Mobile workers sleeping with their smartphones

Before they've even finished their commute to work, over 83% of mobile workers have checked their email, found iPass.

For over a third (35%) checking their email is the first thing they do each morning, although 17% do wait until they are dressed. Another 13.5% wait until they've had their morning caffeine fix, 10% check email after breakfast and 8% do so during the commute to work.

Such is the compulsion to stay connected via their smartphones that 61% sleep with their device in the bedroom at night. Almost half (43%) of mobile workers sleep with their device within arms reach while 38% said they wake up during the night to check for messages.

According to the iPass report, the "intimate" relationship between mobile workers and their smartphones makes the average mobile employee work 240 hours a year longer than the general population which, they say, helps their companies "stay competitive in the industry's fast-paced and challenging business environment."

While their email-checking behavior may be good for business performance, 29% admitted that obsessively checking their smartphones caused friction in their home life.

The report also showed that 94% of mobile workers have a smartphone, 41% also own a tablet, and an additional 34% intend to purchase a tablet in the next six months.

Tags: email, mobile device, mobile technology, mobile worker, smartphone, tablet