Managing a Mobile Workforce

by Terrance Malkinson

A Futuristic Look at the Workplace

Global markets now produce and consume about 20 percent of the world's output. It is predicted that within 30 years this will multiply, reaching $73 trillion or more than 80 percent of the world's output, (Bryan and Fraser, 1999). Economic integration will promote the formation of national, continental, and global alliances and marketplaces.

The rules of business are going to change. Employers will have boundaryless access to the world's finest resources: the most skilled labor, the most advanced technology, and a large customer and supplier base. Rapid advances in digital technology are slashing the cost of communications and computing. Employees will be using small, networked devices, wireless, electronic relationships, and electronic signatures to conduct business.

What Are the Implications?

Technologies will support mobility completely transform the ways in which many of us do our work and communicate with our employers, colleagues, customers, suppliers, and others. Many organizations are looking at the business benefits of mobility and are developing effective strategies to deal with increasingly mobile employees.

Benefits of a Mobile Workforce

The advantages of a mobile workforce are many, and the time couldn't be better for considering some of them:

• Networked companies reach their market milestones quickly and can earn greater value sooner. Economies of scale provide competitive advantage, and those within an organization will be united by a shared mission, regardless of where they work.

• Mobile employees have the flexibility to design and approach their work according to their personal strengths, preferences and styles. Their productivity increases because they tend to put in longer hours with less time spent commuting to a company office each day.

• Employee absenteeism is lower, as travel related to personal demands is usually shorter from home than from the centralized work location. An in some cases, workers can conduct business even when they are ill.

• Mobile workers facilitate "disaster recovery;" they can sometimes continue working even when the regular workplace becomes uninhabitable, if transportation links from home to office are damaged, or when travel is dangerous due to weather conditions.

• Companies can reduce their capital costs for offices and associated infrastructure. Employees enjoy reduced transportation costs, parking charges, and stress associated with long commutes. Remote work arrangements are also environmentally friendly, as workers rely less on automobiles, which generate more than 60 percent of our air pollution.

• Diverse work settings can lead to diverse perspectives and trigger new ideas. Opinions are less entrenched and territorial, enabling quick response to new opportunities. Ideas and perspectives can be contributed across projects.

• The key to developing effective co-worker and client relationships is through face-to-face meetings, and mobility actually facilitates this important business strategy.

• Employees feel empowered to think and act as leaders. There are no limits imposed by time or distance. Meetings may be more focused and productive and "group think" is reduced.

• The organization is seen as a leader because of its application of cutting-edge information, communications, human resource management, and associated technologies and strategies.

Disadvantages of a Mobile Workforce

Of course, with every upside to an alternative work practice, there are often downsides as well.

• It is easy for employees to feel disconnected and isolated, which can lead to a feeling of fragmentation rather than unity. It may be difficult to gauge people's interest level and commitment.

• Not all of the world is connected by wire or wireless. As a case in point, 10 major cities account for only 1.5 percent of the world's population, but they are home to close to 25 percent of the worldwide web's domain names.

• Brainstorming, spontaneous insight and impromptu experimentation may arise less frequently because team members don't have regular, informal interaction as often.

• Mobile, off-site workers often rely on uninterrupted, high performance of the electrical and communications networks that run the technologies. Further, business information transmitted over networks and physical security of technology devices containing business information must be protected more heavily.

• Companies can run the risk of having team members duplicate efforts if they are not carefully managed, and occasionally, confusion can arise over which iteration of an evolving design or document is most current.

Critical Success Factors for Managing a Mobile Workforce

How can companies reduce the risks associated with remote and mobile employees and gain the most benefit.

• Companies must be focused in organizational purpose, mission, values and strategies. They need to define, represent and symbolize a shared identity, and they need to create a team culture.

• Companies need uniform protocols and standards to govern the storage and exchange of information. They need to document a thorough communication plan. They also need to provide an online presence for all key business processes.

• Companies must develop, implement, upgrade, and regularly monitor security policies and train users in proper security procedures for business information. They must establish policies and accountabilities particularly related to signing authority and financial matters.

• Companies need to establish rigorous performance standards and then monitor those standards through customer and peer feedback. Employees need to communicate their activities to their managers. Remember — if management knows nothing of what you are doing, then management may suspect that you are doing nothing.

• Companies must develop and test new systems with the end user. They must share the benefits generated by mobility with all participants.

• Companies need to recognize that simple and instantaneous long-distance communication can increase the potential for misunderstanding by making the need for cultural adjustment less obvious. In a mobile work environment, it is important to keep in mind the context of the recipients of the communication. Understand global etiquette. Context can be built by using a face-to-face meeting or using video and voice channels early in the relationship.

• Companies must establish communications agreements so everyone involved knows when to expect messages and in what form.

• Companies and team members alike must verify that compatible technology options are available to everyone and are operational. All participants should be skilled and comfortable with the technology; with this in mind, training should be mandatory, universal and continuous.

• Companies must communicate news across the organization promptly and fully. Schedule company conference calls, meetings, and in-person gatherings regularly.

• Companies must celebrate successes and analyze failures, barriers and challenges in meaningful ways. Check with team members regularly to monitor engagement, activity, and satisfaction. Periodically do an organizational scan to identify strong points and issues for improvement.

• Finally, companies must anticipate and plan well in advance for information and resource needs. Establish a work buddy system so team members will not feel isolated. Provide guidelines on how to set up a mobile office and manage time.

Concluding Remarks

Mobility technologies bring opportunities that challenge traditional thinking about work and require that team members operate in a new paradigm. Establishing a workforce of mobile employees may not be a system applicable to all organizations. Regardless, the relationships between managers and employees are essential for success. Managers set the tone and culture of the organization, and employees take cues from their managers. It is important to have a clear understanding of the benefits, disadvantages and critical elements necessary for mobile workforce success. Properly managed and implemented, mobility may be the right fit for competitive business success in today's changing world.

References and Sources of Further Information:

Alford, R.J. Going Virtual, Getting Real. Training and Development. 53(1): 34-44, 1999.

Allert, J.L. You're Hired, Now Go Home. Training and Development. 55(3): 55-58, 2001.

Bryan, L.L. and J.N. Fraser. Getting to Global. The McKinsey Quarterly. 1999 Number 4. 68-81.

Dwan, B. WAN-a-be Secure. SC Magazine. 56-68. November, 2001.

Gray, P. A Demand-Side Approach to Telecommuting. Information Systems Management. 14(4): 21-28, 1997.

Gundling, E. How to Communicate Globally. Training and Development. 53(6): 28-31, 1999.

Guthrie, R. The Ethics of Telework. Information Systems Management. 14(4): 29-32, 1997.

Hacki, R. and J. Lighton. The Future of the Networked Company. The McKinsey Quarterly. 2001 Number 3: 26-39.

Hirschhorn, L. and T Gilmore. The New Boundaries of the "Boundaryless" Company. Harvard Business Review. 70(3): 104-115, 1992.

Juhre, F. and C. Heinen. Managing International and Cross-Cultural Projects. Proceedings of the Project Management Institute Annual Symposium. September, 2000 #20183.

Nilles, J.M. Telework: Enabling Distributed Organizations. Information Systems Management. 14(4): 7-14, 1997.

Sosnin, T. Digital Newsletters 'E-volutionize' Employee Communications. Human Resource Magazine 46(5): 99-107, 2001.

Wells, S.J. Making Telecommuting Work. Human Resource Magazine. 46(10): 34-45, 2001.

Westfall, R.D. The Telecommuting Paradox. Information Systems Management. 14(4): 15-20, 1997.

Zook, M. "Connected" is a Matter of Geography. NetWorker. 53: September, 13-17, 2001

Terrance Malkinson is a proposal manager/documentation specialist with GE Capital IT Solutions Inc.