Study Highlights the Dangers of the Mobile Office
A recent study has highlighted the dangers of working in a public place. More than half of finance executives questioned (58%) admitted to working on a laptop on public transport or in shared work places at least once a week. These workers are exposed to being watched by one or more of the 80% of Britons who openly confess to reading over a stranger’s shoulder in public. However, the research study commissioned by 3M, found that those working in the finance sector were aware of ‘shoulder surfing’ taking place, with 59% having experience of it happening to them. In comparison, 51% of those working in the public sector noticed the phenomenon, suggesting finance sector employees are more acutely aware of their surroundings. However, being aware of the potential risk has no correlation with the need for privacy, as only 18% of finance professionals feel they need to keep official documents private. However, the finance sector has voiced its intolerance for ‘shoulder surfers’, with as many as 74% of respondents feeling some degree of discomfort. On top of this as many as 63% took further action to avoid laptop voyeurs. From the opposite side of the laptop, 80% of finance employees surveyed had admitted to shoulder surfing their neighbours when in public places. Of course the reason for this isn’t because of industrial espionage; mostly it is because of boredom (57%).