There are always two sides to a story. Countless articles have been written about how technology has made work possible anywhere at any time. And, that is true for millions of mobile workers. Recently, we came across this article, which presents the other side of the mobile worker story. Professionals who were polled by a social software provider revealed working on projects that involved collaborating with other colleagues while on the road wasn’t as easy as we would think.
Lack of access to collaboration tools seems to be the biggest obstacle putting road warriors out of touch with data and coworkers.
Half of the 500 respondents said they had difficulty getting feedback or input from colleagues in a timely manner. Another issue was the concern that the mobile worker didn’t have the most up-to-date documents and was providing feedback on dated documents.
“Executives and managers may have their cell phones or laptops at the ready, but their companies aren’t arming them with a seamless collaborative experience across all devices. Without the same information, tools and software on their mobile devices as they have on their desktop, people may be connected but really remain involuntarily out of touch,” Yaacov Cohen, CEO of harmon.ie.
Today’s workers need to be productive no matter where they are – in the office or on the road – because no longer is business conducted from 9 – 5 in a single office building. Have access to a workspace that is flexible and adaptable will all the tools needed to maintain a connection with clients and colleagues will make all the difference.
Do you still feel connected while on the road? Let us know.
