The Impact of Low-Battery Anxiety on Productivity

It’s no secret that America has become increasingly dependent on technology. Especially recently, with shifts towards newer hybrid and/or remote work landscapes, Americans rely on having fully powered devices for working both when at home and on the go. This type of reliance often leads to low-battery anxiety, where a gradual or sudden loss of power to technological devices is often accompanied by a substantial degree of stress, along with personal and/or professional consequences.

To explore this intersection of technological device anxiety and productivity in greater depth, the team at Omnicharge commissioned a survey of 2,000 American adults to understand dependency on personal and work-related devices, in and outside the home.

Low-Battery Anxiety Stats

A High Dependency on Fully-Powered Devices

The statistics highlighted above emphasize the high dependency on fully-powered devices, which goes hand in hand with the significant rates of low-battery anxiety. Since having a charged device has become an essential factor of daily life rather than a peripheral, many Americans perpetually charge their devices in an effort to avoid any consequences of battery anxiety. Productivity, in many minds, is tied to the constant accessibility and reliability of devices being charged so one never has to go without them.

The Impact of High Device Dependency

The statistics demonstrate not just a high dependency on devices, but also the impact on anxiety, productivity, and behavior. For example, 1 in 10 Americans surveyed would drop everything to go home to get a charger for their phones, laptops, and tablets, and 26% would sit in their car to charge their cell phone until it is powered up. This reflects how low-battery anxiety dictates behavior.

Understanding Low-Battery Anxiety

Most people can recall a time or situation when they were stranded without device power, most often occurring at the most inconvenient times and places, and the resulting anxiety. Productivity and peace of mind suffer when that dreaded battery icon appears. Our report catalogs instances of low-battery anxiety, demonstrating how losing power can cause sky-high stress.

Percentage of Americans reporting stress by scenario:

Having Reliable Access to Power Proves Essential

As many shifted from an office to a home work setting over the past year, establishing a routine and set-up that offers a similarly productive workplace environment has been critical. Not surprisingly, access to power, whether it’s via outlet or portable device, tops the list in being the most essential factor in eliminating anxiety and promoting productivity in the remote workplace environment. The reports below illustrate the relationship between reliable power for devices and work productivity.

The Most Important Tech For Remote Work Productivity:

Amount of time work laptop maintains battery power while working remotely:

Frequency of laptop dying completely:

Remote Work: It’s All About Convenient Power

Among an array of potential telework options, home tops the list for the place remote employees want to plug in for the working day, since home is the most reliable and convenient place for accessing power.

Convenience of access to an outlet for charging work-related devices at the following locations:

While some confess to squandering work time with personal interests, even more report a disruption of signal or power during the workday. Both of these circumstances could potentially be avoided by utilizing prime utility services available to remove low-battery anxiety and promote productivity no matter where work is completed.

Here are the most commonly reported scenarios experienced while working remotely:

As the following percentages demonstrate, when looking for a new (remote) opportunity, access to power is only outranked by a flexible schedule.

Conclusions

While some people only work at home temporarily and are glad to get back into the office, remote work is not going away. And even for those who work in a dedicated office, low-battery anxiety can still be a relevant factor that could inhibit optimal productivity. Americans display a high dependency on fully-charged devices, which affects behavior.

Having reliable and convenient access to power proves to be the most important factor in determining remote work location and the best way to reduce anxiety. Productivity and efficiency increase when people are able to concentrate on work instead of worrying about their device’s battery level or access to power.

Eliminate Low-Battery Anxiety with Omnicharge

At Omnicharge, we provide flexible power with our all-in-one solutions that can eliminate low-battery anxiety. Stay working and connected no matter where you are with Omnicharge power solutions.