Companies Must Provide Virtual Workers with Right Tools and Technologies to Communicate Effectively
The number of workers who telecommute has continued to grow, and in the U.S. approximately three-fourths of knowledge workers do business outside of the office on a regular basis. Even formerly reluctant managers understand the inevitability of mobile workers and comply with company guidelines to shrink the number of employees who require full-time office space. However, companies have found that they must do more than provide a phone and PC to build a successful work environment for their virtual workforce. In addition to policies and processes that offer guidelines, employees require access to technologies that support real-time collaboration and communications to be productive. Fortunately, there are now many tools available that facilitate conversations among work teams, and it is important to identify those applications that will enable workers to be most productive. Providing support for the mobile worker with the right communication, collaboration and social applications for their job function is a win-win for the business, which improves its workers’ ability to perform and reduces expenses for dedicated office space. These savings help defer the costs for adding additional tools to support remote workers.