It wasn’t that long ago that work could only be completed from one location due to the fact we had to be ‘plugged into’ a power source. Internet connectivity relied on a physical wire for a connection. Today, thanks to technology we can potentially do our job from anywhere in the world.
Employee flexibility
With the invention of smart phones, tablets, Cloud and 4G connectivity, we can work from anywhere, any time. ‘Mobility’ (as it is referred to), is helping to release us from the confines of our office and nine to five routine. Need to go to the dentist? No problem, you can do this and still respond to emails while in the waiting room. Need to do some shopping at lunch time? Go ahead! You can do this and still start the team sales call on your drive back to the office.
Due to the movement to the Cloud, employees desired ‘work-life balance’ starts to feel achievable as you can begin to manage your work around your life. Employees now have the capacity to manage work around the demands of everyday life. There is a flipside to this flexibility, with staff being ‘always on’, but overall, we are no longer chained to a location. This change is helping employees to ‘work to live’ rather ‘live to work’. From an employer point of view, tasks are more completed efficiently and resources are more flexible allowing for a more elastic approach to hiring.
More connected and effective
In addition, there are also a vast array of technology releases that enable us to remotely communicate with people inside and outside our organisations (Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Outlook), making us more connected and engaged than ever before. Have an idea? Share it. Don’t have a clue? Ask your community.