“Agile working is about bringing people, processes, connectivity and technology, time and place together to find the most appropriate and effective way of working to carry out a particular task. It is working within guidelines (of the task) but without boundaries (of how you achieve it).”
– Paul Allsopp, The Agile Organisation
The way we work is changing faster than ever before, which is mainly due to the rise of mobile technology and, subsequently, the possibility of mobile working. The first iPhone was brought to market almost 10 years ago, and the first iPad was unveiled in early 2010. Fast forward to today, where mobile adoption is growing rapidly and users are becoming used to and reliant on having access to information on the go. This is also increasingly the case in the work environment, where, according to a recent Forrester study, 22% of employees use 2 devices, 18% use 3 devices and more than 56% use 3 or more devices to get their work done.
From a business perspective, embracing and encouraging mobile working can also be an important and worthwhile strategic move.
- Make more money. On average, companies gain an extra 240 hours of work per year from employees due to mobile working. How? As staff aren’t tied to their desks, they can approach tasks more flexibly and make use of time spent outside the office (i.e. travelling to meetings) which would otherwise be lost. In addition, this flexibility supports creativity and a productive work-life balance, which in turn increases employee satisfaction. In fact, a study of working adults found that 42% would accept a 6% pay cut if they could telecommute.
- Increase employee productivity. A recent study by Salesforce shows that, among users of dedicated departmental apps, 60% have seen an increase in their personal productivity. How? The ability to access information and data on a phone, tablet or laptop outside the office gives staff more personal freedom and allows them to work in real-time. Dealing with tasks and issues as they arise helps staff be organised and reduces the time spent catching up with a full inbox and planning and scheduling activities for when they return to the office.
- Improve collaboration and communication. Communication is the key to any successful business, and embracing mobile working can help employees to both communicate and collaborate better. How? A popular benefit is the ability to receive and reply to emails on the go, which minimises response times; this has already become the norm for most businesses. Being able to securely view, edit and share documents with colleagues outside of the office is another valuable advantage as staff can collaborate in real-time. Especially when it comes to projects between multiple team members, mobile working removes restrictions and helps to ultimately reach great outcomes.
