subject: Mobile Workforce [print this page] A mobile workforce can work any time, anywhere. Wouldnt you like to be able to pick up and move from the confining space of an office cubicle to a conference room or outdoor terrace if inspiration dictates. A mobile workforce works from wherever it needs to accomplish its objectives.
The American workforce grows more mobile with each passing year. This explosion in the size of the mobile workforce results mainly from the proliferation of wireless technology with its high speed Internet networks and Internet driven handheld devices. The importance of maintaining a good work and life balance has also had an influence on the development of a mobile workforce.
The growing trend toward a mobile workforce presents some management issues for employers. One area of concern involves the nurturing of social relationships with workers who are scattered among different locations. Communications need to be tight and efficient to fit the limitations of an electronically driven network driven by those handheld devices that are increasingly favored by a mobile workforce. Management also needs to keep remote workers feel connected with the rest of the team through regular communication of company news and anecdotes. Employers must listen to their mobile workforce, let them know that their input is important to the team, understand their unique needs and trust them to do their job well even when they cannot look over their employees shoulders every day. A little trust can go a long way.
Besides being beneficial to worker quality of life, a mobile workforce represents a major cost cutting initiative for management. Conversion to a cloud based technology network platform renders the company LAN network and related infrastructure obsolete. Cloud based technology gives the mobile workforce the same network access, support and service that office based workers do, without the aggravation of the daily commute. Management, in turn, enjoys the capability to secure and monitor mobile workforce activities at each user endpoint, whether company laptop or handheld. All this can be accomplished without the cost of maintaining expensive internal hardware and desktop systems.
As business has gone global, so has the workforce. The mobile workforce includes more than telecommuters; it includes those whose job duties frequently take them away from the office for extended periods of time. These workers must be able to pack up and go on a moments notice. This will be the norm soon enough.
