The Way We Work Study has found virtual work has become normal practice with close to two thirds (60 percent) of knowledge workers in small and medium businesses (SMBs) in the US, UK and Germany now using on-demand tools– technology that is internet or cloud-based–in their professional roles, the survey said.
This figure is higher than in companies with 500 or more employees (53 percent), displaying the nature of SMBs. These findings are revealed in the Way We Work Study commissioned by Unify, the Atos brand for communications and collaboration software and services. Surveying 5,000 British, American and German SMB knowledge workers, those whose job is to “think for a living”,it reveals people´s attitudes and expectations about their current workplace, as well as what they believe future holds.
Knowledge workers at SMBs expect to see large changes in their jobs over the next five years. More than a third believe their roles will not exist after this timeframe, with almost two-thirds thinking they will not look the same. In this fast-paced environment, trust is vital.
Technology is having an impact on SMBs. Email is still seen as an essential tool, with almost three quarters of small and medium businesses viewing it as such. Companies of this size rely on it less than larger organizations though; with 80 percent of the latter stating it is essential.
Unify is a communications software and services firms, providing integrated communications solutions for approximately 75 percent of the Fortune Global 500. The company´s solutions unify multiple networks, devices and applications into one platform that allows teams to engage in conversation.
Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is a digital services company with pro forma annual revenue of circa EUR12 billion and circa 100,000 employees in 72 countries. Serving a global client base, the group provides consulting & systems integration services, managed services & BPO, cloud operations, big data and cyber security solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, a European payments and transactional services company.
