Almost a third of the UK working population – 10.4 million people – could be using smartphones to be more productive at work, according to a new research report from Deloitte, which is based on survey responses from 3,369 UK workers.

Deloitte claim that the Mobile Readiness for Work survey provides the first comprehensive study of the state of mobile readiness among the UK’s workforce, and gives an insight into workers in the UK, how they currently use technology and the possible size of the opportunity in using mobile devices and apps to raise workers’ productivity.

Mobile Technology Essential for Productivity

Deloitte’s research found that mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) are used by 40% of the UK working population – the equivalent of almost 13 million people – while 62% of UK employees continue to use a laptop or desktop computer at work. Overall, laptops were the most common device for work purposes, used by 37% of respondents, narrowly followed by desktop computers at 36% and smartphones at 34%. Tablets, however, were used by a significantly lower proportion, at 14%.

Dan Adams, head of telecommunications at Deloitte, commented: “For any role that requires movement, mobile technology should be essential.

“It is no wonder that we are seeing smartphones becoming the ideal device to enable employees to access information and respond to it on the go. The smartphone will play a pivotal role in transforming the workplace and significantly improve productivity.”

Analogue vs Digital

The Mobile Readiness for Work report also revealed a proportion of workers that are ‘doubling-up’ tasks by not being ‘digital-first’. On average, across all industries, 24% of workers fill out forms on paper. Of these, two-thirds of workers who fill out forms on paper then copy data onto a digital format, most commonly using a PC. This means that more than 5 million people in the UK are doubling-up on some tasks.

Deloitte’s analysis also identified the typical tasks that are carried out by the UK workforce, tasks including timesheet management, job allocation, communication with clients and colleagues and accessing information. However, despite this, the study found that of those who don’t use a smartphone or tablet to carry out a task, 42% of respondents said they believe the screen to be too small – this will often be because applications have not been redesigned to work well within a smartphone or tablet screen.

Paul Lee, partner and head of research for technology, media and telecommunications at Deloitte, commented that there is a big opportunity to make mobile much more a part of driving productivity and speeding up processes.

“As technology becomes more sophisticated and apps become more available, employers will respond by deploying mobile more widely. The smartphone will become used for a broader range of work processes, with the PC becoming a more specialised device used for more complex tasks, such as data analysis, which require a larger screen.” Lee added.

35% of respondents clearly agree feeling that their workplace is advanced when it comes to adopting new technologies and expect to take advantage of the boost in productivity they bring.