Employees are mobile, not because we want to be, or just can be, but because we have to be. The world moves too fast to sit still. If you want to stay on top of the game, you have to be able to work and move at the same time. We have to work smarter than our old selves, and start to take advantage of the technology around us. That’s exactly what is starting to happen.
78% of US Knowledge workers are using a mobile device for work purposes. 68% of workers require mobility to do their jobs properly. The average worker has 2.8 devices connected to them, and that number will jump to 3.3 by 2014. Do you hear that BYOD planners? That is 3 devices per user on average. 95% of organizations already allow employee devices into their workplace in some shape or form, but that doesn’t necessarily mean connected to the network. Only 36% of surveyed enterprises state that they provide full support for employee owned devices.
BYOD may seem like a silly issue to some, but it is very important to many employees, and has large impacts on budget. 40% of employees cite “device choice” and the ability to choose their favorite device as an import part of their work experience. Think of BYOD as a small win for employees. With 44% of knowledge workers telecommuting at least 1 day a week, it is a way to let them feel in control of their work, and if it gets done, who cares what device they used? On average, mobility initiatives will use up 20% of IT budgets in 2014, a 3% increase over this year.
Telecommuting saves approximately $2,500 per employee annually, which is no small amount. And the estimated annual benefit for a mobile employee is anywhere between 300 to 1300 dollars depending on the job role. To pass up on the potential cost savings would be criminal, especially if the user already has the device they need to complete the job while mobile.
So how do you keep in touch with your staff when they are mobile? That’s where video conferencing plays its hand. A Frost & Sullivan report shows that video conferencing is a huge market weighing in at $70-90 million a year, and growing at a steady 12 – 18 percent each year. Whether you choose hardware solutions or Cloud based solutions, you can’t go wrong with video conferencing. Web, Video, and Audio conferencing delivered over the cloud through Software as a Service (SaaS) is expect to reach $544 million just this year in sales. It is one of the fastest growing trends in technology. If its momentum continues till 2017, it will become a 1.3 billion dollar industry.
Being able to move, and communicate while doing so, is a key to success in this day and age. Don’t get stuck in place, get out there and reach your goals.