Page 35 - Managing the Mobile Workforce
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14 �  mAnAgIng the moBIle workForCe

                        with day-to-day communication for a mobile workforce. So
                        the question becomes: how much time is needed to “replace”
                        face-to-face meetings and other interactions that occur nat-
                        urally in a colocated environment?
                         `  There are additional nontechnology costs. As the mo-
                        bile workforce develops, the enterprise leadership and
                        management teams needs to accept the added costs to hire,
                        train, and support a mobile workforce. If sufficient resources
                        are not dedicated to these initiatives, the company risks high
                        employee turnover, decreased loyalty, and lost productivity—
                        the opposite of what should occur!
                         `  There might be employee and managerial resistance. If you
                        don’t handle this transition well, you might hurt the organi-
                        zational structure and create a dysfunctional workforce.




                  step three: plan and Align the organization
                  Aligning people with new initiatives can be a daunting task even for
                  the most seasoned executive. Transitioning to a mobile workforce re-
                  quires significant changes you’ll have to plan for in human resource
                  management policies and procedures, information systems, legal is-
                  sues, and training capacity. And that’s not all. You’ll need buy-in from
                  each of the affected business units. Each department stakeholder
                  needs to play an important role in the identification of objectives, op-
                  portunities, and the risks inherent in a mobile workforce. Each brings
                  a unique perspective in transitioning from a traditional workforce to
                  a mobile workforce. You are going to want advocates who understand
                  the business strategy, objectives, alignments, and requirements of the
                  company. Your managers may be the most important constituency you
                  need to consider, because managing a mobile workforce takes a lot of
                  time and dedication. You’ll have to motivate and train your managers
                  to lead this newly organized workforce.
                     Stakeholder collaboration optimizes the efficiency and effective-
                  ness of the transition to a mobile workforce. Here are some alignment
                  issues you’ll need to consider:
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