Agile Working & Technology

As agile working becomes more common, technology has had to adapt to ensure that employees can be productive, regardless of where they are physically located. Many potential new recruits expect some degree of agile working and the leading businesses have already started to adapt in order to appeal to the best candidates. Many firms have been rolling out smart devices, cloud based storage and cloud based printing in order to allow their people to work from anywhere.

Smart devices

Smartphones and tablets have revolutionised the idea of agile working. Your team members can catch up on email on the commute to work, travelling between meetings and can work from home easily. The right computer/smartphone hardware can also contribute to employee wellbeing and job satisfaction as people can organise their work/life balance more effectively thanks to the flexibility afforded to them via their smart devices.

Cloud storage

As more firms move to a paperless office setup, cloud based storage has become increasingly popular. As businesses have begun to move their data to various cloud solutions, they have benefitted from less paper storage costs while enabling agile working. Having an appropriate cyber security system in place is necessary but there are many solutions available, regardless of the size of your business.

Printing

Despite the move to a more paper-light office environment, physical copies of documents are still necessary at times. Cloud based printing solutions such as Google Cloud Print are becoming more popular with small businesses. Larger organisations will probably want a custom made “enterprise solution”. Cloud based printing systems allow people to print whatever they need from their smart devices, provided you have a wifi connection.

These technologies encourage productivity away from the office and foster a culture of flexible working that puts the employee first. The focus from the business needs to shift from “hours spent in the office” to “outcomes”.