Video Webinar: How to Empower Your Employees Through Mobile FM Tools

If you missed our first webinar of 2015, don’t fret! We’ve got all the important points for you here in this blog post. You can also view the recording at the bottom of this page to be sure you get (almost) the full experience. Our next webinar is February 18th, so be sure to sign up for that one here.

The Mobile Workforce Is Growing (we have proof)

More and more employees are requesting to work remotely. Just how many more? According to The Telework Research report, from 2005 to 2011 the number of remote workers grew 73% and that number is only projected to increase.

Your employees are getting smart and aggressive about what they want. They know companies are offering these options, and they’re willing to go elsewhere to find it. Jody Thompson, was quoted recently in Atlantic Monthly on the subject and she said, “It’s stupid. The old model of flexibility is broken. People don’t want flexible work schedules. What they want is complete control over their time.”

The benefits to both the employer and the employee are pretty great. Now, this is not a perfect solution for every industry, but for those who can do this effectively report happier and more productive work days, higher retention rates and a huge decrease in spacial expenses.

So remote working is coming to an office near you, but how do we handle it?

What Remote Workers Need To Be Successful

One of the questions facilities managers are asking is, “what does a mobile workforce need to do their jobs effectively and efficiently given today’s inescapable realities?”

We’ve found that remote workers need access to these things to be successful:

• Email (or its alternative: phone calls)
• SaaS tools for project management
• Video conferencing
• Cloud-based storage of all necessary data
• Instant messaging tools

As the facilities manager, how can you provide all of these things on top of your already crammed to-do list? As the percentage of your employees who work remotely increases, your job as the FM may incorporate a few new responsibilities. After all, right now you’re ensuring tenants have everything they need to work, which will still apply once their no longer in the office.

How FM Mobile Tools Can Benefit Everyone

This is where technology comes into play. There is no way that a busy facilities manager can keep up with responsibilities at a headquarters and effectively communicate with remote employees, without some help.

Help comes in many forms, from room reservation programs that allow remote employees to book space when they’re in town to asset management software that allows FMs to keep track of who’s responsible for which computer even when it’s half-way across the country.

You want to keep your workers happy, and as the way we define “work” changes, our approach to how we manage work should change along with it.

Want the full experience of the webinar? Check out the video below. If you would like to follow along with the recording, you may also access the presentation slides by clicking here or through the orange button.