The number of workers using desktops in a work environment has dropped, with just 42% saying they use a desktop computer, as more people embrace flexible working.
Although it’s no revelation as desktop sales have been steadily reducing over the last few years, the severity of the situation has come to light thanks to research by LaptopsDirect.co.uk.
Employees are now armed with laptops and tablets to make it easier for them to work from home or at alternative workspaces.
The retailer said the biggest casualty are sales of hardware within the retail sector, with a decline of 20% as businesses replace desktop systems with tablets and mobile devices. The hospitality and leisure industry is also moving away from desktops, with a 16% reduction in desktop usage and the marketing and creative sector is also migrating from desktops.
“More and more we’re hearing from our business customers that not only do clients expect workers to be able to work on the go, but increasingly the generation Z and millennial aged workforces climbing today’s career ladder expect a degree of flex on working hours and patterns. Which requires devices that enable them to work remotely or on the move,” said Mark Kelly, marketing manager at LaptopsDirect.co.uk.
Although it may not be good news for the desktop manufacturing market, employees are benefitting from the switch to transportable equipment. 84% of workers say they are more productive when using a laptop, while almost a quarter of people using a desktop at the moment said they would be switching to a laptop in the not-too-distant future.
“Combined with the findings that workers feel more productive in the office, and more motivated to do their best work, when upgraded to a laptop or tech gadget, it really is a no-brainer to picture what offices today should comprise of,” Kelly added. “It feels like the desktop PCs has had its day. They don’t lend well to the open-plan, flexible working offices of today, or the need for businesses to respond to today’s fast pace of working and ‘always on’ approach to business.”
