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How businesses get mobile working wrong
And how to pick the right staff to work remotely...

By Gemma Simpson

Published: Wednesday 25 July 2007

Businesses are not reaping the rewards of mobile working, such as increased staff productivity and flexibility.

This is because companies are employing the wrong type of mobile worker and are failing to keep tabs on out-of-the-office employees, according to research conducted by occupational psychologists Pearn Kandola.

Stuart Duff, report author and occupational psychologist at Pearn Kandola, said managers must not fall into the trap of treating mobile workers in the same way as office-based employees.

Businesses need to ensure there is suitable leadership in place to manage teams of mobile workers in order to maintain communication and relationships between the office and the outside world, Duff added.

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Managers must also give mobile workers the same communications options as office-based staff, such as providing instant messaging and video facilities to reduce a mobile worker's feelings of separation, according to the Cisco-commissioned Understanding and Managing the Mobile Workforce report.

In general, good mobile workers are extrovert, independent, resilient and self-motivated, so organisations must look out for these attributes when recruiting, the report revealed.

A recent study showed remote and mobile workers feel alienated and mistrusted, while a majority of respondents did not believe their company advocated mobile and flexible working.