BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is the policy of allowing workers to bring their own mobile devices to work and use them for work-related tasks. That could be a phone, a tablet, or a laptop. With millennials taking over the workforce, more and more companies are embracing this practice.
Also known as Bring Your Own Phone and Bring Your Own Technology, BYOD is a trend that escalated quickly over the last few years and got to a point where 95% of workers shared they bring their own device at work.
What are the pros and cons for both managers and regular employees? How does this policy affect employee productivity and motivation? Let’s see whether BYOD should be your next move too as a project manager and how your team can benefit from it:
Concerns About The BYOD Policy
The most common concern about BYOD is corporate data safety.
Currently, according to research, the odds of a corporate data breach are 1 in 4. And, permitting employees to use their own technology when accessing company files and viewing and using data is risky.
Many managers have realized it might lead to lack of control over the data of the organization as it’s a challenge to track it once it reaches a personal device brought by a worker.
To prevent data loss, breaches and leaks, set clear guidelines that every employee must go through and agree with before bringing their own device.
Another concern is employees’ privacy. Workers might feel exposed thinking that their superiors have access to all their personal files and even track their digital activity or location while they are out of the office.
It’s also not unusual for people to fear losing their information knowing someone else might have access to it.
Team managers can remove such doubts by creating a contract stating no sensitive data will be accessed by the company.
BYOD Workplace and Productivity
Let’s look at the pros and cons of BYOD in different aspects.
Regarding productivity, workers might get distracted due to the presence of their own device in their work process. They have access to all their files, can contact anyone they know, perform tasks that aren’t related to work, open personal emails and use social networks, and so much more. Even having these as options is something that can cause workflow interruptions and affect performance.
On the other hand, people are used to doing anything on their smartphone, tablet and/or laptop and can usually get more done on their own device. Additionally, that provides a sense of comfort and can lead to doing better work.
Business use of personal devices can also mean getting things done much faster due to simply having to switch to work mode without needing any time to prepare and find focus again.
One of the greatest advantages of BYOD related to productivity is that work can be done anywhere and at any moment of the day. Whether employees are commuting, on their way to a meeting, taking a break or just in the mood to complete some tasks for the next workday, they can use their device to do just that.
In terms of motivation, BYOD often has positive effects. Workers feel like they can work however they want and having their own device at work provides freedom and flexibility. They also need to switch less often between devices, which saves focus.
Satisfied workers are also more productive, which can help the company move forward. However, with the Bring Your Own Device policy also comes the challenge to find work-life balance again.
Bring Your Own Device and Overtime Policy
One of the things you might want to make sure your company’s BYOD policy addresses is the compatibility with overtime policy.
Even things such as checking work emails outside of the working hours can be qualified as overtime. However, these time expenses are hard to be monitored and paid at overtime rates.
Discuss these in advance with your team. Explain overtime calculation rules to your team members so that everyone understands your overtime policy and no one ends up disappointed.
BYOD and The Work Process
The way how your company uses the BYOD policy might be different, but it’s up to the managers to have control and make sure they experience only the advantages of this trend.
If executed well, the Bring Your Own Device policy tends to lead to happier and more productive employees, help reduce costs and improve business operations.
