More than half of employees at Indian companies prefer to do their office work through mobile electronic gadgets like smartphones, iPad and tablets, instead of by staying in offices, a survey today claimed.

The survey, conducted by industry body Assocham, found that majority of the respondents said they do not need to stay in office to be productive, as they carry their electronic devices to remain accessible to colleagues and clients.

The study was conducted among 350 officers and executives in sectors like automobile, banking, manufacturing and real-estate.

At the same time, the study also quoted HR managers and officials of some companies as saying that they have banned access to social networks and use of personal smartphone devices in office premises, fearing productivity loss.

"But most of these respondents said they are revisiting their policies as they can benefit from networking and marketing potential of social media," it added.

As per the Assocham survey, "Over half of the employees at India Inc prefer mobility and employing mobile technology into the workplace to stay connected to their associates, clientele, co-workers, partners and are seeking exemption from the regular desk job."

It also said the growing demand to work from devices is also likely to spurt demand for IT support, including software applications, networking technologies and 3G mobile internet services in the long run.

Most of the respondents said they carry these devices in meeting rooms to take notes.

"Ability to work on the go, being available 24x7 in event of any contingency and increased productivity were certain reasons cited by the respondents as to why they prefer using smart devices at work. Besides, this way they can save several hours spent on commuting," it added.