8 ways to successfully lead your mobile workforce
For many of us, the rise of the remote workforce comes as no surprise. For years now, office workers have been abandoning their desks in favor of settings that are farther afield and allow them to work in a more comfortable, and often more productive, environment. And it’s a trend that only promises to keep growing. In fact, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC), the U.S. mobile worker population is on track to grow from 96.2 million in 2015 to 105.4 million mobile workers in 2020. And by the end of the forecast period, IDC projects that mobile workers will account for nearly three quarters (72.3 percent) of the total U.S. workforce.
Although the mobile workforce has been building for some time, managers are, in many ways, still catching up and trying to determine how best to lead their teams when they’re not only not in the same room, but may be spread out over a number of cities, states or even countries. However, because so many organizations have used a remote workforce model for so many years now, and technology has moved ahead by leaps and bounds, leading remote teams is certainly easier than in years past. Of course, finding your own path to successful leadership will largely depend on your personal style, corporate culture and team members, but if you don’t know where to start or would like to add new techniques and technology to your bag of tricks, you would do well to try these time-tested tips:
- Manage results, not style—Remote employees often have their own style of working. Some may work for two hours, then take a break to take their kids to school or run an errand, then work four more hours, take a break and work the remaining two (or more) later, while others may keep regular office hours. So instead of managing how an employee gets his or her work done, focus on the quality of the work, whether deadlines are being met, whether they exhibit good decision-making skills, etc.
- Encourage teamwork—Working great distances from your co-workers can feel isolating, so make a point to encourage project work that allows team members to work together. This way, your staff will feel more connected to each other, and your department will benefit from shared ideas and greater communication between team members.
- Communicate—Because you can’t just pop over to someone’s desk or grab a cup of coffee in the break room, managers need to take initiative to establish relationships with their teams. Weekly or bi-weekly status calls can often help you address upcoming projects, performance issues, etc. Yet, other times an instant message or email conversation (that may or may not be work related) might be the best way to stay in touch. Whatever your approach is, be clear in your communications—but also let your personality shine through. After all, when you’re building and managing a team it’s important for everyone to know who they’re working with.
- Host web meetings (with video)—With everyone’s camera up and a shared view of your agenda, presentation, etc., your team can not only see each other—and put faces to names—but see the presenter’s desktop and get a clear picture of the information being addressed.
- Give them the right technology—Part of being a good manager is ensuring that your team members have everything they need to work efficiently. And when your workforce works remotely, that means supporting your staff with the right technology. When researching your options, look for software that makes sharing files safe, secure and simple; works on a range of devices, including laptops and desktops, tablets and mobile phones; and gives your workers the power to work on the same documents simultaneously. This way, everyone will have access to the same tools, you can mitigate compatibility issues, and your collaborative efforts can flourish.
- Give them a reason—Remote workers can feel disconnected from an organization’s goals and may not have a clear understanding of where their work fits into its mission. If you share the company’s vision and goals with your remote workforce and address how their work contributes to the success of the organization, your team will feel less detached from the company. This, in turn, inspires remote teams to work toward a common goal and be productive members of the organization.
- Be inclusive and provide praise—When it comes to training, praise for a job well done, and parties, offsite employees are often overlooked or simply forgotten about—which does nothing to encourage loyalty or foster relationships. As you manage your team of remote workers, try to ensure that they have the same opportunities for training as others and receive the same, prompt praise for a job well done that you would offer onsite workers. As for parties and team outings, if remote team members can’t make it to an event, consider giving them a small gift or a few extra hours off in a week. It’s a small gesture, but it can go a long way toward making them feel appreciated.
- Encourage a work-life balance—For remote workers, it’s easy to get caught up in a project or want to make just a little more progress on something before calling it quits for the day. It’s also equally easy to get distracted by projects at home, spouses, kids, pets, etc. The key is to strike a balance between the two. When onboarding new remote workers, talk to them about setting a schedule that they can stick to and setting aside a space designated for work only. Then, at the end of the day, they can shut down their laptops and disconnect from work. This will help them mentally unwind and enjoy their downtime, and start work with a clear head and a fresh perspective the next day.
Finally, as with most things in life, you must lead by example. By taking a proactive, transparent approach to work, being available to your teams and communicating clearly and often with staff in a wide variety of ways, they’ll see that you can not only be relied on, but trusted. They’ll see firsthand how you want the team to function and will follow your footsteps—helping you create a supportive virtual environment that’s conducive to mobile productivity and exemplary work.
Microsoft’s inspired new workspaces boost creativity and collaboration
Buildings 16 and 17 are two of the biggest at Microsoft headquarters – sturdy, brick-and-glass tributes to the practical 1980s, when the company was focused more on manifesting Bill Gates’ vision to put a computer on every desk and in every home than on the architectural prowess of its campus.
Inside, however, is a different story. There is light, air and art. There are new, retooled work spaces and vibrant common areas. Once fortresses of winding corridors, fluorescent lighting and private offices, the buildings were recently gutted and radically redesigned not just to be more interesting and modern, but to offer employees an unprecedented range of ways to get things done. In the parlance of the zip code, Buildings 16 and 17 have been totally hacked.
After all, it would be a non-starter for Microsoft to have the goal of empowering everyone on the planet to achieve more without trying to do the same for its own employees.
The buildings sport all the familiar hallmarks of a modern tech company – the plethora of free beverages, the ping pong and pool tables, the gourmet café, the standing desks. But from there, the offerings get more unusual.
For starters, Buildings 16 and 17 are office-free. Designed with the idea that there is no one best way to get work done, there are an unparalleled range of working environments. Employees and even executives work together in large, shared rooms called “neighborhoods.” They roam high-ceilinged hallways and stop for impromptu meetings in angular atriums designed to capture and perpetuate light. They head into large, glass team rooms to collaborate, or into one of the many focus rooms or cozy alcoves for privacy. They yell and whoop in an Xbox game room, and take their shoes off to quietly recharge in the company’s first-ever No Tech Lounge.
“It’s a new look for the new Microsoft,” said Jochen Liesche, a business manager for the Data Platform group who helped with the redesign. “I think ultimately the physical space really represents the culture here. It’s almost as if the physical space is a proxy for the company’s mission and its culture,” he said.
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Download the Skype for Business Bandwidth Calculator
A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that calculates WAN bandwidth requirements for a Skype for Business Server and Lync Server deployment based on administrator-specified user-profiles and network information, and a PDF document user guide that accompanies the spreadsheet.
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BYOD WORKSHOP: How the #Mobile Worker is Transforming the Face of Enterprise Communications @Microsoft Store Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Today at the Microsoft Store in Scottsdale Fashion Square, Managed Solution and Microsoft hosted an interactive discussion and demonstration on how mobility is the new face of business productivity. Guests learned how the mobile worker is using their own device to do their best work – anywhere, anytime and with anyone. This workshop was meant to introduce new characteristics of mobile device management and Enterprise Mobility Suite demonstrating the latest tools and features that enhance business profitability.
Upcoming Events
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/1/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/2/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/3/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/8/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/9/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/10/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/15/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/16/2015 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Skype for Business Showcase - 9/17/2015 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
"We will reinvent productivity to empower every person and every organization on the planet to do more and achieve more." - Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
How can emerging technologies transform the way we get things done 5-10 years in the future?
Microsoft believes the future of work will be centered around people. The following four themes guide their thinking:
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Collaborative: Bringing People Together
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Intelligent: Living Smarter
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Natural: Friction Free - Creativity
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Mobile: Fluid Mobility
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Mobile Device Management makes life simpler not only for your IT department but also your employees. The solution enables the control of mobile devices entering an organization’s network, whether they are provided by the company or part of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program.
Does your organization have a Mobile Device Management Solution? Today’s employees are leveraging personal devices to access corporate data and applications, so the question isn’t if an MDM strategy is necessary, but which technology is the best fit.
Managed Solution can answer your questions on getting started with a MDM policy OR if you have one in place, we can verify if you are following security and compliance regulations.
Managed Solution's Key MDM Features:
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SMS, email or URL over-the-air (OTA) enrollment - This allows you to centrally manage mobile devices with a unified console for smartphones and tablets. You can configure email, calendar, contacts, Wi-Fi and VPN profiles over-the-air (OTA). You can also approve or quarantine new mobile devices on the network.
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Passcode & Encryption Enforcement - Requires a passcode in order to unlock a device, and allows management to determine the length and complexity requirements for that passcode. In highly-restricted environments, additional fail-safe measures can be enabled, such as remote wiping a device if an incorrect passcode is entered 10 times.
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Remote locate, lock & wipe (full & selective) - Dynamic security and compliance features continuously monitor devices and take action. Allows business owners to selectively wipe corporate data leaving personal data intact. Real-time compliance rules with automated actions can be created for reporting, updates and changes.
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Device Restrictions - Provides control over which applications can be installed and/or used on a given device. On an iPhone, for instance, things like Siri, FaceTime and iCloud can all be disabled. Lists of blacklisted and whitelisted apps can also be created, all of which help business owners ensure that the right applications are being installed and configured appropriately.
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Jailbreaking & Device Rooting Alerts - If any employee tries to jailbreak a device that is encrypted with the MDM policy, jailbreak alerts will notify management.
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Geofencing - This allows employers to restrict access to certain data and applications based on device location. When a device is in the office, the camera may not work, and social apps may not be accessible (depending on the employee). Once an employee has left the office, their original applications will be restored.
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Mobile Application Management
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Secure, web-based console for managing and distributing apps
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Protect enterprise apps with full containerization
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Safely and securely support Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
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Reduce risk of sensitive data leakage
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Enforce on-device access control and compliance with policies and regulations
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Perform selective wipe on app catalog and managed apps
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Use granular administrative controls and interactive, graphical reports
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Mobile Expense Management - enables organizations to set corporate-wide expense policies, and to proactively monitor and track mobile data and application usage.
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Policies based on specific groups: Granular level policies can be set for both corporate-owned and employee-owned devices.
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Policies restricting or limiting roaming: Enterprises can tie into their mobile device management (MDM) policies and restrict data usage based on context such as international roaming devices.
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Usage monitoring, tracking and alerting: Administrator can set limits and alerts, and can view real-time data usage. Users can receive alerts to create behavior modification.
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Extensive reporting capabilities: Administrators can visualize usage across multiple attributes, analyze trending reports on usage over time and capture exception reporting.
What can the end user expect?
The end user will receive an Enrollment Request email from the mobile device and click on the “Device Enrollment URL” link. The user will be directed to the iTunes Store (iOS device) or to the Google Store (Android device) to install the MDM app for iOS or Android. When the installation has completed, a user can click on the app from their mobile device and enter the corporate identifier and email address found in the Enrollment Request email. Steps will be provided to:
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Authenticate
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Accept License Agreement
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Activate
INDUSTRY MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT:
Healthcare - Medical images, patient data and confidential information are being stored on mobile devices today. Hospital employees communicate via text message and records are being digitalized and shared via mobile devices. There's zero tolerance when it comes to breaking compliance in today's healthcare industry.
Retail - With today's mobile payment systems, the need to protect credit card data and transactional information is essential. The convenience of swiping a credit card through a phone can lead to security risks if mobile devices aren't properly protected.
Education - Students use shared devices to access information and applications daily. MDM policies enable administrators to ensure students are accessing only the data and applications required to complete schoolwork.
Other Mobile Device Management Resources:
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The holidays are supposed to be full of laughter and cheer, but busy schedules can make this challenging. Being it's such a busy time of year, wouldn't it be nice to work remotely during the holidays? CBS reported that Cyber Monday sales hit a record of 2.68 billion dollars, showing that consumers are busy shopping during the holiday season, but they are also busy with work schedules. How can you fit everything in? You can try to convince your boss to work remotely during the holidays so you can embrace a more flexible work schedule.
5 tips to convince your boss to work remotely:
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Present a solid strategy. With nearly 33% of employees working from home and employers promoting a mobile workforce, it's easy to compile a list of facts on how you could be productive at home. Persuade your boss by explaining how this benefit will help you achieve a healthier work and life balance.
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Be available and reliable. If given the privilege to work remotely, you need to go above and beyond to show you are being productive and are always available. If your goal to work remotely during the holidays is so you could also run errands during normal business hours, communicate your availability and put in extra time when needed. You need to show that there is no risk involved in working from home, because you'll have more availability than if you were in the office.
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Put your boss first. Your goal is to convince your employer that they could benefit if you work from home. Show your boss that you will be more productive. For example, if there are customers that email you after hours, present this as an approach to represent the business and answer emails after business hours. Show that working from home can actually provide beneficial solutions.
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Demonstrate alternative plans. Explain that if something comes up and you need to get to the office quickly, you can do so. Never use the excuse that you cannot make a meeting or appointment because you are working from home. Remember, this is a privilege.
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Report before logging off. A quick email or phone call to your boss to see if they need anything else before you log off is a great way to show you are being productive and appreciate the privilege. Working from home can create a much happier, healthier, and more productive lifestyle.
The top reason employees seek flexible work options is for work-life balance — something that can be difficult to achieve during the busy holiday retail season.
If you're interested in guidance and tools to help you achieve a successful mobile workforce for your business, contact Managed Solution at 800-550-3795 or complete the form below and a Business Development Manager will send you further information.
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