The Leader - September 2007 - (Page 21) m o b Ile Wor ker s: pr a ctIces, re latI o Ns hI p s aNd co mp o Ne Nts fo r e ffe ctI v e W o rkp lac e s value as in the Participant Matrix of Perceived Value example. key fINdINGs aNd INdIcators In essence, the workplace needs of mobile workers were surfaced and validated as a basis for optimizing or architecting measurable effective mobile work programs. Key findings (which refute several commonly held misconceptions): n There is a common assumption that mobile workers are either female or young technology workers and that they are performing individual, lower skill based work tasks. The study shows that most mobile workers are over 40 years old with a 65/35 maleto-female ratio in professional, managerial or executive positions. n In the past, only specialist workers – salespeople, auditors, consultants – spent significant periods away from the office. Now, all levels of staff in an organization are working outside the office more often, with customers or business partners, either on the road, or working from home. n There’s a tendency to view mobile workers as flying around in cyberspace, working in the car or an airplane. According to survey respondents, the truth is that mobile workers need productive space just as much, if not more than traditional workers. lessoNs learNed Analyzing the study’s survey results yields powerful support for the assertion that the very role and value of the traditional corporate office has changed and its physical and technological make-up must be reinvented. This study also uncovers some fundamental reasons for this misalignment of resources and makes specific suggestions to those responsible to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their mobile worker program from multiple perspectives. The Mobile Worker Survey is able to help generate explanations for various phenomena which have been observed yet have been unable to be reached through internally focused analysis. Part of the problem is that companies tend not to segment their mobile workers. They group them together, and still struggle with exactly how to classify their role in the overall organization. The Knoll research predicts that companies who offer “one size fits all” mobile-work packages are doomed to fail in their mobile work programs. Employers must understand the benefits of mobile work from the worker perspective, not just their own. A clear contrast of benefits shows up when it comes to what perceived advantages mobile work brings: n Organizations cited elimination/ decrease of commute time, improvement of worker concentration, better control of workload, and better adherence to deadlines. n Individuals cited a greater enthusiasm for work, increased commitment to the company, and better relationships with customers. Clearly employers are still in a productivity mindset while mobile workers are oriented toward innovation, loyalty and customers. The better these differences are understood the more likely a company will realize the true benefits from supporting mobile workers. coNclusIoNs fas t f ac t s n The survey data tells us that mobile workers are mature, family-oriented, hard working professionals with supportive infrastructure needs aligned with their assumed roles (i.e. problem solver, leader, subject-matter expert, etc.) vs. positions held. A majority of mobile workers are employed in organizations having a formal Mobile Work Program with long-term employment at their companies. An overwhelming majority of mobile workers stated that they are most productive at home and come in to an office location primarily to meet with others and socialize. Respondents’ survey comments validated the experience that team rooms are sorely missing and often architecturally not enabled. The study reveals gaps in mobile workers’ stated activities and work patterns in relation to current thinking about workspace utilization. Many mobile workers stated that their corporate office architecture is often unproductive, underutilized and misaligned with the needs of the evolving work force. Mobile workers stated that there are other places, sometimes outside the office, which are more productive when something really needs to get done, and that the office is usually not well conceived regarding the new roles it is increasingly being asked to support. n n n n n Mobile Worker Programs must resource the primary role an individual is assum- th e le ade r 21 september / october 2007
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