Qumu Survey: Mobile Video in the Workplace Leads to Employees Gone Wild
US adults believe others’ top uses of mobile devices while at work (instead of using a work computer) include looking for a new job and online dating, and among the most popular ways US adults think others sneak peeks at mobile devices during work meetings is to hide them under the table or in a notebook, according to Qumu ( www.qumu.com ), whcih has announced findings of its June 2011 survey of 2,510 Americans aged 18 and older, conducted online by Harris Interactive. The survey found that a majority of online Americans (64%) are watching online videos, Men are significantly more likely than women to say they have ever watched any kind of online video while at work (53% vs. 34%, respectively) . But while 17% of all online Americans have watched online company videos at their work, thats not all they admit to watching. The most popular choice was news clips (25%) followed by viral videos (15%), videos posted on social networking sites (12%), sports events/sports clips (11%), television shows (9%), full length feature films (4%) and other online videos (3%).
A majority (61%) of online Americans agree that companies should allow employees to use whatever mobile device they choose for work related tasks, like reading email and viewing company videos, which introduces a number of challenges to the networks of American companies, since a 90 second video clip is 700 times larger than the average email and there are over 30 combinations of video formats to support for mobile devices. However, only 9% of online Americans believe employees are very aware of what kind of effects watching online videos on their mobile devices at work have may have on the speed and bandwidth of their companys wireless Internet network (if that is how the online content are being accessed). Half of online Americans (50%) think employees are at least somewhat aware of these effects of online video in the workplace.
In fact, it seems having mobile devices have made online Americans think that people take risks with what they do online (on their mobile device). Almost three out of four online Americans (74%) believe with mobile devices, people will do things they would not normally do on their work computer. Those activities include:
52% – Look for another primary job
47% – Visit an online dating website
46% – Look for a side job
37% – Research embarrassing illness/condition
33% – Shop for lingerie/underwear
20% – Investigate plastic surgery options
A majority of online Americans (63%) believe that during work meetings, people sneak-a-peek at their mobile device. The favored methods online Americans believe that others use to catch a glimpse of what was on their handheld included:
47% – Hiding their mobile device under the table
42% – Excusing themselves to go to the restroom
35% – Hiding their mobile device in their folders/notebooks/papers
9% – Pretending to tie their shoes
8% – Creating a distraction
On the other hand, 37% of online Americans didn’t think sneaking-a-peek was necessary – they thought people would just look at their mobile devices in plain view.
While corporate leaders may be concerned about employee uses of online video and how it can impact the company’s network and productivity, video cannot be shut out. Nearly all online Americans who watch online videos (88%) like something about watching online videos, with a majority of 18-34 year old men (70%) and women (76%) favoring it for its convenience. Online Americans who watch online videos also cited other positive aspects of video including how it is easily shared on social networking sites or email (36%), they are engaging and memorable (25%), they afforded more privacy than watching something on TV (14%) and they made context easier to understand through facial expressions (9%).
To help companies adapt to the challenges posed by video, social media, and mobile use, Qumu announced a technology breakthrough that enables video content to be centrally managed while enabling video to be embedded in virtually any business application, portal or mobile app. The Qumu Video Platform released today includes both the Video Control Center 6.0 and its sister product VideoNet 2.0. The Qumu Video Platform enables the enterprise to manage, organize and securely distribute live and on-demand video to each desktop and every mobile viewer, such as iPads, iPhones and Android devices.
Qumu knows the future of business depends on video being consumed anytime, anywhere, said Ray Hood, CEO of Qumu. While the results of our survey may seem amusing, we at Qumu dont condone that behavior and we give Enterprises the tools to manage the workforce. Not only can the Enterprise determine what videos employees can watch at work, they can also monitor when vital content like training material and company addresses have been watched. That way, the Enterprise can ensure everyone is on the same page.
To thank the people who ensure video in major companies run dependably and smoothly, Qumu is debuting a video homage to the IT and system administrators. Award-winning video game art director and filmmaker Jerry O’Flaherty imaginatively casts the enterprise as a metaphorical spaceship whose very survival from imminent destruction depends on the quick-thinking of its IT administrator. You can watch the 90-second clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZJTqL9NpUU