The National Broadband Strategy and other technological innovations allow a seamless integration of work, leisure and home-life through telework

Did you know that National Telework Week occurred on the 18-22 of November to raise awareness of the benefits of telework will take place? Sadly, most of you reading this may not even know what telework is, even if you are teleworkers yourself. Teleworking is the name given to working from home, simple as that! The benefits of telework are astounding­ - from reduced stress resulting from not having to sit in horrible Sydney traffic to commute to the office, to a better work/life balance and, in some cases, more time with your family. Like the sound of these benefits? You should give teleworking a try! 

Teleworking is already on the rise but with the implementation of the new National Broadband Network (NBN) it will only increase in popularity. Technological innovation, such as the NBN, only makes teleworking easier as it increases quick and seamless communication with the office when teleworking from home. Stephen Conroy, former Minister of Broadband and Communications, stated that, “the delivery of reliable high speed broadband to every Australian premise will potentially revolutionise how we will work”. But could this ease also come at a cost to the employee? 

According to a University of Melbourne study, employees may be more productive when teleworking but may overcompensate by working approximately three hours more than the traditional worker. So is a person choosing telework to reduce travel time, only to increase work hours? As the teleworking website suggests, there is also the worry of isolation, both social and professional. Support and continuous communication from management, workers and family are essential to overcome social isolation. However, will the company forget about including the teleworker, will you miss your promotion, or lose your networking connections? These all need to be considered. 

Companies are giving mixed opinions on this seamless integration between work, leisure and home-life. Yahoo and Google, who are at the forefront of technology assisting with telework, ironically disagree with employees working away from the office. As Google’s CFO Patrick Pichette minimises teleworkers in the company stating that the “magical moments” of eating, employee chatter and time with coworkers are lost. Opposing this view is Cisco Australia with approximately 90 percent of their global employee’s teleworking one or more days a week. “Our workers who work outside the office are consistently more engaged, more productive happier [and] have a higher sense of well being than traditional bricks and mortar workers”, says Tim Fawcett, Cisco’s general manager of government affairs and policy. Who wouldn’t want that? 

We believe that teleworking attitudes have been ingrained into our generation since we started school. In order to achieve what we wanted we had to be willing to work from home. In high school and primary school we had homework… Now, at university if we want desirable grades, a lot of time and effort need to be put in at home outside of the classroom. Prominent universities such as the University of Sydney, Charles Sturt University and Macquarie University, to name a few, offer and support telework in their institutions through online education; a person can complete their whole degree without setting foot in a classroom. With these attitudes and values entrenched in our everyday lives, it wouldn't be surprising if Generation Y would expect the opportunity to telework when they hit the workforce. 

This poses the question: is teleworking best suited to specific sectors or workplaces? Is teleworking suited to you? The best way to find out is to find our more by visiting telework.gov.au and gather your own opinions.

Hannah Anderson and Briana Tabone: Current students at the University of Sydney Business School.

Mobile Commerce And The Satisfied Customer

The recipe for business success has changed irrevocably and profoundly in just the last few years. If you don’t believe, consider these recent research findings:

For starters, here are two findings from the recent American Express Global Customer Barometer:
• 86% of customers across all purchase categories are willing to pay more for a better customer experience.
• 60% of them would make the jump from their preferred brands in search of that experience.

This creates a very new challenge for business. After all, one of the key tenets of success has centred on the power of a strong brand promise to hold customers over time. But it now appears that in the 21st Century, forgiving customer loyalty is evaporating, with consumers moving away from brand promise and brand memories in search of a better customer experience.

Let’s consider some recent SAP-commissioned global research focused on mobile commerce expectations. Interestingly, the study highlights a consumer shift from a mobile-centric world to a mobile-commerce-centric mindset. This basically means there is an increasing demand for mobile commerce capability. People want to complete more transactions on their phones. Currently, 63% of consumers around the world are already using their phones for that very purpose, with one third of mobile phone uses devoted to purchasing products and services. The reasons? Respondents identified benefits like the ability to do it at any time of day, the ability to do it on the go, anywhere, as well as speed and convenience.  In short, mobile commerce offered them a better customer experience. Interestingly, emerging countries expressed the most demand for mobile commerce. This means that Australian businesses planning on gaining a strong foothold in these key growth markets need to start with a mobile commerce platform to have any chance.

Demand for more mobile services in both emerging and mature markets is an opportunity for both domestic and international brands.  One example: Based on SAP Sybase technology, South Africa’s Standard Bank now brings mobile banking to the “unbanked". Watch this short video below:

There’s plenty of requirement in Australia as well. Two-thirds of respondents want to increase their mobile transactions with banks, telcos, retailers and other businesses, but lack of Internet access is preventing many from doing so. Thirty eight percent of Australian respondents cited unreliable Internet as a barrier – more than any other mature market surveyed. The message is clear. Local companies who can get in first with powerful mobile commerce offerings and telcos who can ensure high availability of mobile devices will be strongly positioned to offer the superior customer experiences people are looking for. In a nutshell, they’ll be the winners as customers are now more likely to shift to the better experience in the 21st Century.

Author: Ray Kloss - Head of Marketing, SAP Australia and New Zealand