Remote workers use their devices for the most hours – Employees who work remotely tend to spend more time on their devices compared to those exclusively working from office locations. While the time spent on computers, smartphones, or tablets doesn’t directly equate to productivity, it may hint at heightened work activity, especially as remote work often translates to digital meetings. Notably, the difference in device usage hours is most prominent among workers in Japan and Germany. The disparity is most evident when comparing computer usage based on remote work status. This MetaFAQs reports on the mean and median number of hours employees in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China use their connected devices – computers, smartphones, and tablets, as well as with each device type. Report [TUP_doc_2023_1011_prod] in TUP Lenses: Devices; User Profile; Work/Life Balance
Shift in employee device hours and devices
Since the start of the pandemic, employees have needed to make tremendous changes. Employees in information-focused occupations and those needing to shift how they communicate relied on their connected devices to get work done. A growing number of employees lost access to an employer-provided computer. Many turned to using home computers for work, while yet others turned more often to their smartphones. Despite the challenges and changes, employees worldwide have managed to use their collection of devices for as many total hours while simultaneously using fewer devices.
This MetaFAQs reports on the usage levels of connected devices – smartphones, work computers, home computers, and tablets among employees in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China. Trending data spans from 2019 through 2022.
Technology penetration among American employees, generations, and remote workers
Older adults and those working at larger firms have more technology products than other online Americans, with a few notable exceptions. Americans working from home have higher computer use than other Americans, including home-owned PCs. This MetaFAQs reports several highlights from the published TUP tables focused on the key technology devices Americans actively use. This table set is labeled 250 DEV_KEY, and the selected tables for this MetaFAQs are split by age group, employer size, and work-from-home status. It specifically focuses on the key device metrics which show the penetration of smartphones, computers, tablets, game consoles, and printers. It further splits out iPhones from Android smartphones and home computers from those provided by employers or others such as school or library computers.
Most employees work from home and expect to be in one year
Only a fraction of worldwide online employed adults always works from home. A larger group never worked from home and never expect to. The largest segment includes those who occasionally work from home, and most expect to be working from home in one year. With the COVID pandemic and ensuing economic changes, many employees worked from home for the first time. As the pandemic continues, there is a wide variation across regions and employers in their policies and support of working from home.
This MetaFAQs reports on how many employees worked from home before the pandemic, how many are currently working from home, and how many expect to be working from home in one year.
Which is winning consumer interest – iPhone or Android smartphones?
Forward-looking interest is stronger for Apple iPhones than for Android smartphones across most countries surveyed. Apple is strongest among younger adults and adults of all ages currently working from home. This MetaFAQs reports the smartphone purchase plans for the next 12 months among online adults in the US, Germany, UK, Japan, and China.
Working from home – size of segments
How many workers work from home? How many already had experience working from home before the pandemic, and for how many is it a new experience?
This TUP analysis reports on the total number of full-time, part-time, and self-employed workers – and their work-from-home experience before and through the pandemic. The topline sizing details workers in the US, Germany, UK, and Japan. The analysis dives deeper into Americans by industry, employee role, employer size, and educational attainment.
Smartphone saturation among most age groups
This MetaFAQs reports on the penetration of smartphones among online adults in the US and globally – US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and China. It drills down into several factors to investigate if there are any differences in market penetration with respect to employment status, age group, and work-from-home status.
Work follows employees home, although less so than last year
Home computers – those acquired with personal funds – are used by most employees for work-related activities. Americans and employees in Germany, the UK, Japan, and China peaked in 2021 and subsided in 2022. This MetaFAQs reports on employees using a home computer for work-related activities. It details the work activities with home computers, from communication to collaboration and productivity. As a historical contrast, it includes comparable results from the 1987 TUP/Technology User Profile wave.
Hybrid work from home arrangement likely to continue
Employees and employers have made some of the most substantial changes since the pandemic, with many quickly shifting to working from home. The most significant expansion has been in hybrid working arrangements, unlikely to change within a year. This MetaFAQs reports on online employees, their frequency of working from home before the pandemic, and their expectations in a year.
Work/Life Balance TUP Lens [Highlights]
With the pandemic, many more employees are working from home. This TUP Highlights Report profiles employees by how often they work from home and their expectations of the near future. It profiles them demographically, by their type of employer, their connected devices, and their work-related activities.