Page 29 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

8 � mAnAgIng the moBIle workForCe

or not, most of us have become dependent on the Internet to help us
keep up with our friends and family, not to mention our work.
There is no question that, whether we like it or not, the Internet
connects us to urgent, important information; provides us a lifestyle
filled with individualized products and services that entertain, edu-
cate, and inform us on demand; and introduces us to new ideas, ways
of thinking, and people.
The mobile phone industry, and others, have powered up the per-
fect solutions for all of us if what we want is to stay connected to work
and play. Technology devices give us the freedom and power to live
and work where we want. Mobility is not just for the rich or for execu-
tives or for powerful people anymore. Everyone wants to connect, to
call, to text, to search, to navigate, to listen, to translate, to coach, to
train, to collaborate, to upload, to share (and do just about anything
else you can think of)—and they can!

` whAt Is moBIlIty?

Someone with mobility has the ability to move from room to room,
building to building, city to city, or country to country without losing
the ability to function successfully. Even when we are moving outside
the wired-in service territory, the disconnect is only temporary. Even
when service is weak or spotty, we can quickly connect with our fam-
ily or our boss. Even when we are sharing confidential information a
continent away, we know it is secure.
Already there are large pools of Wi-Fi installations and Wi-Fi
towers that allow people to move seamlessly among mobile carriers.
It won’t be too long before most or all of the planet will have seamless
connectivity. Then how will you hide from your boss? (Or from your
employees . . .)
Most people couldn’t care less about the technology that under-
girds their mobile devices. They just want them to work. It won’t mat-
ter much to your employees that you spent thousands of hours and