The Highly Virtual Workplace

people
kelly Global workforce index ™ 00

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168,
2

The highly virtual
r 201
: Novembe
release

s
ie
30 r

workplace
c o u nt

the connected worker

Improved productivity increased improved pressure
In terms of efficiency and productivity, there is a narrow risk of work-life to stay
majority (53%) of respondents who believe that mobile burnout balance connected
technology has increased their effectiveness.
Less tha
n 5h
80% ou
rs

60%
23% 32% 40% 36%
believe that say there has been say the greatest
40% staying connected an improvement pressure to stay

None
with work after- on work-life connected comes
Amount of time spent 49% hours poses a
risk of fatigue
balance as a
result of online
from themselves.
The second most
20% each week “connected”
or burnout. The technologies. common source
to work outside of the
highest rate of Those in APAC of pressure
typical workday
burnout is in have best comes from
16%
M o re
0% APAC, where 37% integrated these employers (26%).
Gen Y

Gen X

Baby Boomers

Professional/
technical
Non-professional/
technical

Americas

EMEA

APAC

are adversely technologies into
affected. their lives with
tha

50% experiencing
n1

an improved
12%
0

ou work-life balance.
h

rs
6 –10
h o urs
“connected” time
outside of the
typical workday
(by region)
Americas 72% EMEA 74% APAC 89%
Time spent
No time spent

28% 26% 11%

2

contents

Section 1: Section 2: The Kelly Global Workforce Index 2012

4 Introduction 14 Introduction The 2012 Kelly Global Workforce Index (KGWI)
brings together the findings from almost 170,000
5 The connected employee 15 Impact on productivity (by region)
respondents from 30 countries. It shows the results
(by region)
16 Impact on productivity (by generation) of diverse forces impacting the contemporary
6 The connected employee workplace, including generational and geographic
(by generation) 17 Impact on productivity (by worker type)
diversity, technology, employee empowerment,
18 Impact on work-life balance and the widespread use of social media.
7 The connected employee
(by worker type) 19 Impact on job security This fifth installment of the 2012 KGWI looks at
the emergence of the highly virtual workforce,
8 The connected employee: APAC 20 Impact on burnout
characterized by employees that are connected
9 The connected employee: Americas 21 Appeal of telecommuting to their workplace around the clock by virtue of
(by region) mobile technologies.
10 The connected employee: EMEA

11 Main pressures to stay connected 22 Appeal of telecommuting The advent of smartphones and laptops, and 24/7
(by generation) access to corporate IT networks has empowered a
12 Amount of time connected generation of workers for whom the office is always
with work (by region) 23 Conclusion
in their pocket.

13 Amount of time connected The paper examines these workforce issues across
with work (by generation) industry sectors, and globally, across the Americas,
APAC and EMEA regions. It also includes a
generational perspective, with a focus on the three
main workforce generations – Gen Y (age 19-30),
Gen X (age 31-48) and Baby Boomers (age 49-66).

Kelly Global Workforce Index™ 3

sec tion 1

The Around-the-clock worker
Employees everywhere are feeling the pressure to stay connected
with their work in a world where technology is pervasive.

The uptake of mobile technologies has as well as the impacts on productivity,
transformed workplaces and the way that work-life balance and job security.
employees interact with their work.
It shows that the impacts have been largely
This report explores the pressures positive, and that while productivity and
faced by employees to stay connected efficiency can be enhanced, the intrusion
to their work outside normal working into employee downtime can contribute to
hours. It examines both the benefits fatigue and burnout if not carefully managed.
and the downsides of this technology,


the connected employee (by region)

Å Globally, more than a quarter
(27 percent) of respondents feel under Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and
The Connected Employee by region
via email or phone, outside of normal work hours? (% yes, by region)
pressure to stay connected with work
outside of normal work hours.

Within APAC, the intensity is greatest,
with 35 percent required to maintain a
AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES
connection, compared with 28 percent in
EMEA and 21 percent in the Americas.

21% 28% 35% 27%


the connected employee (by generation)

Å Even though younger generations
are more adept at accommodating Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and
The Connected Employee by generation
via email or phone, outside of normal work hours? (% yes, by generation)
new technology, all generations are
feeling the pressure to maintain a
virtual connection to their work.

GEN Y GEN X BABY BOOMERS

28% 29% 26%


the connected employee (by skill set)

Å The degree of pressure to stay
connected is directly related to the nature Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and via email
The Connected Employee by P/T and non-P/T
or phone, outside of normal work hours? (% yes, by skill set)
of the work performed. Those workers
with a Professional & Technical (P/T) skill
set—sales, marketing, education, IT, legal,
science, finance and accounting, security
NON-
clearance, and healthcare—all experience PROFESSIONAL/ PROFESSIONAL/
TECHNICAL TECHNICAL
greater pressure than those in non-
Professional & Technical (non-P/T) roles
—administrative, call center and customer
service, light industrial and clerical.

Approximately one-third (32 percent)
of workers with P/T skill sets feel
under pressure to stay connected, 32% 21%
significantly more than those with
non-P/T skill sets (21 percent) .


the connected employee: APAC

Å Across the globe, there is a trend
toward some of the most dynamic, Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and
The Connected Employee - APAC
via email or phone, outside of normal work hours? (% yes, by country)
emerging economies, particularly
those in Asia, being the most likely to 42% 40% 40% 39% 37% 31% 25% 22% 21%
have workforces feeling the pressure
to stay connected with work.

Leading the field are Hong Kong,
Singapore, Malaysia and India, all with
approximately 40 percent of respondents
conscious of the need to stay in touch
with their work outside of normal hours.
Hong Kong

Singapore

Malaysia

India

China

Indonesia

Thailand

New Zealand

Australia

the connected employee: Americas

Å Of the three global regions examined
in the report, fewer workers in the Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and
The Connected Employee - Americas
Americas report feeling pressure to
remain connected with their workplaces. 23% 23% 20% 14%

In both the United States and Canada,
slightly less than a quarter (23 percent)
are under pressure to remain online, but
this falls to 20 percent in Puerto Rico
and just 14 percent in Mexico, which is
the lowest of any country in the survey.
United States

Canada

Puerto Rico

Mexico

the connected employee: EMEA

Å In EMEA, the three countries where
employees face the greatest pressure Do you feel under pressure to stay “connected” with your work, online, and
The Connected Employee - EMEA
to maintain contact with their work
are Russia, Hungary and Poland. 37% 37% 36% 32% 31% 30% 28% 27% 27% 26% 26% 25% 25% 24% 23% 21% 19%

EMEA, on average, has 28 percent
of respondents reporting pressure to
stay connected to their work. Many
of the smaller European economies
report higher levels than this, including
Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands.

The biggest economies including,
UK, Germany, France and Italy
are all below the average.
Russia

Hungary

Poland

Belgium

South Africa

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Germany

Switzerland

France

Portugal

Ireland

Norway

Sweden

Italy

Denmark
UK


Main pressures to stay connected

Å Where is this pressure to stay
Main Pressures to stay connected
connected with work coming from? If you are under pressure to stay connected with work, where is the main pressure coming from? (By region)

50%
It is intriguing that the greatest pressure,
accounting for 36 percent of responses Americas

globally, comes from individuals EMEA

themselves. It seems that employees 40% APAC
All countries
have an acute sense of the need to
stay connected with their work, even
during their so-called downtime.
30%

The next most motivating factor
driving the connected employee is
employers, who account for 26 percent 20%
of responses, followed by industry
culture (15 percent), customers/clients
(14 percent), other employees
10%
(5 percent) and other factors (3 percent).

The pattern is consistent across the
Americas and EMEA but slightly different 0%
in APAC. In Asia, more workers say that Self Employers Industry culture Customers/clients Other employees Other

employers are a source of pressure when
it comes to ensuring that their employees
are never more than a click away.


Amount of time connected with work (by region)

Å Once, there was work time and
Amount of time connected with work - by region
downtime. Now the lines are blurred. Most How much time do you spend each week “connected” to work via mobile technology outside of the typical workday? (By region)
employees are spending at least some of
60%
their leisure time connected with their work.
Americas
Almost half of all respondents globally EMEA
50%
(49 percent) say that they spend five hours APAC

or less each week connected to their All countries

work outside of the typical working day. 40%

There is a further 12 percent who
spend 6–10 hours, and 16 percent who
30%
spend more than 10 hours connected
to their work. Less than a quarter
(23 percent) say they spend no time. 20%

Those in APAC are the most likely to be
using their downtime to keep in touch
10%
with their work. Only 12 percent of those
in APAC report spending no time during
their off-hours connected to work, less 0%
than half the rate in EMEA (26 percent) < 5 hours 6–10 hours > 10 hours None
and Americas (29 percent).


Amount of time connected with work (by generation)

Å Among the main working generations, Amount of time connected with work - by generation
Gen Y and Gen X are the most likely How much time do you spend each week “connected” to work via mobile technology outside of the typical workday? (By generation)
to be spending a part of their out-of-
60%
work hours still connected, although
Gen Y
Baby Boomers are not far behind.
Gen X
50%
Baby Boomers
There are 22 percent of GenY and 21
percent of Gen X who report spending
no time at all connected to their work 40%
during their off-hours, compared
with 30 percent of Baby Boomers.
30%

20%

10%

0%

< 5 hours 6–10 hours > 10 hours None


sec tion 2

online technologies—benefit or curse?
Mobile technologies that connect employees with their work do provide benefits,
but they are not without costs.

On the one hand, there is increased For some, this is a blessing, freeing them
flexibility and efficiency for both from the need to be anchored at a defined
employees and businesses, but also location at a given time. For others, it just
added employee workload, and means more work.
interruption to leisure or family time.
For employers and employees alike, getting
For many individuals, work is leaping the this balance right is undoubtedly the next
traditional boundary of the workplace. big challenge in the online work revolution.


Impact on productivity (by region)

Å In terms of efficiency and
productivity, there is a narrow majority To what degree do you agree that the use of mobile technology has improved
Impact of productivity by region
your work efficiency/productivity (% agree, by region)
(53 percent) of respondents who
believe that mobile technology has
increased their effectiveness.

Significantly, the greatest increases in
productivity appear to have occurred AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES

in APAC, where 62 percent say they
are more efficient, compared with 50
percent in both the Americas and EMEA.

50% 50% 62% 53%


Impact on productivity (by generation)

Å Across the generations, mobile
technology appears to have had a more To what degree do you agree that the use of mobile technology has improved
Impact of productivity by generation
your work efficiency/productivity (% agree, by generation)
positive impact on productivity and
efficiency among Gen Y (54 percent)
and Gen X (56 percent), but less so
among Baby Boomers (47 percent).


54% 56% 47%


Impact on productivity (by skill set)

Å The productivity gains arising
from use of mobile technology are To what degree do you agree that the use of mobile technology has improved
Impact of productivity by P/T and non-P/T
your work efficiency/productivity (% agree, by skill set)
more pronounced among those
workers with Professional/Technical
skills (62 percent), than those
without those skills (43 percent).
NON-
PROFESSIONAL/ PROFESSIONAL/
TECHNICAL TECHNICAL

62% 43%


Impact on work-life balance (by region)

Å As well as the productivity
gains, there are also downsides. To what degree do you agree that the use of mobile technology for work
Impact of Work-Life Balance by region
has resulted in a more positive work-life balance? (% agree, by region)
On the question of work-life balance,
40 percent of respondents, globally,
say there has been an improvement
as a result of online technologies.
AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES
The outcomes are uneven across the
globe. Those in APAC appear to have
best integrated these technologies into
their lives, with 50 percent experiencing
an improved work-life balance.

In contrast, 44 percent of respondents
in the Americas have experienced 44% 34% 50% 40%
better work-life balance, and this
falls to just 34 percent in EMEA.


Impact on job security (by region)

Å The impact of mobile technology
on job security, in the eyes of To what degree do you region that the use of mobile technology has increased your job security? (% agree, by region)
Impact on Job Security by
agree
employees, is also equivocal.

When asked, 29 percent say that the
online technologies have improved their
job security. This is highest in APAC, AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES
where 36 percent experienced improved
job security, compared with 30 percent in
the Americas and 25 percent in EMEA.

30% 25% 36% 29%


Impact on burnout (by region)

Å Perhaps the greatest peril of
Impact on Burnout by region
To what degree do you agree that the use of mobile technology has contributed to increased fatigue/burnout? (% agree, by region)
online technologies in relation to
staying connected with work is
that, for some, the added workload
contributes to fatigue or burnout.

While there are clear benefits from AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES
productivity improvements, nearly
one-third (32 percent) agree that
the use of mobile technologies has
contributed to fatigue or burnout.

The highest rate of burnout is in APAC,
where 37 percent are adversely affected,
higher than in EMEA (33 percent) 26% 33% 37% 32%
and the Americas (26 percent).


Appeal of Telecommuting (by region)

Å Perhaps the purest form of virtual
Appeal of Telecommuting by region
employee is the one who telecommutes Would you consider telecommuting (working mainly from home or away from the office) if that was offered to you? (% yes, by region)
—working from home or in a remote
location, and rarely, if ever, having a
physical tie to an office or workplace.
Issues such as family-friendly work
arrangements, traffic congestion AMERICAS EMEA APAC ALL COUNTRIES

and flexible hours have all made
telecommuting a viable option for
many organizations and employees.

Our survey shows that 60 percent say
they would consider telecommuting,
working mainly from home or away from
68% 56% 59% 60%
the office, if that option was offered.

The greatest appeal is in the Americas,
where more than two-thirds (68 percent)
would consider telecommuting,
significantly more than in APAC
(59 percent) and EMEA (56 percent).


Appeal of Telecommuting (by generation)

Å Among the generations, there is a
distinct leaning toward telecommuting Would of Telecommuting by generation (working mainly from home or away from the office) if that was offered to you? (% yes, by generation)
Appeal you consider telecommuting

among older workers. Almost two-
thirds (65 percent) of Gen X and Baby
Boomers would consider telecommuting,
compared with only 55 percent of Gen Y.

55% 65% 65%


Conclusion

Virtual Reality
The virtual workforce is now upon us. Organizations and employees have adapted to this
newest workplace evolution in different ways, and with varying degrees of success.

Not so long ago, it was predicted that Overall, the results seem predominantly For employers: For employees:
technological advances would give us all positive. Most employees recognize • Are you allowing ample access to mobile • Do you have the opportunity to use mobile
more leisure time. In hindsight, that seems the positive impacts on workplace technology so employees can stay technology to stay connected and improve
quaintly naïve. As this study shows, most productivity and efficiency, and many connected 24/7?Are the expectations your productivity?
are juggling the competing pressures report a more positive work-life balance. regarding after-hours and virtual • Is telecommuting something you’d be
between work and leisure, but outcomes vary connections clearly understood by
But there is also recognition that interested in or comfortable with? Would it
markedly across countries and generations. all employees?
the extension of work into personal be a viable option in your current job?
Some businesses, notably in the dynamic downtime comes at the cost of • In terms of performance evaluation, are • In your opinion, what is the best strategy
Asia Pacific region, have integrated virtual increased fatigue and burnout. there guidelines to assess those who for keeping a healthy balance?
technologies into their workplaces at a embrace virtual work compared with those

rapid rate. In the Americas and EMEA, As work leaps this spatial boundary who don’t?

the change has been somewhat slower. into personal time, there are some • Are there even more opportunities for
important issues that employers and your firm to take advantage of employee
employees may need to consider. telecommuting or virtual work?
• With more virtual workers, are we at risk of
losing the critical human connection?


About the kelly global workforce index
The Kelly Global Workforce Index is an annual survey revealing opinions about work and the
workplace. More than 168,000 people across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC regions responded
to the 2012 survey. This survey was conducted by RDA Group on behalf of Kelly Services.

About Kelly services®
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions.
Kelly® offers a comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class
staffing on a temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. Serving clients around the globe,
Kelly provides employment to more than 550,000 employees annually. Revenue in 2011 was
$5.6 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Download The Talent Project, a free iPad app by Kelly Services.

An Equal Opportunity Employer © 2012 Kelly Services

kellyservices.com

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