Keeping up with rapidly changing technology poses a problem for many businesses. Constantly changing outdated phone systems, considering a move to the cloud, or upgrading servers are all things to keep in mind. Add in BYOD policies and there’s a lot more to consider if you want to keep your business competitive. Yet, everything you’re doing to stay competitive may not matter if you’re not prepared for the changing device habits and the hidden skills of your young professionals. Is your business ready?
More than one-in-three American workers today are Millennials (adults ages 18 to 34 in 2015), and this year they surpassed Generation X to become the largest share of the American workforce, according to new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. (PewResearch)
By turning a blind eye to this wave of incoming workers and changing device habits, businesses are postponing a crucial workplace upgrade. Yet, a surprising number of companies have done just that. According to a study done by CompTIA, 39 to 51 percent of companies have no BYOD policies in place. Why? Many businesses are questioning BYOD in regards to security concerns or productivity.
But contrary to popular belief, the cloud security isn’t as bad as you might think it is, and allowing workers to use their own devices at work actually boosts worker productivity at most companies. By implementing BYOD, you’ll provide an excellent opportunity for young and tech-savvy professionals to more seamlessly integrate themselves into the workplace. In return, you’ll get them to work longer and earlier. If you’re still unsure about turning to BYOD and how it would benefit your business, learn more here.
To help you understand the advantages of BYOD from a young professional’s perspective, I’ve compiled a list to give you a glimpse into our mindset:
Our devices are an extension of ourselves
Many young professionals in the workforce have had this abundance of information and technology around us since birth. So yes, we’ve grown up with it, we use it every day, and in the end, it has essentially become part of us. We start and end our days on our mobile devices and take them everywhere we go. When we come in to the office, we’re going to have them with us, so wouldn’t it make sense to integrate them into our work?
For instance, BYOD helped me in my previous experience as a tutor. Instead of wasting time trying to find an obscure historical date in a large textbook, I could simply pull out my mobile device, search for it, and move on. Consequently, it saved time and allowed me to help more students and answer more questions. And it was all thanks to using my own device at work.
It’s not that we’re not being productive—we just do it differently
Think about our educational journey. We’ve spend the latter, harder half of our school years with our devices either in our pockets or within reach. We handled homework, collaboration on group projects, and research all with the use of our personal devices. Naturally, when it comes to studying, we’ve been forced to find the balance between distraction, enhancement, and comfort. It’s important to remember that when we’re coming into the workforce—we’re bringing these skills with us.
The benefits of implementing BYOD policies included allowing people to work on the devices they find most comfortable (71 percent), improved productivity (58 percent) and cost savings (55 percent). (GovLoop)
We’ve adapted ourselves to integrate our devices into our busy (and productive) days, oftentimes using them to our advantage and get more accomplished. We work smarter, not less.
Staying connected outside of the office
We love connectivity. Whether it’s our social lives or social media, staying connected is a 24/7 process that we’re all accustomed to. And we don’t need to stay at home to do it. Most of the time, we’re already on the go while keeping up with our friends or making plans, so we’re not hindered by the fact that we aren’t tied down to a single, central location. We enjoy applying that same efficiency and flexibility to our work.
If you consider our familiarity with group messaging and group video calling, then you’ll realize that we already have one foot in the door when it comes to using business collaboration tools. Even better yet, our previous experience with similar apps means we can often adopt them more quickly than other employees.
Here at Mitel, I had to work from home for a few days when I got sick. Given the company’s team collaboration tools and my previous experience using my device to remotely collaborate with others, I had absolutely no problem continuing to work. Aside from my fever symptoms, it was almost been as if I had been working at the office.
Get the most out of your young professionals
Let’s face it, device habits have fundamentally changed. As my generation plays an increasingly important role in the workforce, so does our need to stay connected. If you embrace the change, the benefits you stand to reap are great.
To learn more about how MiTeam collaboration software can help you keep up with changing device habits and get the most out of your young professionals, click here.
