Managing your mobile workforce

Organisations are rapidly deploying mobile and wireless applications to improve their productivity. However, the success of a mobile venture depends largely on getting the infrastructure and administration right, and there are signs that this is not happening. For example, Gartner predicts that only 25% of mobile application deployments in 2003 will succeed. The research company cites social factors and poor architectural choices as key factors that will contribute to the failures.

Mobile working is growing fast as it moves beyond the traditional realm of teleworkers and field staff. Staff are increasingly seeking access to electronic mail and core business systems from home and while travelling. This is getting easier as the range of devices grows to include personal digital assistants and smartphones.

Network technologies are advancing to support data, including general packet radio service (GPRS or 2.5g), third-generation (3G) mobile networks and wireless LAN `hot spots` in offices and public places. In combination, these technologies promise seamless transitions between home, the office and anywhere in between.

As a consequence, people can receive an increasing variety of messages, including electronic mail, short message service (SMS), multimedia messaging service (MMS), instant messages, alerts and computer-generated messages. These can be received at home, in hotels, conferences, airports, train stations, aircraft and customer meetings - either in the office or off-site.

A recent survey carried out by IDC suggests that the number of employees in Western Europe that spend at least part of their working day on the move is set to increase to 80 million by 2007, which is almost half of the total workforce.

Gartner predicts that by 2005, between 40% and 60% of applications will be delivered in some mobile form. The concept of mobile working is quickly becoming a reality.

However, this revolution in working practices is raising a number of management, cultural, legal and ethical issues that urgently need to be addressed. New management practices and attitudes are needed, supported by written policies and practical technology. These will be crucial in determining whether this is a genuine revolution that will provide real value to both staff and businesses, or a passing fad.

The latest data networks are `always on`, so mobile office workers are now constantly available. They can even communicate in real-time while in meetings. In the current business environment, organisations increasingly need to respond quickly to the needs of customers, so staff need to have access to all their corporate information all the time.

Mobile workers can now be available for most of their entire waking hours. In theory, it would be possible for an employee to join a conference call from the front row of a school play. This example is a little far fetched, perhaps, but it does illustrate the need for organisations to address the ethical, etiquette and contractual implications of this unprecedented level of employee availability.

It is vital to ensure that mobility does not result in intrusiveness as employees strive to create a positive work-life balance. Companies must agree circumstances in which employees should be available outside core working hours and under what circumstances they can be contacted. Interruptions should be occasional, important and only at reasonable times. If they are excessive, staff will respond by disconnecting their devices.

It is also important to consider that while mobile working is arguably driven by the needs of senior executives, wireless technology in particular has many applications beyond this group. For example, medical professionals, particularly in hospitals, would benefit from having remote access to databases and updates on patients while on the wards. Similarly, site-based construction managers would benefit from having wireless access to details of agreements with contractors, so that progress can be monitored in real-time.

Theoretically, having mobile staff available all the time should increase productivity. While staff will be able to work and be in contact during previously `dead` time in hotels, waiting at airports and between meetings, businesses should consider that it is not always practical for them to do so and take a flexible approach.

For example, when working in busy, noisy environments employees may find it hard to concentrate with so many distractions. They may find it difficult to make good decisions under pressure of repeated interruptions and short timescales, where there is little time for reflection. Also consider that there may be security implications: an employee joining a conference call from a train risks exposing sensitive information to the press, or even a competitor.

Staff will need to be trained to always consider the most appropriate channel and recipient for communications. This can be supported by use of `presence` information that is becoming available in mobile systems, to show where people are located and how available they are.

Forcing people to respond in real-time adds urgency and increases the risk of staff resentment, stress and resistance to change, which may result in ineffective use of applications. Individual performance targets and assessments for mobile workers need to set reasonable standards as to how productivity and performance should be measured.

Despite constant messages, mobile staff can become isolated from the social aspects of the office, with the reassurance of being part of an organisation and the stimulation of being exposed to new ideas. Electronic conferencing, provided it is used correctly, can address both these areas, as well as providing a vehicle for remote collaboration and team working.

Mobile devices appeal to the personal values of business people just as much as they do to consumers. Many staff may bring their own devices into work and attach them to the network, or make unplanned purchases for small groups at work. In this way, mobile working is entering corporations by the back door. This will place it outside the control of the organisation`s information technology (IT) department, making it hard to ensure that the user gets the benefits they seek and creating a risk of security vulnerabilities.

There are various ways of dealing with this: one is to have a policy of offering a limited range of attractive easy-to-use devices. These can be properly supported and made completely secure. Another is to encourage employees to advise the IT manager of any unofficial devices being used on the corporate network.

Traditionally, all data has been under the control of the IT department. Widespread distribution of sensitive information to a range of devices makes it vulnerable to loss, theft, industrial espionage or even just an employee taking it with them when they leave and join a competitor. Consider that a `pen` storage device can now hold many megabytes of data.

Mobile working, especially when employees want to store their data on the device so they can work offline, means that they become personally responsible for the security of their data. They also become responsible for backing up data stored on remote access devices.

It is vital that organisations ensure their security policies take mobility fully into account, including PDAs and smartphones, where potential problems remain largely un-addressed. This should be supported by efficient systems for regular data backup and issue of security updates. Employees must be fully aware of their responsibilities under these policies.

Mobile working raises a number of legal and ethical issues that need to be taken into account in policies and contracts of employment. To avoid confusion, policies should set out when and where it is acceptable to use devices, what the employees` responsibilities are and where they end.

For instance, roaming users maybe subject to various countries` laws during the course of a working month; an employee could use equipment provided by the company while engaged in illegal activities; who would be held liable for damage if an employee had a car accident while using a device provided by the company?

As well as being the cause of some problems, technology itself has a few solutions to offer. Mobile staff should be trained in the use of automatic filters to sort incoming messages, allowing them to prioritise their workload.

New technologies are emerging that promise to simplify the process of establishing communication channels. For example, session initiation protocol (SIP) will allow mobile staff to set up a series of profiles, such as home, office, car, meeting, etc. Each contains rules on how they wish to be contacted in that particular circumstance, taking into account the identity of the other party and the devices available.

Mobile and wireless working promises to compress time, space and distance, so that employees are available anytime, anyplace, anywhere. This is prompting dramatic changes in lifestyle. New working practices need to be urgently agreed, supported by policies and technology, to ensure that mobility is embraced from a cultural as well as technology perspective. If these issues are not addressed, organisations risk missing out on the benefits and changes mobility promises.