Human Resources
To BYOD or Not to BYOD: The Three F’s to Business Success
Aug 18, 2017
Earlier in the year we wrote a blog on what Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) was, and how it could help and hurt in the aspects of payroll. Now we are going to talk about the overall reason why businesses are making the change, and the positives and negatives of BYOD. Why businesses implement this type of policy is pretty clear that it has everything to do with the constant use of mobile devices, and that most people are way more comfortable using their own devices. One major reason is they already know how to use their own device, and most businesses have a work from home policy and employees feel more comfortable using their own device within their home. At first glance, the pros seem to outweigh the cons especially in reference to familiarity, flexibility, and financial savings. However, looks can be deceiving!
Pro:
Employees that are familiar with their devices don’t need as much training and can hit the ground running from day one. This could also lead to an employee being more productive and time efficient since they are acclimated to their own devices.
Con:
With the luxury of using your own device, comes the implementation of a BYOD policy. You will have to take the time to write out a policy and make sure that all of your employees abide by the rules.
If you are thinking of moving to a BYOD policy, it is highly recommended working out a paper policy for your employee to sign and reviewed by your legal department. Some things to consider:
Pro:
The best part of BYOD is the flexibility that comes with using your own device. This is especially true when it comes to employees in field services, or for B2B sales in which your employee is always on the move. This also gives your business more flexibility with implementing a work from home policy, and to attract new and upcoming talent.
Con:
The one major con of having flexibility with BYOD is the liability and potential loss of company information. Anytime you have an employee on their own device, anything could happen to cause a loss or potential leak of vital company info. This is also why it’s important to get your IT team involved to make sure information is backed up and safe.
Pro:
The biggest pro most people think about for BYOD is the amount of money that your business will save by not having to provide any form of technology to your employees. Not having to provide laptops, desktops, mobile devices, or even desks for your work from home employees.
Con:
With every pro comes a con, however. Even though your business will be saving a ton of money by not purchasing additional technology for your employees, you will have to buy mobile management tools, stronger security software, and investing more into your IT team than you ever have before. As technology continues to grow, and hacking becomes more prominent; security for devices that hold important business information is a must!
It’s not always easy making large changes to your business model, however hopefully after breaking down the three main reasons businesses typically switch to a BYOD structure will help you decide what’s best for your company.
Read more on other key employee engagement strategies for your business.
Flexible Work Schedules- The Way of the Future
Creating Team Member Retention Strategies