Keeping Mobile Employees Connected to the Workplace

In a 24/7 business world, more and more employees are working remotely or on the road to meet their company’s needs. But keeping them returning to the office is important too. Here’s how to do it intelligently.

---

According to a Forrester Research study, 64% of businesses allow their employees to have mobility—enabling them to work on the go, anywhere in the world, and keep up with the 24/7 pace of global business.

It’s practically become a business requirement. Many companies are spread out over several locations or time zones, or are in highly customer-facing industries. Or they simply want to attract a wider variety of employees or retain key ones when they move.

If a company has a high percentage of employees rotating in and out, such as major accounting firms who send employees to audit clients onsite or consulting firms whose employees take months-long assignments, they can also see cost savings with a reduced real estate footprint.

Nowadays, typical mobile employees aren’t just road warriors, managers responsible for multiple locations, or salespeople visiting clients. It can be anyone who needs to travel—whether that’s for a trade show, meeting, site inspection, or even a vacationing executive who needs to check in.

But mobility is more than just simply giving employees smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It’s also about establishing both the physical workspace and the corporate culture to allow employees to go wherever the work needs to be done—and to keep them connected to the office and coming in when they’re back.

Specifically, highly mobile companies should:

---

Foster collaboration

Ensure their corporate structure isn’t prone to departmental silos.

---

Plan space for peak use

Set up benching systems or “hoteling space” for visiting employees from other sites—essentially, these are unassigned cubicles or workspaces that anyone can use at any time.

---

Make it easy to meet

Include “touchdown space” in their floor plan that facilitates impromptu meetings. These can be casual common workspaces like conversation nooks or open kitchens and break rooms—or the good old fashioned water cooler.

---

Wire up

Outfit conference rooms with Skype or teleconferencing.

---

Bring everyone together

Provide large gathering spaces for “all hands” meetings that require everyone’s presence.

---

Train managers

Make sure they learn skills essential to managing remote workforces.

---

Set equal expectations

Expect the same output or requirements of both mobile and onsite employees.

---

Honor the end(s) of the day

Respect 5 pm, wherever that is, when some employees may be situated in earlier time zones.

---

Establish ground rules

Set clear expectations that remote programs may be cut back or ended if business goals suffer.