Virtually Connected, Practically Mobile

Abstract

This chapter addresses a central issue in studies of mobile work and mobile technology -what is the work of mobile workers, and how do they use the resources that they have to undertake this work (i.e. the work they have to do in order to do their work)? In contrast to many of the other papers in this collection, the objective of this chapter is to examine individual mobile work, and not teamwork and co-operation other than where it impacts on the work of individuals. We present data from a study of mobile workers, examining a range of mobile workers to produce a rich picture of their work. Our analysis reveals insights into how mobile workers mix their mobility with their work, home and social lives, their use of mobile technology, the problems -technological and otherwise -inherent in being mobile, and the strategies that they use to manage their work, time, other resources and availability. Our findings demonstrate important issues in understanding mobile work, including the maintenance of communities of practice, the role and management of interpersonal awareness and coordination, how environmental resources affect activity, the impact of mobility on family/social relationships and the crossover between the mobile workers' private and working lives, how preplanning is employed prior to travel, and how mobile workers perform activity multitasking, for example through making use of 'dead time'. Finally, we turn to the implications of this data for the design and deployment of mobile virtual work (MVW) technologies for individuals and a broader organisational context.

Smart phone use by non-mobile business users

“…Similarly, Matthews and colleagues [10] found that context, namely other devices, tasks, and places, also constrained people's use of their smart phones. Consistent with earlier work [16,17,18], they observed that people often used their phones to "fill time" in the absence of counter-pressures such as pending activities or the presence of others. These findings provide insight into current smart phone practices but also raise the additional questions of whether smart phones are inherently only suitable for certain tasks or whether selective usage patterns evolved from prior behavior and perceptions.…”

Work Practices, Nomadicity and the Mediational Role of Technology

“…With regard to establishing workplaces across several locations, Perry and Brodie (2006) highlight the importance of taking into consideration the development of tools to allow people to set up their temporary workplaces. In fact, a lot of effort is put into organising and packing things that will be necessary to conduct work at a new location, since such work usually is dependent on information, technological or even Space and place are often treated as different elements.…”

“…Also, considerable effort is invested in discovering the resources needed to lay the supportive apparatus down and to make it work (Mark and Su 2010). All these activities developed prior to the formal work is called mobilisation work by Perry and Brodie (2006), i.e. the work done to get nomadicity started.…”

“…Through connecting, configuring and synchronizing, nomadic workers realise officing as a practical approach to cope with the demands of mobility, including the "mobilisation work" (as defined by Perry and Brodie (2006)) that is often unseen by them and by employers, but also as a performative strategy of their identity of "ever-connected" workers: for example when participants describe replying to a query by text message or email, rather than with a phone call, to appear as if they were responding from the office rather than from another place. Humphry notes how the expectation of "ever-presence" for these workers is not confined to work, but extended to friends and family: thus, synchronizing becomes part of the strategy of coping with work and non-work demands of nomadic life.…”

What are the factors that could influence the future of work with regard to energy systems and the built environment?

“…However, work for these workers does not follow the traditional image of home-working on the kitchen table or in the spare room. Rather the model is that of the nomadic worker, much of whose work-week may involve being on-site at various contractors or employers (Perry and Brodie, 2005).…”