Baby Boomers have pushed aside their technophobic stereotypes and are spending more hours working remotely outside the office on laptops and mobile internet connections than their Gen Y technology loving counterparts, new research from Telstra has shown.
Telstra’s research adds weight to the perception that Gen Y are slackers, finding only nine percent (9.2%) of working 18-34 year olds work more than 10 hours from outside the office, compared to almost double that (16.8%) of those 45 and over.
Telstra’s research, conducted in preparation for the launch of Telstra Mobile’s Ultimate USB high speed mobile internet device for small and medium business users, found that almost 15 percent of employees are spending ten or more hours per week working remotely outside the office, which equates to over 500 hours or thirteen full working weeks per year.
When it came to understanding the reasons behind this shift towards working remotely almost half (45.9%) of respondents felt it was due to the availability of better technology, and one in three (31.5%) due to the increased flexibility and the changing attitude of their employers.
Executive Director of Telstra Business, Brian Harcourt, said the release of the Telstra Ultimate USB device would be welcome news, given Telstra’s research indicating speed has become critical for the growing number of businesses that use mobile broadband.
“Technology is allowing more Australians to work remotely and efficiently, and achieve better work life balance,” Mr Harcourt said.
The Telstra Ultimate USB device can be purchased today in conjunction with a range of mobile broadband business plans including for $0 upfront with a $69 plan over 24 months (minimum total cost $1,656) or outright for $299.
