VoIP services make 9-to-5 job obsolete

VoIP and unified communication (UC) options have helped keep employees connected, regardless of where they are located. With the integration of smartphones and tablets, as well as bring your own device (BYOD) policies, managers are becoming less concerned with workers actually making it to the office. In Fact, staffers are logging in before walking in the front door and staying connected after they are away from their desk.

Data-protection company Mozy took a look at 1,000 American, British, German, French and Irish managers and employees finding that 73 percent of employers have an increasingly relaxed attitude toward clock punching because employees are not working the typical 9-to-5 hours.

The rest of the survey findings are focused on employers’ ideas. The report shows 20 percent of workers have checked their work email by 7 a.m. and the average employee has been focused on work related communication for up to 46 minutes before reaching the office.

“Workers everywhere are making the most of the technology available to them to build more flexibility for work and family,” said Russ Stockdale, General Manager of Mozy. “Hard work isn’t going unnoticed and mobile working and technology is having more of an impact on employer attitudes than people think.”

According to the report, U.S. employers said they will tolerate an employee showing up about 37 minutes late and are allowing staffers to work remotely, mainly from home, about a quarter of the week. Employees, however, find themselves working nearly 12-hour days. Many workers start checking their email at 7:42 a.m., almost 40 minutes before arriving in the office. Numerous employees continue to pay attention to work communication until 7:19 p.m., according to the report.

The growing BYOD trend has made the traditional office a thing of the past. As the workplace becomes any place with a Wi-Fi or cellular signal, the 9-to-5 workday is out the window. Business owners looking to make this a reality may need to confer with an IT consultant like CTI Technology, which can help any small business looking to implement a remote work strategy.