These days, one hears a lot about new ways of working like ‘work from home’, ‘telecommuting’ et al. But is this kind of work-flexibility really a trend? Or just one of the many corporate fads which come & go? If industry experts are to be believed, this is the way ahead and it sure has many takers.
The latest global study by Cisco conducted over 2,600 workers and IT professionals in 13 countries reveals 60% employees believe being in the office is no longer needed for productivity. In fact, their desire for mobility and flexibility in accessing work-related information is so strong that the same percentage of employees would even choose lower-paying jobs with leniency in accessing information outside office over higher salaried jobs that lacked flexibility.
Clearly, today’s global workforce is influenced by technology which is re-defining business communications and work patterns. “Employee mobility is a fact of life. Work is not a place anymore, it’s a lifestyle,” asserts Dave Evans, Futurist and Chief Technologist, Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco.
Employees demand Mobility & Flexibility…
According to the study, three of every five employees (60%) believe it is not necessary to be in the office to be productive. This was especially the case in Asia and Latin America. More than 9 of 10 employees in India (93%) said they did not need to be in the office to be productive. This sentiment was extremely prevalent in China (81%) and Brazil (76%) as well.
Two of every three employees (66%) expect IT department to allow them to use any device – personal or company-issued for accessing corporate networks, applications, information anywhere and at any time. Moreover, they expect the types of devices to continue diversifying. For example, employees expect their choice of network-connected endpoints to broaden to non-traditional devices like televisions and navigation screens in cars.
That sure does sound like a long workplace wishlist. So why should an employer even consider this? One simple answer that makes it to any employer’s wishlist – employee commitment! The study indicates that for employees who can access corporate networks, applications and information outside office, about half of the respondents (45%) work between two to three extra hours a day, and a quarter put in four hours or more. Interestingly, this way of work motivates employees to put in extra and remain committed. “The employee desire to be productive anytime, anywhere, using any device provides an opportunity to embrace the agility and flexibility provided through a Borderless Network Architecture,” says Marie Hattar, Vice President, Borderless Networks, Cisco.
However, extra hours do not translate to always-on, on-demand employees. They simply want the flexibility to manage their work-life balance.
Employees also feel strongly about having the flexibility to work anywhere. In fact, this study suggests that it would dictate their company loyalty (13%), choice of jobs (12%), and morale (9%). For example, two of three employees worldwide (66%) said they would take a job with less pay and more flexibility in device usage, access to social media and mobility than a higher-paying job without such flexibility. This percentage was higher in some countries, such as Spain (78%), despite economic woes in the past few years.
The challenges…
Employers realize the potential and the benefit of creating such workplace flexibility but are bound by many challenges. This study shows that almost half of the IT respondents (45%) are not prepared policy and technology-wise to support a more borderless, mobile workforce. As expected, security is the top concern.
Although many of the IT respondents feel security (57%), budget (34%), and staff expertise (17%) are the biggest barriers to enabling a more distributed workforce, employees feel IT and corporate policies are the major obstacles. This perception among employees is extremely prevalent in India, where more than half (58%) believe IT is the obstacle to a more flexible work style.
However, employers are not completely unjustified in having concerns and apprehensions. The study indicates that 58% employees surveyed allowed non-employees to use their corporate devices unsupervised. Besides, as workforces become more distributed, the potential for data loss increases. One of four IT respondents (26%) said one-fourth of the devices issued to employees in the past 12 months had already been lost or stolen. Moreover, nearly one in five (17%) employees admitted leaving devices unattended in public which only adds to the risk of data loss.
Clearly, as workforces become increasingly mobile, security and risk management concerns grow. Thus, there is a real need for better corporate policies, end-user education and stronger, trusted relationships between employees and IT departments. How well IT brokers these relationships is what sets the organization apart from the rest and paves way for greater workforce mobility and flexibility.
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