Turn the clock back to the ‘70s and 80s for just a moment. Remember when your mother or father left the house for work each weekday? Remember what time they returned home from work at the end of their day? How did your parents get to work? Did they take a lunch break at mid-day?Now consider your co-workers, peers and employees at the workplace. What are their typical workplace habits?If you compare today’s worker with one from 30 years ago, you’ll notice some major changes.Earlier this year, Asure Software conducted it’s own Field Study, which focuses on how employees work around the world. You can see results from the complete study here.I wanted to point out just a couple of the salient points from our Field Study that paints a vivid picture of just how much the workforce and workday have changed.

• The typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday is a thing of the past. Our study found that nearly 40% of workers start their day at 7 a.m. and almost 30% work until after 6 p.m. So the workday is easily approaching 12 hours – and in some locations it’s even longer. And, let’s not forget that once workers arrive home, they’re still frequently “plugged in.”

• In our survey, 78% of respondents said they check emails after work hours and on weekends. (Thanks technology!)

• As the population has grown into suburbs, our commutes have gotten longer. Any worker with a daily commute knows the headaches of facing traffic to and from work. Road rage and distracted driving are just to negative effects of our long commutes.

• In our Field Study survey, more than half of all respondents said they’re commutes to work ranged between 21 and 60 or more minutes one way! It’s no wonder so many workers arrive in the office frazzled and in need of a break at 8 a.m. How can organizations ease the challenge of daily commute times?

• Enabling employees to telecommute from home two or three days a week can have a huge positive impact on both employees and the environment.

• The tools employees use to perform work are a mixed bag. The standard assigned desktop or portable computer no longer gets the job done for most employees. And those employers who haven’t stepped up their game to provide employees with mobile phones and tablets, as well as remote access to network managed software, are probably stumbling to figure our why turnover is so high.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) models are trending with organizations that want to empower their employees and productivity. In fact, in our survey, we found that nearly 30% of employees are choosing to use their own smartphones for work purposes (some with no reimbursement expectation). Just imagine the savings your organization might realize if every employee opted to use their own device.As we think back to how work was accomplished in three decades ago, let’s remember the technological advances of today. If you apply these technologies in strategic ways, your organization will reduce its operational expenses, curry the favor of employees and increase productivity!