Mobile Technology and a Flexible Workplace

Achieving Work Life Balance with Mobile Technology

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Achieving Work Life Balance with Mobile Technology

Scroll down to read more!
Mobile Technology and a Flexible Workplace

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I work from home the majority of the time. I’m either typing, designing, or talking in my home office or cuddling up on my bed. It’s nice here. It’s warm, convenient, and comfy, plus it’s less expensive. Vehicle maintenance and petrol costs are significantly lowered. My pets enjoy my virtual workspace as well. They slip in for a quick cuddle or pet. As I type, there are two at my feet. Working from home requires a delicate balance. I frequently become overly preoccupied with my work, and it is not uncommon for me to work late into the night.

Mobile Technology and a Flexible Workplace

Aside from my own personal issue with work-life balance, one of the positives and drawbacks of virtual work is the opportunity to work from anywhere. I’ve been known to travel with my husband, like I did a few weeks ago in Washington, DC. My mobile devices like my iPad, iPhone and tools like Google Voice and DropBox (affiliate link) make working anywhere a breeze.  My schedule remains mobile and flexible to accommodate my life as it ebbs, flows, and changes.  My work does too.

SHRM has taken quite the stance on a flexible workforce over the last 18 months and recently published a Flexible Workforce Spotlight outlining four main types of flexible workforce arrangements.  These offer the opportunity for an employee to have give and take surrounding their work schedule but still report to the office for work.

Advantages of Telecommuting

Telecommuting, on the other hand is the ability to work from home or away from the office like I do.  The most popular form of telecommuting is on an ad hoc basis meaning that it’s not scheduled or happens on a formal basis.  Forty-five percent of SHRM members surveyed currently provide ad hoc telecommuting programs as an employee benefit at work.  Ad hoc telecommuting provides much needed flexibility balance from work and life from time to time like maybe you or someone in your family is sick and ask your boss to work from home today.

Providing work and life balance for employees offers not only increased employee satisfaction but the opportunity for operational cost savings for companies and entities like the Federal Government.  In 2010, Obama signed the Federal Telework Bill into law providing Federal government agencies the opportunity to take advantage of telework programs for their employees.  Just last week, the government released a report focusing on mobility and the use of  mobile technology as part of their telework programs.  The report is available for download.  Some of the highlights include:

  • 89% of Federal employees say a mobile phone makes them more productive at work.
  • 62% of agencies allow employees to use personal devices like phones, computers, and tablets for work.
  • 82% of agencies have provided encryption services for sensitive data on personal mobile devices.

Telecommuting & Mobile Technology Security

Security is a major worry for the mobile workforce, whether at home or on the road. On the one hand, our IT teams want to ensure the security of our business data and information, while employees desire instant access to information without having to connect into their laptop VPN. Government agencies like NASA have deployed mobile apps making employee mobile access to contact information.

When it comes to mobile and the virtual workforce, employers will need to provide boundaries and training to help employees establish a balance between work and life.  While work can be fulfilling, at the end of the day, employees need a separation between work life and home life.  It keeps us engaged, having fun, and at the top of our game.

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4 Comments

  1. Great post, Jessica! I share your enjoyment of telecommuting, although in my case it’s become a more permanent fixture of my leap into the self-employed consulting world. The fact that you describe working late into the night, “caught up in work,” demonstrates (I would hope) that you have achieved at least “work-passion” balance. You love what you do, and because of the flexibility you have to do that work when and where you choose, your passions for your work come through naturally. That’s the balance we’re all seeking, and hopefully, with increased telecommuting options, more professionals will attain it!

    1. Trevor,

      Thanks for the comment. Yes, I have said for a while there is really no thing as work/life balance. It does not exist, but if your work because your passion it really isn’t work any longer. My goal through discussing telecommuting on the blog is to introduce more corporate professionals to their benefits so that they understand that it is beneficial and you can be productive while working at home.

      JMM

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