Users' desire for always-on connectivity increases

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More and more workers are showing signs of information addition, with almost 90 per cent of business travellers claiming it's very important for them to have constant access to their corporate e-mail and IT network, according to research.

More than half of workers (55 per cent) have seen the amount of time they spend away from the office increase in the last two years, meaning they are more dependent on technology and devices to help them stay in touch with the world of work, claims the poll carried out by ICM on behalf of BT Openzone.

Some 78 per cent of the 500-plus business travellers surveyed believe that being contactable has also grown in importance in the last few years.

In terms of how that importance correlates to job function, every single finance executive questioned said that being contactable is definitely more important now than before, while 81 per cent of IT managers agreed that being incommunicado was a massive negative.

The research findings point to the birth of a new business audience dubbed the Acorns (Always Contactable Otherwise Resentful and Nervous).

A typical Acorn usually works at board level or is a senior financial or IT executive, according to the research. More often than not, they are based in the South East or London, aged between 35 and 44 and travel at least 10 times a year.

"These figures show that British business travellers want to stay in contact with the office no matter where they are," said Chris Bruce, general manager of BT Openzone.

"The Acorns are frequent travellers who have high expectations of service and reliability when it comes to staying connected."

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