From the corner office to the coffee shop, Canadians* want to redefine the "workplace"

Rogers survey shows one third of full time employed Canadians willing to give up salary, vacation or benefits to work from anywhere

Canadians lack access to the latest technologies in the workplace

TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2013 /CNW/ - The workplace as we know it is shifting. According to the new Rogers Connected Workplace report conducted by Harris Decima, technology and connectivity is a key driver.

The report shows that over half of Canadians - including both Baby Boomers and Generation Y - think it's important to work with the latest technologies and do so from anywhere, but they don't have access to resources or workplace policies to make this a reality. And looking ahead, these elements will be increasingly important to decisions on future employment.

"It is clear that by making the shift to a more connected workplace, small and large businesses have an opportunity to influence productivity and drive innovation," said Steve Van Binsbergen, Vice President, Business Segment, Rogers Communications. "Businesses that enable employees to work seamlessly across devices and environments stand ready to improve employee morale and deliver better customer experiences." 

The Rogers Connected Workplace report evaluates Canadians' insights and attitudes towards technology driving the move to a connected workplace. Four major trends emerged from the research:

1. Canadians willing to sacrifice salary and vacation days to work from anywhere
• One third of Canadians (33%) say they would sacrifice something (including salary, vacation days and employee benefits) to work remotely
• Over half (59%) of Canadians agree in the future, flexible work hours and the ability to work from anywhere will be top priorities in their choice of employer
2. Canadians desire access to the latest tech but don't want to lose face-to-face interactions
• Job satisfaction could increase for almost half (47%) of Canadians if employers provided the latest technology tools and services
• Baby boomers are just as likely as their Gen Y counterparts to attribute access to the latest technology as being important (70% and 66%, respectively)
• Almost eight in ten (76%) of Canadians agree collaborative workplaces make them more productive
3. Canadians willing to erase personal and professional lines ("Bring Your Own Device")
• A quarter of Canadian smartphone users (23%) who carry two smartphones do so because their employer doesn't allow them to connect their device to the company server
• Over half of Canadians (54%) who use their smartphone for personal and professional purposes are comfortable with employer-enforcing security policies
4. Laptops and tablets are future devices of choice for Canadian workers over desktop PCs
• Today, Canadians spend the majority of their workday using traditional workplace devices such as desktop computers (45%) and landlines (10%)
• In the future, Canadians would prefer to use laptops (40%), tablets (15%), and smartphones (10%) as  primary work devices

"Evolving technologies are redefining the Canadian workplace," said Van Binsbergen. "We are working with customers across the country to deliver what we call the 'connected enterprise', going beyond traditional office technology and implementing solutions that meet the needs of the shifting workplace."

To download the comprehensive Rogers Connected Workplace report, visit the SlideShare link here.

To learn how Rogers is delivering the connected enterprise to Canadian businesses, visit: rogers.com/enterprise

About Rogers Communications

Rogers is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high speed internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, sports entertainment, magazines and trade publications, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit www.rogers.com.

*Survey Methodology:

An online survey was conducted by Harris/Decima among a national sample of n=1,001 Canadian panelists, aged 18+ who are employed in a full time position at their company/organization and are not self-employed.  The survey was administered in both English and French between October 17th and October 30th, 2013.  The data is weighted to replicate the actual population distribution by age, gender and region according to the 2011 Census.

Image with caption: "Technology is redefining the Canadian workplace. The Connected Workplace report, released today by Rogers shows that while the majority of Canadians are still using traditional wired devices at work, they think it's important to have the latest technology like laptops, tablets and smartphones to do their jobs in and out of the office. (CNW Group/Rogers Communications Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20131127_C5304_PHOTO_EN_33901.jpg

SOURCE: Rogers Communications Inc.

Contact:

Michelle Lewis
Rogers Communications
416-935-8339
[email protected]