What Is Mobile Working?

Mobile working, also known as remote working, refers to employees performing their tasks outside of the traditional office environment.

But is this a good thing for businesses and their employees?

In this guide, we give you:

• A detailed explanation of mobile working

• Its benefits

• Its disadvantages

• A run-down of the tools involved

Mobile Working Explained

Mobile working involves employees using internet connectivity, apps, and mobile devices to access the systems they need to do their work. As a result, they’re not tied to a physical location and can work from almost anywhere they like.

The prevalence of mobile working has accelerated in the past few years. In fact, from 2020 to 2023, the number of employees working this way increased from 20% to 28%.

The Benefits Of Mobile Working

Clearly, mobile work is very popular for both employees and employers. But how does it benefit businesses and their workers?

Let’s take a look.

Improves employee engagement

Most workers enjoy the flexibility of mobile working. Since they can work from home or other locations, it provides a better work-life balance than working in an office.

It also removes the need for workers to commute to an office, reducing stress and tiredness. This means mobile employees tend to be more engaged during their working hours.

Reduces costs

Mobile working helps keep costs down by reducing the amount of office space your business needs to pay for. This is particularly helpful for startups and small businesses looking to expand and hire more employees.

In the past, this would have inevitably meant paying for a larger office to accommodate your new hires. However, you can now encourage your employees to work remotely full-time or part-time.

So, you can greatly reduce the budget you need for office space.

Increases productivity

A Stanford University Study has shown that mobile workers are 13% more productive than those who work on-site. This is partly because mobile employees are less likely to start work late, finish early, or take as many breaks.

Plus, by connecting to 4G and 5G networks, people can work on the move. This reduces the amount of dead time that used to occur when employees were in transit.

For example, an employee can now easily finish a report on a mobile device while travelling to an external meeting.

Aids recruitment

There are two primary ways in which mobile work can boost recruitment:

1. Employees are more drawn to businesses that offer the option of working remotely. This makes it much easier to attract new employees.

2. Fully mobile working removes geographic restrictions from the recruitment process. As long as time zone differences aren’t an issue, it essentially doesn’t matter where a recruit is based.

The Disadvantages Of Mobile Working

As you can see, there are many benefits to mobile working. Yet, it doesn’t come without its downsides too. Let’s discuss some of the challenges that can arise when your employees work remotely.

Connectivity issues

One of the most common downsides is that mobile employees are reliant on:

• Their home broadband connection

• 4G or 5G networks

• Public WiFi connections

This means that connectivity issues can become a regular occurrence for some workers. Of course, this can negatively impact productivity and make it hard for them to attend online meetings.

One of the best ways to address this issue is to take out a business mobile plan with MID Digital Solutions. This ensures your mobile workers are backed up with a fast and reliable internet connection, no matter where they are.

So, they can continue to work effectively even if they don’t have access to a stable broadband connection. Contact us today to learn more about our flexible business tariffs.

Ineffective communication and collaboration

Mobile work can also lead to issues with communication and collaboration.

As employees are out of the office, there is less opportunity for spontaneous interactions and idea-sharing. Naturally, this can lead to a lack of creativity when it comes to problem-solving.

Additionally, it’s difficult for employees to build relationships with each other when they don’t work in the same location. This is particularly true of new employees who aren’t given the chance to meet their colleagues.

Security threats

Unfortunately, when you have a mobile workforce, it can lead to an increase in cyber security threats.

The biggest issue tends to be unsecured public WiFi networks. When staff access company data over these networks, it’s vulnerable to interception.

This is another reason why you should take out a MID Digital Solutions business mobile plan. Instead of using high-risk public networks, your mobile workforce can rely on a secure 4G or 5G connection.

Plus, with the free EU roaming we provide, your employees won’t need to worry when they connect to networks outside of the UK.

What Tools Do Mobile Workers Use?

To do their job effectively, a mobile worker needs access to several tools. This is an important factor to bear in mind when you roll out remote work for your employees.

Although it’s still more cost-effective than paying for a large office space, most of these tools will require some investment. Here are the tools they need.

Collaboration platforms and cloud storage

One of the best ways to streamline the mobile working process is to store data and documents in the cloud. Here, they can be easily accessed by remote employees, and it allows for close collaboration. The best collaborative tools include:

• Dropbox

• Google Drive

• OneDrive

• Unified Communications (UC) tools like 3CX

Security tools

As mentioned earlier, there are increased cyber security risks associated with mobile working. Therefore, security tools are vital for every business.

Your employees should use password managers such as 1Password and LastPass to protect their laptops and mobile devices.

Additionally, they should have access to VPNs that can be used to protect data when they access public networks.

Communication tools

When you implement remote working, your employees can’t be expected to rely on emails and phone calls to communicate with each other.

Instead, you should provide them with tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams where they can instantly exchange messages and participate in work-related group chats.

You’ll also need to use tools such as Google Meet and Zoom to host virtual team meetings.

Plus, the ISDN switch-off will occur in 2025. This means that the old ISDN and PSTN networks will be deactivated and businesses will need to switch to VoIP or SIP systems. At MID Digital Solutions, we provide internet-based phone systems to help businesses seamlessly transition.

So, contact us today to learn how we provide continuity for your mobile working operations.

FAQs

Are mobile working and flexible working the same thing?

No, mobile working and flexible working are not the same thing. Flexible working refers to employees having more control over their schedules and working hours. Many flexible working arrangements include the option for mobile work, but they’re different concepts.

Can all industries adopt mobile working?

While many different industries can adopt mobile working, it’s not suitable for every industry. For example, sectors like healthcare and manufacturing require employees to be physically present to perform their tasks.

What are the best mobile apps for remote working?

Some of the best mobile apps for remote working include:

• Trello

• Evernote

• Slack

• Todoist

• Asana

• Pumble

Final Thoughts

Mobile working can be highly beneficial for your business and your employees. It leads to increased productivity, improved employee engagement, and more successful recruitment.

While there are some downsides, these can be easily mitigated with the right tools and practices. Overall, the pros definitely outweigh the cons.