Is a Bring Your Own Device Program Best for Your Company?

Trends of Bring Your Own Device Programs Currently Affecting Companies

When’s the last time you touched a phone with a cord? Or a fax machine? Or a cassette tape? We have seen a remarkable change between the heyday of those now-ancient machines and the emergence of today’s internet of things and bring your own device program cultures. That change isn’t just the way we communicate with each other. The nature of work has also changed. There’s no clearer indicator of that than the fact that as many as 70% of U.S. employees don’t sit behind desks every day.

It’s safe for many of us to say goodbye to the days of Office Space. But what are we saying hello to? Our latest report on trends in mobile work shares just that. Here are a few facts from the report we found interesting:

1) Mobile enablement is on the rise.

Today, 66% of office employees work for companies that empower them to work from a range of places: in the office, at home, an outpost in Antarctica. Being part of the company no longer means working within its four walls. It just means contributing from wherever you prefer to work. And that’s led to significant cultural and financial changes to both companies and employees.

2) There’s company money to be saved.

Space has never been cheap. An office located well outside a big city might not cost the same as an office in the center of downtown, but there’s still a price to pay. Companies with a mobile-enabled workforce are also controlling costs by saving $11,000 per employee each year.

3) Employers aren’t the only ones saving.

Being mobile-enabled means more than working from wherever. Employees can also save as much as $7,000 per year by working remotely. That’s a pretty big benefit to current and future employees.

4) Smartphone usage can increase worker productivity.

It’s safe to say you’ll perform better using a tool you’re familiar with. Smartphones are no different. But can you measure that? According to Frost & Sullivan research, you can. They found smart phone usage boosted productivity 34%. Imagine how that would look with a BYOD program enabling employees to use their personal smart phones for business purposes (granted they follow proper security protocols).

5) A lot of bring your own device programs currently out there aren’t working.

There are many ways a company can implement a bring your own device program. One common approach is paying a stipend to highly mobile workers and those who split their time between remote work and office work, while allowing other employees to use their own devices for business purposes, without any stipend. Another approach is having employees expense their entire phone bill.

Neither of these approaches get it right. Especially the program that allows employees to do business on their personal phones without any stipend or reimbursement. This could be a labor law violation and exposes employers to lawsuits.

On the other side, because reimbursements can be difficult to split between personal and business use, some employers choose to pay the entire phone bill. That means paying far more than necessary, an amount that adds up month to month, employee to employee.

How should your company approach mobile enablement going forward?

The shift in workforce is undeniable. That doesn’t mean your company must adopt it. But it certainly indicates benefits to both employer and employee if you do so. Reading this blog post may not have convinced you to join the cultural change. So read the report it’s referencing. And if you have questions, reach out to us. We’re happy to help answer questions and potentially support you through a transition.

Read the Report