Stressed Out by Dropped Calls and Mobile “Not-Spots” in the Workplace, Office Workers Express Frustration at Their Employers for Poor Cellular Coverage

Unreliable cellular coverage in the workplace is increasing employee stress levels, hurting productivity and driving a wedge between employees and employers – especially among the younger generation of workers, a new Zinwave survey shows. Office workers between 18 and 34 years of age are 68 percent more likely to complain of “frequent” problems with cellular coverage in their workplace -- and 58 percent more likely to blame their employers for their cellular troubles.

“These survey results send a clear signal that when it comes to cellular service in the office, the game has changed. Employers and commercial property owners can no longer throw up their hands and blame the wireless operator when in-office coverage is spotty or just downright bad,” said Scott Willis, CEO of Zinwave, a global provider of wideband distributed network solutions for delivery of cellular, public safety, IoT, and other wireless services. “Office workers today expect their employers to solve this problem, and the ones who do so will be rewarded with higher levels of employee engagement and retention, as well as better productivity and service to their customers.”

Overall, 74 percent of 1,000 U.S. office workers surveyed complained that they either “frequently” or “sometimes” had problems with poor cellular coverage in the workplace. The survey panel included office employees who work in a variety of commercial buildings, ranging from urban office buildings to retail shopping centers, industrial facilities and medical buildings. The panel was assembled by the market research firm Toluna.

“Cellular networks were originally designed for outdoor use, and most commercial buildings have not been constructed with cellular coverage in mind,” said Willis. “Today, an estimated 80 percent of cell phone calls take place indoors. In the workplace, this creates an enormous disconnect between employee expectations and what most employers are able to deliver. Dropped calls and interrupted data connections are hurting productivity and morale. This is especially true among younger workers.”

Of those who complained about office cellular coverage, 36 percent said the problem increased their stress levels, 25 percent said it decreased their productivity, and 22 percent said it made their company “look bad” to those on the other end of the phone. More than 28 percent said that they were sometimes forced to make calls outside because of poor in-building coverage.

The gap in perception between millennials and other age groups is striking. More than 80 percent of those 18 to 34 complained of bad cellular experiences in the office, with more than 40 percent describing these experiences as “frequent.” This compares to complaints by 67 percent of all other age groups; only 24 percent of non-millennials deemed their bad experiences “frequent.”

Also notable is who office workers blame for their cellular troubles. Among those aged 35 and older, 35 percent become frustrated with their mobile operator, 20 percent with the owner of their commercial building, and 15 percent with their employer. Among millennials, while 42 percent point a finger at their mobile operator, nearly 46 percent blame their employer, building owner or both. Younger workers were 58 percent more likely to specifically express frustration with their employers than workers 35 and older.

Among specific commercial facilities, the survey showed that workers in warehouses, distribution centers and other industrial facilities had the most complaints, with 82 percent of workers having bad experiences and more than 45 percent describing these experiences as “frequent.” This was followed by employees in hotels, restaurants and other facilities in the hospitality industry; 43 percent of these workers complained of frequent bad experiences.

Source: Zinwave media announcement