* Want to attract, retain more employees? Adapt how you view their work devices.
Think about how people – especially younger people – buy mobile phones. They are a personality statement based on the color, the skin, the size or shape, the “bling” added to the phone, the ringtones, the wallpaper, and of course, the “coolness” factor.
People like how their mobile device looks, how comfortable it is to hold and push buttons, how easy it is to text, and how clear the photos are on the screen. They’re no longer appreciative and excited to get a new mobile device from their employers; often, they are disappointed at some aspect of it and keep their own “social phone.”
Increasingly, though, these work perks may very well drive job-acceptance decisions. Take a typical 22-year-old who must choose between two very similar job offers. The one that offers say, an iPhone or the latest BlackBerry Pearl and a Lenovo X0 tablet PC – as well as the ability to work from home part time – may very well be the winner. Or, perhaps the company that lets the employees choose which devices they use (within a pre-established list that IT supports) will win because companies with cultures that embrace and promote personal technologies and work environments are going to attract and retain more employees.
And why not? What is a company losing by making their employees as connected as possible for as many hours a day as they’re willing to commit? Well, let’s be fair. They lose some control over their employees, in terms of being able to watch them in an office. They lose some money, frankly, by buying these more expensive devices, the wireless services to connect them, and the IT staffs/services/tools to support and secure them.
The return, though, is so much greater. They win a lot more. They win employee loyalty because they feel an inherent sense of trust when their employer trusts them with expensive devices and the freedom to work remotely (full time or part time). They win more productivity out of their employees, who devote more hours to work because of the fact that they have the devices to keep them connected. They win employee retention, which saves on recruitment/hiring costs.
Companies with a 9-to-5, in-the-office culture should run a pilot program, where appropriate, that leverages “cool” devices and a more flexible workplace – and measure the results in terms of productivity, culture, and employee retention. The results will not disappoint.
