Employee Mobility Important in Small to Mid-Sized Companies

According to a study published by Portfolio.com, 71% of small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) are “mobile businesses” adopting wireless technology to allow their employees to work effectively outside of the office.  

The findings point to the business habits of the rising number of SMB mobile professionals – those who work outside of the office more than 30% of the time.  

“It’s no surprise that advancements in technology are moving at a fast clip. What is a surprise is how much more successful those business owners are who can be rightly called mobile professionals,” says J. Jennings Moss, Portfolio.com’s editor.  

“This tech-savvy group is spending more time doing business outside of a traditional office by staying connected via smartphones or tablets, and are already looking ahead to the next step – cloud computing.”  

• 64% of small business owners who are considered mobile professionals spend 8+ hours connected to their business via computer, smart phone, or iPad.
• 88% use social networks, including 60% who leverage social media platforms to market their businesses on a regular basis.  

Obviously with more business managers traveling for sales, and generally working while on the go, there is a valued perk of work mobility for future talent in the workforce. More business professionals are looking for careers that allow them to work effectively out of the office.  

Read the Mobile Enterprise news article

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

How to Know When Employees May Not Be Cut Out for Virtual Work

A telecommuting policy is an attractive benefit for incoming employees. Do you know which of your employees would be most successful in the virtual work program? Through time and experience, you’ll find that telecommuting is not for everyone.  

Identifying the types of individuals and skills for successful telecommuting can be difficult. Some employees may be a natural fit. Virtual work requires a different skill set than working in an office, even if the job responsibilities are the same.   

• Interdependency: While you want virtual workers to be independent and self-motivated, it is also crucial that they collaborate and share common goals and responsibilities with others. 
• Indicators for Potential Success: For instance, experience would be an indicator that someone is a candidate for telecommuting. Has he/she worked remotely in past jobs before?
• Personality Testing: There are also personality assessment tests you can conduct to determine if an employee is well suited to virtual work. These will test important qualities like flexibility, multitasking, follow-through, and self-motivation.  

Read the TLNT Magazine article

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net