Leaving work at work is a thing of the past. We’ve opened a whole new world of working.
Back in 2012, IDC predicted that more than 37% of the world’s workforce would be counted as “mobile workers” by 2015, 1.3 billion people to be exact. Well, 2015 is here and the world has never been so mobile.
Neckties are no longer a given at board meetings because board meetings may take place over the phone. Arriving late at the office is not such a big deal any more when employees can sign in to the office’s virtual network. Business calls can be picked up at dinner time, emails can be checked when the morning alarm goes off, and reports can be filed at the local coffee shop.
Some may argue that leaving work at work is a tradition that should be brought back to life. But in reality, living with a mobile office strapped to your side or loaded on a smartphone in your pocket allows more opportunities for place and device independence. Mobile working simply allows more time to live life outside the office walls.
The mobile workforce faces different challenges
Breaking out beyond the office walls may free up time and opportunities in both the career and personal fronts of those who choose a mobile working lifestyle, but mobile employees face a different set of challenges than their counter-parts of previous generations. But for every challenge, Acteamo has an answer.
1. Maintaining a team
Like any long-distance relationship, communication among teammates has plenty of opportunities for breakdown if the proper measures aren’t set in place ahead of time. Communication is key. Fostering team work means sharing resources, sharing workload, and having a healthy amount of transparency into what the rest of the team is up to.
Enter Acteamo: Like a perfectly organized file cabinet, Acteamo’s file sharing applications allow team members to share all important information and documents in one, easily accessible spot. Employees can even invite clients in to view pertinent files when necessary. Sandbox particular teams in different workspaces and switch back and forth between those workspaces as needed. And finally, what’s a team without some chatter? Mobile workers are always connected to their teammates through Acteamo’s mobile chat system. It’s like being in the next cubicle, except your cubicle is your hotel room, your morning train, your favorite restaurant, or your couch. It’s all about simple and secure collaboration and communication.
2. Data Security
Cybercriminals and data hackers are hogging a lot of space on the world’s most wanted list these days. According to a Gemalto report, 1 billion data records were stolen in 2014, a 78% increase over the previous year. Mobile workers tend to be an easy target for data-thirsty thieves. Constantly switching Wi-Fi connections, accidentally leaving mobile phones behind, and just simple human error open mobile workers up to unnecessary security threats frequently.
Enter Acteamo: Acteamo stores all customer data in two highly secure datacenters owned and operated by none other than your trusted Acteamo team. Third parties you ask? No. Back up you ask? Yes, every hour. Likelihood of losing data you ask? Not happening.
3. Time and Project Management
This is a biggie for a lot of employers. When employees aren’t on site, there can be a “loss of control” feeling. What are they doing? How are they producing? How are they making us money? But what enterprises are discovering is, when you give employees more location independence at a job they enjoy doing, their productivity increases. A recent survey by Evolve IP as reported by PC Magazine showed 95% of the 566 managers polled reported that allowing employees to work from a mobile office increased productivity. Further the majority of those workers clocked more hours of productivity and 80% of respondents said they actually preferred mobile working despite increased hours. But at some point, employees and employers alike must get a grip on just how productivity is moving forward.
Enter Acteamo: Acteamo gives users an overview of project progress with timelines, todo lists, budget trackers, an address book for contacts, and invoice management. One of Acteamo’s fortes is making sure users are able to work as efficiently as possible, and get credit for every minute clocked and every task completed. Plus, the insight is all there to show the boss man things are moving forward as planned.
It’s time to face the music, the world is becoming a little more human. People are no longer settling for jobs that suck up their day time hours just to “pay the bills.” People are claiming the right to work at something they love, in a place they love, around people they love, and for more than a third of the population, that means leaving the traditional office behind, at least in part. The good news is, as long as there is a growing population choosing a mobile working lifestyle, Acteamo will be creating the tools to make the mobile office more productive, secure, and manageable.
