The Pros and Cons of a Mobile Workforce
The internet has completely reshaped how company communication flows, and innovations in technology continue to support the mobile workforce as a top factor in business growth. A majority of people rely solely upon mobile workforce phones for both personal and business communications, and this trend is only excepted to continue increasing due to the speed and convenience that mobile workforce technology adds to our lives.
The recent shifts and improvements in VoIP technology are also beginning to change the actual framework of how businesses function. Companies are no longer restricted by location in their communications, mobile workforce creates many opportunities for growth and expansion. One of the ways that businesses are best leveraging mobile workforce technology is by hiring remote employees to help their companies scale much more rapidly. Due to the benefits of mobile workforce remote work, many businesses are also beginning to support mobile workforce work-from-home positions by allowing their employees to work from a home office at least part-time.
If you have been considering hiring a mobile workforce in your company, there are certainly pros and cons to a mobile workforce that you should thoughtfully consider as you make your decision.
Pros of a Mobile Workforce
A mobile workforce can bring your business many great benefits that will support your growth, efficiency, and profits, including:
Cost Savings
One of the biggest advantages of embracing a mobile workforce is cost savings. Whether your mobile workforce work from home offices or coffee shops, you can drastically reduce your operating expenses by not having to keep an office building rented, powered, and running each day. Business software solutions that your mobile workforce uses each day can typically be accessed remotely now, so your employees just need an internet connection to access all the programs and information they need to do their job effectively from wherever they choose.
If you are using a VoIP phone system, you can also cut down on your mobile workforce costs further by saving on domestic and long-distance calls and bundling your internet and phone service into one, lowered monthly expense. VoIP is incredibly flexible and can be used through IP phones in your offices or through software or adapters in mobile workforce remote locations, all for a rate well below typical landline costs.
Flexibility
A mobile workforce is rooted in flexibility. VoIP technology supports flexible schedules and locations and makes it possible for your teams to stay connected no matter their physical location. There are also powerful, cloud-based collaboration tools that your mobile workforce team can use to hold web conferences, chat and share information meaningfully throughout the day so that no sense of connection is lost through distance.
Productivity
Many companies are reluctant to support a mobile workforce because they have concerns about monitoring their employee's work and making sure that their teams stay focused and productive. To make a mobile workforce work successfully, you first need to make sure you hire the people who have the proper personality and motivation needed to succeed in a mobile workforce environment. By hiring the type of employees who excel and thrive in a mobile workforce setting, you can actually boost your company’s productivity through happy, engaged employees who love the flexibility and convenience of working remotely.
Additionally, by using a mobile workforce, you can expand the hours that your company offers service for clients, partners, or customers by hiring people in various time zones around the world or working with employees who prefer overnight hours.
Employee Satisfaction
Mobile workforce employees who work remotely are generally much happier and experience higher levels of satisfaction with their job and the work they do. Many remote workers simply work from their homes, and because they do not have to commute to an office, are generally less stressed because they don’t have to deal with traffic or worry when road conditions are poor due to weather.
Talent Pool
When you hire remote mobile workforce workers, you can increase your access to great talent by removing the restriction of location. Without having to worry about hiring someone who lives in the general area of your office, you can find highly qualified, talented people all around the world and use your large talent pool to ensure you have the perfect people working for your mobile workforce.
Cons of a Mobile Workforce
While there are many advantages to a mobile workforce, there are also some disadvantages as well.
Company Culture
Creating a supportive, strong company culture can be challenging when you’re working with a mobile workforce. Aside from being separated by distance, your employees may also have to overcome cultural gaps as well. If you are considering working with remote mobile workforce employees, it’s important that you have a plan in place to build a strong company culture that keeps your employees engaged and happy.
Security
When you hire remote mobile workforce workers, you need to make sure that they are trustworthy and can handle working from home with honesty and integrity. However, it is always a good idea to practice good mobile workforce security measures within your company by restricting access to sensitive information and only giving your mobile workforce employees access to information and programs that they need to do their jobs.
Remote Workforce Management
Managing a mobile workforce can be much more challenging than managing employees who all work in a single office together. However, remote work is becoming much more popular and there are many workforce management tools available that you can use to monitor and coach your remote employees.
A remote workforce has its pros and cons, but more and more companies are finding that the positive benefits outweigh the negative aspects of a mobile workforce environment. The business world is becoming more mobile each day, and it may make sense for you to begin embracing mobile workforce positions in your business after you’ve considered all the pros and cons as they relate to your company.
