BYOD Improves Employee Productivity

As more and more devices have started coming into the IT network, organizations are now troubled with managing those devices. They run on different platforms, have different form factors, run different apps, and so on, making it a management nightmare. What's needed and what's badly missing is the formulation of a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy to address issues of managing and handling the mobile security of employee-owned devices that connect to the corporate network. In a recent survey conducted by VMware, as many as 77% respondents are bringing and working on their devices including smartphones and tablets, in India.

The survey revealed that, while a large number of employees (82%) in India are provided with a portable device from their employer, many (77%) still bring their own device to work to help them complete their tasks. Of all respondents in India, 72% claimed to be more productive when they worked on devices of their choice and 70% claimed to be happier in their role when they were allowed to use a device of their choice. And, 66% say they find work less stressful when they have a choice of what IT tools they use.

Time for organizations to deal with BYOD

Given the situation, is the time ripe for Indian companies to consider more liberal IT policies to cater to the needs of new virtual worker? Whether you agree or not, the truth is that you have no choice but to deal with it. After all, it adds to the productivity and this culture gives employees freedom of working from anywhere.

Allowing employees to use devices and applications of their choice is key to a happier and more efficient workforce according to the research. Employees bringing their personal smartphones, tablets and social media are actually making them (72%) more productive at the workplace.

Although respondents indicated that being able to use their own portable devices may help them do their work better, they report that their work environments are restricting their ability to do so. The research revealed that 47% of Indian workers felt their organizations' current IT policies on using personal devices actually lowered their potential work efficiency.

"With the growth of smartphones and tablets markets, the study indicates that corporate India may be seeing growth in preference of employees practising BYOD," said T Srinivasan, MD, VMware India & SAARC. So organizations may need to keep an open mind to allow for the change in the way their people want to work in the Post-PC era. With the consumerization of IT, the mobile worker today is evolving into a virtual worker for whom location and device are becoming less relevant. "As these virtual workers define the IT culture at the workplace, technologies such as virtualization, cloud computing services, and security can help companies adapt," he added.

India's desire to use personal mobile devices at work is driven by the need to be mobile and to be more connected.

More smartphones & tablets on the network

There is high incidence of employees in India bringing their personal smartphones (78%) to the workplace, followed by laptops (53%) and tablets (17%). The research shows that a considerably higher number of respondents are actually working outside the office, 79% are working from home and 53% on the road, considerably higher than the average across the region.

The study clearly demonstrates that the world of corporate IT is changing. Re-orienting the work culture and infrastructure policies will strengthen productivity, while providing additional flexibility to the workforce. "Employees today want to work at companies that can provide high-end technology to support the dynamic work expectations of the current workplace demands." comments Surabhi Mathur Gandhi, Senior Vice President (IT Sourcing), TeamLease.

BYOD offers freedom of working from anywhere

Smarter, faster more adaptable are the hallmarks of highly successful companies. Enhancing productivity is the key to their success. Technology plays an essential role in achieving that productivity. BYOD empowers employees to work from anywhere. According to a study by Regus, a provider of flexible workplace solutions, 84% ICT companies link increasing revenues directly to flexi-working hours, while 83% of media and marketing companies work more on the move. The research surveyed over 16,000 senior business managers around the world and reveals how different sectors and industry types are reaping the benefits of flexible and mobile work. In consultancy and services sectors, 86% of respondents also report feeling more energized and motivated thanks to flexible working, perhaps indicating why they are able to become more productive and generate more revenue. 83% of media and marketing companies declare that they work more on the move than they used to. Flexible working, by improving worker morale and health, is therefore also taking on the important role of talent retention tool, providing businesses with a valuable way of rewarding and attracting resources.

Madhusudan Thakur, Regional Vice-President, South Asia, Regus notes, Technology and network improvements as well as worker demands for a better work/life balance have driven flexible working to become the norm rather than the exception. As expected, different sectors are embracing flexible work at varying paces. However it is clear that no matter what industry you are in, majority of people see benefits in flexible working hours.

Business people are also working on the move more than they used to, making the availability of work centres in every city an increasingly attractive proposition, particularly to small businesses that cannot rely on a network of company offices when they leave their head offices.