What are the benefits of using the service of mobile workers?
Nowadays, companies have to improve their organisation while implementing new practices and it becomes imperative to take into account the importance of mobile workers.
It is what distinguishes a company from its competitors, offering its employees flexibility and innovation in their working schedules while guaranteeing productivity and efficiency, a valued working environment that goes beyond a paycheck.
So, what exactly are mobile workers? And most importantly, what are the benefits of implementing mobility?
Mobile Workers Trends
The use of mobile workers has grown exponentially throughout the years. Every day, we see new technologies being developed that simplify the way we work and communicate with others.
This is the main reason why companies increase their budget for new software, training, and standardisations each year.
According to an SWZD company survey on business plans:
44% have already or forecasted to accelerate their digital transformation
30% plan to develop training aids to support remote employees
32% plan to connect employees using standardized, secure, and easy to use tools
36% plan to improve IT operations & systems performance
Establishing these new measures guarantees the efficiency and productivity of mobile employees, that in the end will feel engaged, satisfied employees, taken care of, and valued.
Ultimately, it is what distinguishes the best companies from their competition, their added value; the reason why these companies end up on the lists of “Top companies to work For”, and increase their brand name recognition.
What are Mobile Workers?
Mobile workers are employees whose main workplace is not a physical office, but a remote location accessible from various types of mobile technology, being: phones, computers, tablets, etc. These technological accessories are fully equipped to comply with the workers’ needs for a complete and efficient job.
Importance of mobile workers
Employing mobile workers is important for some companies. Not only does it guarantee the business continuance if there are any external causes that may harm its functioning, but it also:
- reduces maintenance costs,
- saves time,
- opens a new door for international expansion.
Benefits of effective mobile working management (MWM)
Increased Diversity and International Expansion
Seeing as mobile working allows employees to work from anywhere, the company is able to broaden its recruiting geographically, even on an international scale, allowing a more diverse and culturally enriched environment.
It also widens the possibilities of communication regarding the company, the employer’s brand, and its product positioning.
Business Continuity
Total mobility ensures companies working continuity when facing external factors that may greatly affect a dependant office working environment.
Mobile workers can save companies from major profit loss and customers’ dissatisfaction by guaranteeing the delivery of products or services.
Better Customer Service
By guaranteeing business continuity, the company ensures unfailing customer service, reducing their response time, and increasing customer loyalty thus establishing a long-lasting relationship.
Cost Saving
As most or all employees work remotely, maintenance and real estate costs will drop. Seeing as companies' utility bills will be reduced or eliminated, overall costs will be optimised, allowing companies to use this money for other investments.
Better Work/Life Balance
As employees reduce their commute time and have more time at home, this offers them an improved work/life balance where they get to be productive while having more time for self-care; ultimately leading to more motivated employees.
Challenges of a non-effective Mobile Worker
Implementing mobile working in a company comes with several challenges that the management area must take into consideration These challenges can be met with the integration of MWM tools, that will structure and simplify the following challenges:
Workers Communication
Because employees work remotely, they don’t have the ability to stand up and go talk to their coworkers face to face when needing information, sometimes leading to miscommunications and in the end bad results.
This is why it is imperative to exercise good internal communication through the use of helpful MWM tools that will optimise the way employees exchange information.
Non-user friendly platforms
Companies must understand that not every employee is tech-savvy.
Furthermore, it is of no use for an interface to have numerous functionalities if the employee won’t use them all.
This is why some mobile workers tend to get overwhelmed and don’t perform as efficiently as others, on some occasions making mistakes and damaging their productivity..
In this case, it is very important to offer programme training, in order for employees to feel empowered and easily adapt easily to software changes.
It is in the best interest of the company to choose a user-friendly all-in-one system, like Lastpass, that offers a secure password vault for different platforms management in one tool.
This tool enables employees to work remotely, guaranteeing accessibility, and overall efficient work processing.
Tracking employee progress
This is one of the main challenges where employers must be careful, because effective process tracking guarantees correct project management that will eventually lead to determining if a company's goals are going to be achieved.
This part can be handled by the use of appropriate MWM tools that track employees' progress in real-time while offering data analysis tools all in one platform.
How about you, what are your best practices regarding mobile working and the tools you use to achieve it?