September 9

The Mobile Worker – 10 Thoughts on Maximizing Remote Worker Productivity

Lately, there have been a lot of posts about mobile workers. It seems that many of us are on the go all the time. Whether we’re connecting via BlackBerry, smart phones, or laptop wireless cards, we’re almost always available.

Personally, I get my best work done by varying where I work.

Here are ten quick rules on mobile information access and work. Mobile, in this context, could be different stations in your office, but the main emphasis is on out-of-office people.

One: Make Sure the Right People Have the Right Tools.
Having access to important information is key and senior executives should make all necessary wireless connections available. “Necessary” is a key word. Obviously no one needs to arm in house staffers with BlackBerries unless those in house staffers are never at their desks and they must access data while mobile.

Look at Tablet PCs and ultramobile laptops. These devices are great — and, if proper applications are installed and powered right, the devices can serve as books, DVD players, MP3 players, etc…Now I only need to take one item as a carry-on.

Two: Keep It Simple — One Device is the Goal.
It is possible to cloud your mind with different ways to connect. If you have too many devices or ways to connect, you could add unnecessary items or systems to manage. Pick one method and use it — be it BlackBerries, laptops with wireless cards, whatever…

Make sure that device is right for the person using it, too. If you outfit a neat freak and another person who is a bit clumsy with the same devices, I bet one of the two will be upset and may not use the equipment.

Three: Secure the Connection.
While in Geneva two years ago, my good friend Vladimir asked me to buy a new Axim (PDA) and bring it over to him. I did. While unwrapping it at an outdoor cafe, he turned it on, leaned over to me and said, “Watch this.” Two tables away, someone’s mobile phone was dialing. Vlad connected the PDA to the phone and called his own mobile phone.

Vlad didn’t do anything wrong. He just showed me how easy it would be to do something wrong.

If you connect wirelessly, encrypt the connection. If you could lose a device, make sure the contents of the device and encrypted and/or can be wiped remotely.

Four: The Right Environment
Do you need to get our of the office to be productive? I do. For me, the office is a place to interact with my clients and their staff. After the daily catching up is complete, I need to find a place where I can think and produce (create). It’s not often at the desk that’s assigned to me, either.

Some clients have great workspaces that are something other than employee desks. These are great because a person can change his/her environment and still collaborate with his/her team.

If your mobile workers are in your building, it there a spot to change the environment and provide variety?

Five: Provide Support to the Remote Worker
I would not be writing this post if remote connections were a piece of cake. Maybe 15 years from now, mobile connectivity is a natural part of turning on any tech device.

If you issue mobile devices, store the support number on the device. Don’t just save the number in the device’s memory — if someone cannot turn it on, the person won’t be able to find the number.

Provide your own support for the mobile worker. Don’t tell him/her to call the manufacturer. Manufacturer support will be for the device only and if you have corporate accounts, the mobile worker will not know your authorization codes to get support.

Six: Set-up Fax to E-Mail
Its 2006 – the time is now…sign up with eFax if you are a solo worker. If you have more than 10 fax lines needed, look for a corporate solution. Its easy and more secure.

Seven: Use Collaboration Software/Systems to Manage Data Access
Think SharePoint or Live Documents. One of the difficulties of working remotely is that one cannot just walk over to another person’s desk and talk about the upcoming meeting. Collaboration systems are varied in their features, but they all try to solve a big need: addressing how multiple people on different schedules work on projects.

Look for systems that facilitate discussions about documents, versioning documents, commenting on schedules, and a place to list due dates, tasks, and responsible parties for each task.

Many of these systems are very low cost.

Eight: Use Instant Messaging
IM is so easy and yes, you can secure (encrypt) it. It helps the remote worker know who is available to talk or chat about a project. If its in the budget, add webcams. Seeing another person’s facial expressions when chatting or talking is much better than simply reading.

Nine: Choose Connection Methods and Systems that Allow Web Browsing
There is nothing worse than trying to read a web page on a device that cannot render readable pages. This is one reason I was glad to hand over my BlackBerry. I had an older model and the browser was awful.

Laptops and Tablets are no problem. They use FireFox and IE. Its the handheld devices that are tough.

Make sure any internal web pages are able to be viewed over your chosen mobile web browsers. Don’t forget to look at this when thinking about the nifty AJAX and JavaScript web pages, either.

Ten: Think About Power
Not having power will kill a mobile device. So, but the extended battery — heck, buy an extra one. Power is such an issue, that the US has a franchise called Batteries Plus!

If you have a true road warrior, check out products like a combo auto-airline power adapter.

This is not an exhaustive list or a group of rules that must be followed. These are ideas to think about when considering going mobile or considering mobile changes.

Make sure to revisit your security, hardware, and software every year. Since this is a rapid changing industry, even one year’s worth of innovation could save your company money and increase security.