14 employee mobile usage statistics your company can’t ignore

Two things are taking over the world today… Millennials and mobile phones. Growing up in the digital era, Millennials are a part of the ongoing technology evolution not only within their social lives but also at work. As mobile usage increases, Millennials (and every generation that follows), will continue to demand faster, more convenient ways of communication. They’re bouncing between client emails, messaging apps, and posting on Instagram, within minutes on their phone, every day, all throughout the day. According to OpenMarket, 83% of millennials open text messages within 90 seconds of receiving them. Considering 9.4 trillion text messages are sent every year in the US, you can imagine how often your employees are picking up their phones in the office.

But Millennials aren’t the only people driving smartphone usage. According to the Pew Center for Research, 97% of Americans own a cellphone of some kind, and 85% of them own smartphones. Mobile usage will continue to increase, and those companies who embrace the evolution will be the ones who can increase engagement and optimize productivity. To help your company stay ahead of the curve, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of mobile usage statistics.

General mobile usage statistics:

• Mobile has overtaken desktop as main way to access the internet (Source: BroadBandSearch)
• In 2015, mobile represented 51% of overall digital consumption. In 2020, it jumped to 58%. (Source: eMarketer)
• The average adult spends 5-6 hours per day on their mobile phone (not including voice calls or work-related issues!). (Source: Statista)
• Apps account for 89% of mobile media time, with the other 11% spent on websites. (Source: Smart Insights)
• Smartphone users spend approximately 3 hours 40 minutes on mobile social media. (Source: TechJury)
• 68% of mobile users are engaging with brands via apps (Source: Oberlo)
• 85% of adults are internet users and 77% are smartphone users (Source: Pew Research Center)

Employee mobile usage statistics:

• 60% of employees use apps for work-related activity (Source: Digital Strategy Consulting)
• 80% of IT executives said employees cannot do their jobs effectively without a mobile phone (Source: Samsung/Oxford Economics)
• Almost 9 in 10 app users say that apps for work have changed their behavior as a business professional (Source: Digital Strategy Consulting)
• 70 percent of employees keep their phones “within eye contact” at work (Source: Samsung/Oxford Economics)
• The average mobile worker works 240 hours a year longer than the general population (Source: Perillon)
• Over 42% of mobile subscribers use smart phones or tablets to read email (Source: emailmonday)
• 59% of respondents think that their organization has been too slow at delivering apps for the workforce (Source: BambooHR)

Why These Statistics Matter:

Without sounding the “if you can’t beat them, join them” alarm, it is critical that global communication teams get a handle on how to best communicate and engage their workforce. Technology will keep moving forward, and it’s important your communications strategy follows suit. Realizing that so much time at work is spent on the phone, ask your team the question of how you can maximize that screen time to benefit your business?

If you want to get the attention of your employees, increase engagement, as well as boost external brand marketing, video will continue to be the preferred method of education, and mobile will be their top way of consuming content.

5 signs it’s time for an employee mobile app

Download our comprehensive guide to why it might be time for a mobile workforce management solution at your organization.