As a semi-mobile professional I often think about the ways in which technology has allowed much of the working world to redefine the workplace. With my office laptop and smartphone, plus tools like Xerox Mobile Print, Cisco WebEx, MS Office Communicator, and others, I’m able to work from home or anyplace else with an Internet connection as if I’m in the office.
But when I began my career in the mid 90’s, working remotely was unheard of. Had the thought even crossed my mind to
insist that my employer allow schedule and workplace “flexibility,” I likely would’ve been told to be flexible in my new job search.
Fast forward to today when, at least in my industry and my part of the country, mobility and workplace flexibility are not only prevalent, but often insisted-upon conditions of employment by new hires.
Something I’d never really considered regarding the trend toward greater job mobility and the technologies that enable it—until reading this TribeHR blog post—are the implications from a Human-Resources-policy standpoint for businesses that offer such workplace flexibility perks.
Obviously, your Human Resources policies need to cover office technology best practices. But have your HR policies evolved to address the potential ramifications related to allowing your employees to use office technology, and/or their own personal technology, for business purposes?
In general, I’m curious about how today’s small businesses are addressing the shift toward worker mobility. Do you allow and/or encourage your staff to work offsite? If so, do you provide the hardware and software necessary for your staff to work remotely?
If not, is workplace flexibility against your company’s overall philosophy, or is it impractical and/or problematic from a logistical standpoint?
I highly agreed with you on this issue.