years – given the now primitive tools they’re expected to work with.

Many organisations, whether big or small, are saddled with ageing legacy systems. They’re struggling with bespoke, on-premise software that’s costly, complex and hard to update. They block social media access, fearing employees will mindlessly wile away their working hours or spill company secrets online.

In a bid to sweat their IT assets, employees find themselves forced to use dated desktop PCs, brick-like laptops and quaint mobile phones that belong to a seemingly bygone era.

These ‘enterprise’ technologies simply can’t compete with the speed, performance and capabilities of the modern consumer devices that employees have become accustomed to using. They just don’t live up to the expectations of the majority of staff anymore. So much so that only 1 in 3 believe the technology in their workplace fully meets their needs. Alarmingly, some 40% believe their IT department is completely out of touch with their needs.1

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Enterprise technologies simply can’t compete with the speed, performance and capabilities of the modern consumer devices employees have become accustomed to using.

1 Source: CCS Insight

121 Source: CCS Insight

say the technology in their workplace fully meets their needs

think their IT department is completely out of touch with their needs

employees say they’ll use their own device for work, regardless of company policy

1 in 340%

1 in 121 in 340%

1 in 121 in 340%

1 in 12

Help them help youIt’s a big deal. A very big deal. Without the right tools for the job, not only are your staff more likely to become disaffected, but in commercial terms, you risk failing to get the best from these high-potential employees.

Not willing to settle for second best, they’ll choose with their feet and find an employer who will enable them with the tools they deserve or take it into their own hands, quite literally, and find new ways round.

It’s one of the reasons organisations have found their employees bringing their own devices into the workplace. While some IT departments have turned a blind eye, more and more have tried to manage the influx with formal COPE (Corporately Owned, Personally Enabled), BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or CYOD (Choose Your Own Device) policies.

Others still feel that, due to potential security risks, the best line of defence is an outright ban on personal devices. But modern consumers are inventive – and 1 in 12 say they will do it anyway.1

It’s not just devices though. Frustrated with cumbersome enterprise systems that are tricky to use or simply not up to the job, they’re turning to a whole raft of unsanctioned cloud services and apps to fit the bill.

Quite simply, if the CRM system isn’t up to it, then staff will probably find a free app a couple of clicks away that is. Typically, it’s out of the line of sight of the official ranks. Recent research by Cisco even identified that there may be 15-20 times more unauthorised apps in use in organisations than CIOs think.

Enterprise technology trends

The risk of saying yesYou know that ignoring the needs of the modern consumers within your business could be dangerous, but what’s at stake when you say yes? While it would be easy to wax lyrical about the need to give your staff exactly what they want, whether that’s allowing them to COPE, BYOD, CYOD, use the cloud services they desire or run personal apps on company-owned devices, this could raise new issues.

Aside from potential questions around the cost implications, and how best to support these employees, there’s also the big issue of security. Make sure you have a proper strategy in place – it’s vital that you decide in advance how you’ll manage privacy and ensure all of your data is being held safely and securely.

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If the CRM system isn’t up to it, they’ll probably find a free app a couple of clicks away that is.

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Seize the opportunity

Of course, the workplace demands of today's consumer will present your organisation with a few challenges – but also huge opportunities. At Samsung, we believe your business can unlock considerable potential by adopting a proactive strategy that embraces this new breed of employee. It’s about making the right choices, understanding where business-grade consumer technology can play a part, and working out how it can fit the bill safely and securely.

A new generation of leaner, more mobile businesses are already benefitting from meeting the expectations of their workforce, enabling them to exceed the expectations of their customers as a result. Simply by giving them access to the right tools and encouraging this new generation to play a part, you’ll be poised to become one too.

Modern consumers are active problem-solvers, natural multi-taskers and they understand their customers. Create a workplace experience they want to take part in and you’ll amplify their positive influence within your business, and ensure you’re ready to compete in today’s rapidly evolving economy.

Find out how Samsung can help you harness the power of the modern consumer within your business, visit samsungatwork.com

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Keep in touch

For more insights and ideas for the modern workplace, read our blog at samsungatwork.com