Proponents of mobile working claim a range of benefits through reduced dependency on traditional offices, from higher productivity to lower costs. These benefits have been backed up by recent findings from market research group Mori. It found that 64 percent of mobile workers in the UK felt using a laptop had made them more productive, although 15 percent felt mobile working increased stress.
Corporate uptake is mirroring general consumer trends towards mobile technology and communications. According to Mori, 64 percent of the adult population of Britain uses a mobile phone, and market researcher Dataquest estimates that Ã,£2bn will be spent on notebooks this year.
One in four potential mobile workers is prevented from working from home regularly by employers, a statistic that has had experts criticising the attitudes in many boardrooms.
'Research shows that people are more motivated working flexibly,' said Con Mallon, marketing manager for Toshiba UK. 'Research we carried out with Mori showed that almost half of workers with laptops work 45 hours or more in a typical week.'
Mallon said that while IT managers should play a key role in furthering a company's telecommuting capabilities, they needed to present the board with a detailed plan of benefits and cost-savings.
'IT managers must convince the board to invest in flexible working,' he said. 'A cost benefit analysis is essential before approaching the board with a plan. Boards tend only to see the bottom line, but the issue is productivity and staff morale. You will save money in the long term with high staff retention, higher productivity and motivation and lower property costs.'Workers with families should particularly benefit.
Services firm ICL is one major company benefiting from an ethos of flexible working. Three years ago, 95 percent of ICL employees had their own desk, today 25 percent of its 20,000 staff are mobile, with no fixed office or desk, and by 2002 this figure will be 35 percent, according to Richard Reed, director of corporate infrastructure. ICL aims to cut Ã,£20m from its property costs and reduce its office space by a third over the next five years by promoting flexible working practices.
Although emerging technologies such as Bluetooth will support mobile working, firms such as Toshiba recommend the drawing up of a comprehensive mobile working policy to make teleworking effective.
These include the establishment of a 'wireless taskforce', evaluation of staff training and transport needs, reviews of health and safety procedures, and restructuring of human resources policies. Cross-departmental collaboration is essential for mobile working to function effectively.
Despite the apparent potential of mobile working, some analysts have chosen to err on the side of caution.
'It's not a black and white, clear-cut issue as each organisation's culture is distinct,' said Thomas Reuner, an analyst for Gartner. 'Things will become clearer when the wireless revolution really kicks in, and it's hard to say when that will be.'
Experts warn that security issues must take centre stage, as with fixed-desk working. Eric Shien, a researcher for security expert Symantec, said, 'Network administrators face a dilemma with mobile staff. Imagine if there's a virus outbreak, with fixed desk workers the administrator can make sure the PCs on-site are safe, but what about the mobile worker's appliances? Software can secure mobile applications at the point of contact, such as email, and companies looking to embrace the inevitable impact of mobile working must look to security vendors for advice,' he said.
Perhaps the greatest barrier to forming a corporate policy on telecommuting could very well be the management culture itself. IT managers need to outline a detailed strategy and ensure that the board is informed of the advantages if a mobile policy is to get off the ground. But with the prospect of huge cost-savings and greater staff loyalty, it seems an opportunity not to be missed.
