STAMFORD, Conn.-A new workplace study from Pitney Bowes Inc. revealed that cellular-phone use increased by 25 percent among U.S. workers during the past year.
Pitney Bowes conducted the study on messaging practices in the 21st century with the Institute for the Future. It shows workers continue to adopt and use portable communications tools. Laptop use increased by 8 percent while pager use increased by 6 percent.
“There is a dramatic spike that can be attributed to the fact that cellular phones today work better and are more affordable as the U.S. infrastructure for cell phones continually improves,” said Meredith Fischer, co-author of the study and vice president of Pitney Bowes. “Manufacturers are equipping portable devices with enhanced features at a rapid pace in response to user needs. As any time, anywhere connectivity becomes standard operating procedure, workers will increasingly substitute mobile functionality devices for PC functionality, especially for text-based communications features such as fax, e-mail calendars, organizers and to-do lists.”
The study is the fourth in a series of studies on managing communications in the 21st century workplace and drew on research conducted between January and March 2000.
