It’s clear that WiFi has changed the way that we work and live forever; during working hours, employees can remain connected to the internet, emails, and social media until they go home – without having to be tied down to a desktop computer.
Based on the changing habits of workforces and their dependence upon WiFi, workforces as a whole have become more susceptible to rapid changes, which has meant that employees don’t need to work to rigid timescales.
How BYOD cultures and WiFi work hand in hand
As a growing trend within the workplace, businesses are becoming more proactive when it comes to modern working practices. Employees are able to bring their own smart device, such as a mobile phone, a tablet or a laptop, and they can then use this as part of their own working practices when they are connected to a Wi-Fi network. Business Wi-Fi providers KBR are making sure that businesses are remaining up to date and connected with the most sophisticated Wi-Fi solutions.
There are many instances when a BYOD culture alongside a reliable WiFi network can boost a business’ overall productivity. As a result of always being connected to the internet, employees can attend to tasks in ways they couldn’t before. For example, workers can reply to emails on their way to a meeting or outside of the office, and can also work on tasks during dead-time in the day, i.e. when they are not stationed at a computer.
According to the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group ‘the average BYOD user across countries saves 37 minutes per week thanks to using their own device’. In addition to this, users in the United States saved a total of 81 minutes per week, whilst Germany saved four minutes per week. Although some countries are saving more time and being more productive than others, what this suggests is that globally, Wi-Fi networks combined with a BYOD culture is leading to an accrued saving of time, as opposed to wasted time inside and outside of the working day.
It’s not just in the working day that WiFi and BYOD is having an impact; it also has an influence outside of the working day. It has been suggested that a fully connected employee is managing to work an extra two hours every day and sending 20 more emails every day. As a result, this is allowing a business to utilise their employees even when they’re outside the workplace. This is likely to be because employees are more comfortable and more aware of how to use their own devices.
Although this type of working practice does have its benefits, it can also produce additional costs for businesses; businesses have to spend more money than ever before on security measures that make sure businesses and employees are protected from malicious hacks into Wi-Fi servers. Anti-malware, encryption methods and passcodes are all used to help keep information secure too.
How WiFi operates around the globe
Disengaged employees at work can cost a workplace thousands; for every $10,000 USD worth of salary in the United States – those that aren’t working efficiently can cost a business up to $3,400. That means for every starting salary of £16,376 in the UK, this can cost an employer £5,569 worth of disengagement. As research suggests, what makes employees more engaged is a mobile device and a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
Based on a 40-hour working week, this means that one employee contributing a 16% productivity boost accounts to 6.4 hours per week, which translates to 41 working days a year. If more employees than just one become motivated by mobile technologies, then the savings in productivity efficiencies can become abundant. As well as productivity, it was established that job satisfaction increased by 23% and loyalty to the company increased by 21%. This is probably down to the fact that employees can feel empowered when using their own smart-device. Therefore, workers are made to feel that they are trusted to work on their own tasks independently throughout the day.
Sources:
http://www.itproportal.com/2015/12/22/why-byod-in-workplace-increases-productivity/
http://www.businessbee.com/resources/technology/connectivity/3-reasons-your-company-should-upgrade-to-a-wireless-network/