Ericsson ConsumerLab’s report shows that almost half of the global working population considers it important to have flexible working hours. It probably comes as no surprise, but the Flexibility in Work Life report from Ericsson ConsumerLab shows that today’s working population places great value on the importance of pleasure and the pursuit of happiness in life just as much as others. Two factors help to make this a reality in today’s business environment: managers providing their workforces with mobile devices and smartphones, so employees can work remotely; and the growing importance of flexible working hours. Indranil Roy Chowdhury, Senior Advisor at ConsumerLab and one of the authors of the report, says: "The average time spent on personal mobile devices for work is far greater than the time spent on PCs. The working population also spends more time downloading apps than the rest. Of the average time spent on apps in a day, employees spend 20 percent of the time on business apps such as MS Office, Microsoft Lync and Polaris Office." According to the report, white collar employees who are internet users in developing countries such as Brazil, China and Mexico are ahead of advanced economies in terms of app downloads – although combined blue and white collar worker app download rates are highest in the US. Working people in India who use the internet on Android smartphones spend more time using business apps on their phones than their counterparts in countries such as Japan, the UK and the US. However, this new level of flexibility could also have a downside. The ability to work flexibly means that currently, 20 percent of employees are already working from home during evenings, in order to handle the dynamics and requirements of their workplace in a better way. The report examines consumer opinions from a professional perspective, and is based on the analysis of more than 47,000 interviews conducted among a wide selection of workers in 23 countries around the world. The objective was to discover people’s attitudes to flexible working conditions, and how they were managing with them. Participants include both blue and white collar workers, as well as full- and part-time employees. http://www.ericsson.com/thinkingahead/consumerlab

1. CONSUMERLAB
Flexibility
in work life
An Ericsson ConsumerLab Insight Summary Report
June 2015

2. 2 ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE
ANY PLACE IS A WORK PLACE 3
TOWARDS GREATER FLEXIBILITY 4
ENABLING MOBLITY 5
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT 6
The data presented in this report was gathered from
47,167 interviews, representing 1.1 billion people in 23 countries
across the world. These were: Argentina, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil,
Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Germany, India, Italy,
Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden,
the UK, Ukraine, Uruguay, and the US. Interviews were conducted
face-to-face and online, with consumers aged
15–69 years old.
The survey results were further complemented with on-device
measurement data gathered from smartphone users in India, Japan,
South Korea, the UK and US. On-device data was collected from
23,800 Android users, representing around 270 million Android
smartphone users.
contents
METHODOLOGY
Ericsson ConsumerLab has over 20 years’ experience of studying
people’s behaviors and values, including the way they act and think
about ICT products and services. Ericsson ConsumerLab provides
unique insights on market and consumer trends.
Ericsson ConsumerLab gains its knowledge through a global
consumer research program based on interviews with 100,000
individuals each year, in more than 40 countries and 15 megacities –
statistically representing the views of 1.1 billion people.
Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used, and
hundreds of hours are spent with consumers from different
cultures. To be close to the market and consumers, Ericsson
ConsumerLab has analysts in all regions where Ericsson is
present, developing a thorough global understanding of the
ICT market and business models.
All reports can be found at:
www.ericsson.com/consumerlab
the voice of the consumer
JAPAN
RUSSIA
UK
SWEDEN
DENMARK
US
CANADA
BOLIVIA
EL SALVADOR
MEXICO
BRAZIL
URUGUAY
ARGENTINA
UKRAINE
EGYPT
NIGERIA
ITALY
AUSTRIA
GERMANY
CHINA
INDIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SOUTH KOREA

3. ANY PLACE IS
A WORKPLACE
Key findings
A flexible life
> 32 percent of the current workforce regard
the ability to work remotely as important, while
43 percent place importance on working flexible
hours. More than 20 percent work from home
during the evening
Working on the go
> A third of workers consider personal technology
devices to be very important for professional
purposes. Many among them feel that their use
of these devices blurs the spatial boundaries
between work and leisure time
Mobile phones preferred for work
> The average time spent on mobile phones
and smartphones for professional purposes is
greater than the time spent on PCs, particularly
in countries where personal mobile devices are
generally considered less important for work
Apps enabling mobility
> A higher proportion of the working population
downloads apps weekly compared to the overall
population. Of the average time spent on apps in
a day, employees spend 20 percent of their time
on business apps
Globally, the working population values the ability to enjoy
life and to have fun as much as others. Consequently,
they are adopting increasingly flexible lifestyles to allow
for this.
More and more people around the world are choosing
to work from multiple locations, requiring a greater need
for technology-enabled flexibility. Having realized this,
employers have provided devices such as mobiles or
smartphones to over 24 percent of the workforce.
The ability to work flexibly means that currently,
20 percent of employees are already working from
home during evenings, either because they prioritize
time at home, or in order to handle the dynamics
and requirements of their workplace better.
These factors are leading to a change in workers’
attitudes towards how they use technology as a means
of integrating their professional and personal lives.
ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE 3
Employees want the ability
to work anytime, anywhere

4. Like the rest of the population, employees also expect
to lead a life that provides a sense of purpose, with both
long-term enjoyment and instant gratification. Individuality,
moral obligations and having fun are considered more
important than striving for social status.
Figure 1 demonstrates that while enjoying life and
having fun are a prominent focus for younger workers,
they are generally as committed in their duty towards
family and community as the older workforce. The
younger workforce places a higher importanceon
social status than their older colleagues.
Among those who consider personal devices
important for work, 36 percent agree that these
devices have blurred the boundaries between
professional and personal lives.
4 ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE
50%
Figure 3: Ability to work remotely and work
flexible hours – public vs. private
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Ability to work flexible hours
(public sector)
Ability to work remotely
(private sector)
Ability to work remotely
(public sector)
Ability to work flexible hours
(private sector)
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Global working population
Nigeria
El Salvador
US
Ukraine
Brazil
Russia
Austria
Canada
Italy
Germany
Bolivia
Uruguay
Argentina
UK
Mexico
South Africa
China
India
Denmark
Sweden
South Korea
Egypt
Japan
Figure 2: Importance of ability to work remotely
vs. ability to work flexible hours
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Working population
Ability to work flexible hours
Ability to work remotely
Towards greater
flexibility
Social statusDuty towards familyHaving funEnjoying life
Workers < 25 years of age
Workers > 25 years of age
77%
74% 74%
66%
69% 71%
51%
38%
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Global working population
Figure 1: General attitude towards life – under 25s vs. over 25s
The aspiration for greater positivity and personal
freedom in life directly influences attitudes towards
work. Globally, a significantly larger proportion of
employees desire flexible working hours than the
ability to work remotely, as it provides greater
independence (Figure 2).
In most countries, employees in the private sector
feel a greater need for flexibility than those in the
public sector – in terms of both the ability to work
remotely and to work flexible hours (Figure 3).
As employees seek to work anytime, anywhere,
the development and adoption of new technology
and devices is also playing a role in blurring the
boundaries between professional and personal
lives. A third of the working population believe that
personal technology devices are very important
for work.

5. ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE 5
Figure 4: Proportion of people working from multiple locations,
several times a week
White collar
27%
15%
9%
13%
22%
13%
8%
12%
18%
11%
6%
10%
At home during
the evening
At home during the
middle of the day
At home during
the morning
While commuting
or travelling
Overall Blue collar
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Global working population
Enabling mobility
With employees needing to work more flexibly, there
is an increasing need for employers to meet such
demands. Employers have already provided devices
such as mobiles or smartphones to over 24 percent
of their employees.
Half of employees use their personal mobile phones
for professional purposes, and spend an average of
32 percent of their time working on them. A third of
employees use their personal desktops/laptops (PCs)
for work purposes and spend over 30 percent of their
overall time on these devices for work-related tasks.
For our study, countries were categorized based on
whether their workforce attached high, medium or low
importance to using PCs and personal mobile phones
for work.
In countries where lower importance is placed on
using personal devices for work, the proportion of
time spent on mobile phones for work (47 percent)
is greater than the time spent on PCs (39 percent).
Conversely, in countries where a higher importance
is placed on using personal devices for work, the share
of time spent on mobile phones for work (32 percent) is
less than the time spent on PCs (35 percent).
On average, irrespective of the device preferred
for work, consumers chose to spend more time on
their mobile phones. This suggests that the need for
mobility is universal.
While the majority works from a single location,
a significant proportion of people, white collar
employees in particular, work from multiple locations.
Around 10 percent of white collar employees work
while commuting or travelling. Among the overall
working population, over 20 percent work from home
in the evening which could be because they wish
to prioritize time at home, or in order to handle the
dynamics and requirements of their workplace better.
Thus, there is a need among the working population
for a greater ability to manage their ‘anytime,
anywhere’ lifestyles.
LowMediumHigh
Proportion of time spent on PC for work purposes
Proportion of time spent on personal mobile phone for work purposes
35%
32%
38% 40% 39%
47%
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Global working population that feels personal devices (PCs and mobiles)
are important for work
Figure 5: Of the total time spent on a personal device, proportion
of time spent for work purposes
Importance placed on using personal devices
(PCs and mobile phones) for work
Half of employees use their
personal mobile phones for
professional purposes

6. 6 ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE
there’s an
app for that
As the time spent on mobile phones for work is gaining
prominence, so are the perceived benefits of using
mobile applications.
On average, 33 percent of the overall population
download new apps to their devices at least once a
week, and this figure increases to 43 percent among
the working population. Of this, a significant proportion
consists of white collar employees.
On a global scale, in many emerging economies there are
more white collar workers who download apps than their
counterparts in advanced economies.
Overall, US has the highest proportion of workers who
download apps while Egypt has the lowest.
Figure 6: New app downloads (on at least a weekly basis)
by working population
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Working population that accesses the internet
On a global scale,
in many emerging
economies there
are more white
collar workers who
download apps than
their counterparts in
advanced economies
US 56%
highest app
download rate
among workers
Egypt 27%
lowest app
download rate
among workers
Brazil
Mexico
China
US
South Korea
Italy
India
UK
Bolivia
Canada
Russia
Germany
Nigeria
El Salvador
Ukraine
South Africa
Uruguay
Argentina
Denmark
Austria
Egypt
Sweden
Japan
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
White collar
Blue collar

7. ERICSSON CONSUMERLAB FLEXIBILITY IN WORK LIFE 7
8.0 9.0 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0 16.0 17.0
UK
US
Japan
South Korea
India
Average time (in mins) spent on any app in a day
Averagetime(inmins)spentonabusinessappinaday
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
Figure 7: Time spent on business apps vs. general apps
Source: Ericsson ConsumerLab, Flexibility in work life, 2015
Base: Global working population that uses the internet on their
Android smartphone on a daily basis
Globally, we notice a general trend in the use
of business apps. Of the average time spent on apps
in a day, employees spend 20 percent of their time
on business apps such as MS Outlook, Microsoft
Lync and Polaris Office. For example, Figure 7 shows
that in India, the average time spent on any single
application in a day is around 12 minutes, with
2.4 minutes dedicated to business-related apps.
Furthermore, mobile apps are being used for work
in countries where the penetration of mobile devices
such as laptops and tablets as a whole, is low. This
shows that apps are recognized as adding value
to work-related tasks and providing users with
professional and personal interchangeability. This is
especially true in emerging markets where blue collar
workers are also swiftly adopting business applications.
The changing attitude of workers towards their personal
lives and their need for greater flexibility impact how they
access different services daily. For example, rather than
commuting to single location offices, the workforce of
the future will prefer to conduct video conferencing from
different locations, using mobile phones provided by
their employers.
At the same time, increasing numbers of workers
are engaging in personal tasks at the workplace.
25 percent of both part and full-time employees
who use the internet visit social networks such as
Facebook and Twitter, and 12 percent shop online
at work. Globally, workers are also downloading
applications to their mobile devices for both
personal and professional purposes.
These fundamental changes will inevitably influence
how employers organize workplace policies in the
future. Key considerations will encompass not only
increased flexibility and agility in both work hours and
place of work, but also employees’ ability to use personal
devices for work-related tasks and business devices for
personal use.
More workers are
engaging in personal
tasks at the workplace

8. EAB-15:024340 Uen
© Ericsson AB 2015
Ericsson
SE-126 25 Stockholm, Sweden
Telephone +46 10 719 00 00
www.ericsson.com
Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society – a world leader in
communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major
telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential
and create a more sustainable future.
Our services, software and infrastructure – especially in mobility, broadband and the
cloud – are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business,
increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.
With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine
global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect
more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world’s mobile traffic is carried
over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that
our solutions – and our customers – stay in front.
Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in
2014 were SEK 228.0 billion (USD 33.1 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock
exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.
The content of this document is subject to revision without
notice due to continued progress in methodology, design and
manufacturing. Ericsson shall have no liability for any error or
damage of any kind resulting from the use of this document.