Coping with mobile technology at work

The rise of mobile technology in the past few years has changed the way that offices operate. In many organisations, big and small, employees are no longer required to be physically present at their desks from 9 am to 5 pm to get their jobs done. In fact, employers nearly everywhere have even come to recognise the advantages of giving their staff room for flexible work hours and location. From better morale and higher productivity to a potential for cutting costs, the trend is certainly taking hold and more people are adopting a new lifestyle where they take more responsibility for getting their jobs done within constant supervision.

From an employee’s point of view, this flexibility, if utilised correctly, may also provide a good opportunity for managing your time in a more enterprising spirit and get more fulfillment and sense of achievement. It can also allow you, if you work from home or on a flexible schedule, to achieve some sort of life-work balance. This flexibility comes, however, with responsibility and with many gray areas that must be clarified ahead of time in order to avoid trouble down the road. In essence, it is critical that you and your supervisor are clear on how you manage your hours and set these expectations in a transparent format, particularly if this flexible schedule or office presence is new to the organisation. In addition, make sure that your agreement is not violating any company requirements and it is not specific to you – unless it is clearly set in writing.

Here are a few points to keep in mind in agreeing on your occasional or regular remote working schedule.

Where are you?

This may be the most common question asked to a person who sometimes relies on technology to work from outside office — to accommodate business meetings, training, or the like. As mentioned, with the current accessibility provided by mobile technology, it may make more sense to head to a coffee shop between meetings, connect to the office network, and work from there. The only problem with this type of irregular schedule is that it is hardly predictable by others in your team and the rest of the organisation — and therefore a person may appear to never be available when needed.

We all had moments of frustration with information-technology problems. If your job requires extensive work outside the office, you’re probably using a computer, a tablet and a smartphone. Be clear on how and who will provide support for your tech problems. If you’re using your own equipment, will the employer replace them if broken, lost or stolen? These issues must be clarified, particularly if you’re new to the new mobile set-up.

Working outside the office:

- Set clear and known expectations

- Get technology support

- Let others know of your schedule

- Find a start and an end for your work day

— Rania Oteiy, a former Business Features Editor with Gulf News, is a journalist based in Seattle.