Mobile working is becoming less popular

The desire to be seen in the office is leading to the decline of mobile working, according to new UK research from Microsoft. Its study shows that worries about jobs and the economy are affecting the desire to use mobile technology to get work done. Under 50% of UK businesses currently offer any type of mobile working, compared with almost 60% in 2007. And only 10% of workers say they have the freedom to work from outside the office as part of their day-to-day job... yet a quarter of all UK businesses say they've lost staff as a result of not being able to offer mobile working. [Sources: vnunet.com; onrec.com]

O2 and Vodafone in 'best employer' top 20

O2 and Vodafone both feature in the 2008 Sunday Times "20 Best Big Companies to Work For" survey. O2 - at 6th place - is the highest-ranked telecommunications company, despite dropping from 5th place last year. Vodafone is also in the top 20, dropping two places from last year's number 15 to 17th place. However, neither company ranks in the overall top 100. Top big company was financial advisory group KPMG, while overall top employer was central heating company Heat.