Category: Gadgets

The results of a new data analysis are now suggesting that smartwatches and other wearable tech may be great for employees.

According to the results of a study that was recently commissioned by Rackspace, the adoption of wearables within a workplace can be beneficial to the productivity of a company’s workers and can even help to boost job satisfaction.

As wearable technology becomes increasingly popular, this insight could help to boost its adoption.

The research showed that while wearables can have several benefits, there have also been concerns raised by professionals in IT departments, regarding the security of these newly released devices. They have cautioned that newly generated data could not only have a lower mobile security level than on laptops, smartphones, or tablets, but it could also cause an explosion in the workload for those IT departments as a range of new wearable technology devices – and all of their associated problems and questions – flood a workplace.

The findings of this wearables study are the result of the Human Cloud at Work project.

The Human Cloud at Work project examines the difference that mobile devices such as smartwatches and fitness trackers can make to a corporate working environment. According to the project’s leader, Chris Brauer, “Wearable technologies are arguably the biggest trend since tablet computing, so it’s natural that employees and businesses will look to use these devices in the workplace.”

Brauer also went on to explain that “Using data generated from the devices, organizations can learn how human behaviors impact productivity, performance, well-being and job satisfaction.” The study indicated that nearly one in three large British businesses are already planning or practicing a trial or pilot program for wearable tech.

Though that figure may seem large, the American figure is even larger than that, as nearly two out of every three large businesses in the U.S. said that they were planning to or were currently testing the use of this type of gadget.

Clearly the predictions that 2014 would be the year of the wearables are proving to be quite true, as companies and consumers, alike, show their interest in this type of technology.

Wearable devices could serve as a distraction for many

Wearable technology is set to go mainstream in just a few short years, and what that means for people’s daily lives is not yet certain. Early adopters of devices like smart watches and augmented reality glasses have found that these products are quite entertaining, which may present a problem when it comes to productivity. Because wearable devices allow for a more seamless integration into the digital space, the constant availability of entertainment and digital social interaction may prove quite distracting for some.

A recent study conducted in the United Kingdom by Goldsmiths, University of London, found that those using wearable devices could boost productivity by 8%. The study was focused on a media company with some 120 employees and the devices these people used were specifically designed to improve productivity, concentration, and posture. The study suggests that some devices could have a positive impact on productivity, but it also found that wearable technology led to a 9% decrease in alertness among the media company’s employees. These people did report a higher level of job satisfaction, however.

Most devices are not designed with productivity in mind

Not all wearable devices are designed with productivity in mind. Most are developed as entertainment products and social networking tools. Augmented reality glasses, for instance, are typically used as a platform through which digital media is consumed. Smart watches are also used for similar purposes, though these devices have limited features when compared to smartphones and tablets. These devices could be used by students, for example, for a wide range of purposes, but will likely be most popular as entertainment tools. For many people, these devices could lead to a drastic decrease in productivity.

Wearable devices leading to a decrease in productivity is not an issue that is guaranteed to happen. Like smartphones and tablets, wearable devices tend to have access to mobile applications. Some of these applications are designed specifically with productivity in mind. These apps can help cut back on distraction by limiting access to the Internet or preventing certain digital content from being viewed for a specified amount of time.