Mobility and flexible working: pros and cons
- Luke Telford
- 16 December 2009
Photo credit: alcija_sto, sxc.hu
Pros
The primary benefits of creating a mobile workforce are so obvious that the above sentence almost seems facetious. There's enormous appeal to being able to work anywhere and at any time. Removing the process of work from the time and space constraints of an office means that employees can work to deadlines in a way that suits their capabilities and personal tendencies. If your web developer works most efficiently at 3am, dragging them into the office for an 8-hour day will seem like a waste of resource, given the possibility of a mobile alternative.
If there's an overnight disaster in the workplace, and the person who is required to fix it is on the other side of the country visiting their parents, what can you do? If they're mobile capable, it's much easier to avert or solve unforeseen disasters, regardless of who might be in the office at the time.
As the Fair Work Act comes into effect, it may be vital for small businesses who employee present or future parents to investigate the possibility of creating mobile oriented positions. Having young parents in your employ is possibly the best reason to investiage mobile oriented positions. Allowing these staff members to work from home, around their responsibilities as a parent, really does approach the symbiosis sought by the Fair Work Act in a creative and effective way.
Cons
Of course, the adverse effects of going mobile are as pronounced as the benefits, and closely related to them as well.
The greatest concern is the potential for overwork and burnout. If an employer can contact an employee at any time, regardless of where either might be, it's possible that they'll be tempted to abuse this capability a little. The result is that such an employee is always in the work mind frame, even when they're on holidays - not the healthiest work/life arrangement.
Another issue is how easy it is to manage employees that aren't actually in the office. You do occasionally get an extremely disciplined and consistently motivated staff member who is perfectly capable of working efficiently at home despite the associated distractions, but not everyone is so adept at avoiding procrastination. Whilst it is possible to monitor employees work patterns and progress remotely, doing this too extensively could nurture impressions of an invasion of privacy.
Finally there's the illusion associated with mobile that its reach is equivalent to divine omnipresence. Coverage isn't universal for any mobile device; it varies from place to place. It would be unfortunate if an employee, labouring under the impression that they could be mobile capable on the moon if the fancy took them, decided to go and work up the coast at his beach house, only to find that he had no mobile or wireless coverage there.
It's also important to consider the possibility of your business' sensitive data being lost when someone accidentally drops their laptop into a pool, or leaves their blackberry behind on a train for whoever to investigate and pilfer.
While the benefits are blatantly obvious, the technology and connectivity has a long way to go before you can let your staff bet on it safely, whether they're atop Ayers rock or at home with the kids. As for data security, it pays to invest in good quality, sturdy hardware and then just accept that very occasionally your staff will get caught in the rain with their laptop under one arm and with no umbrella.
So, basically, it's important not to get too carried away with the idea of a completely functional mobile staff without first considering the inconveniences and dangers and coming up with a protocol that anticipates them. Make hourly ftp backups compulsory. Discourage staff from working in the bath or at the pool. Provide accessories that allow them to secure valuable devices so that they're not accidentally lost in public. The time you invest in it will transform your business. #
