A mobile phone is an essential tool for work these days. With workplace flexibility being greater than ever, people have the capacity to work remotely; be that on the road to clients, from the home office to preserve work/life balance, or even working while on holiday, opening up a broader range of travel and relaxation options, as you would no longer need to wait for downtime between projects.
The question is, though, whether you should use your personal phone for work. Bring-your-own-device (BYOD) is an increasingly contentious point of debate, with organizations having different policies on BYOD, and professionals split on whether they want to manage separate devices or use a single device for both personal and professional applications. The pros and cons are there for both.
The concern with BYOD
The big concern that employers have with BYOD is the security of the data. Most organizations have sensitive and proprietary data, whether that’s customer data, unique applications or internal processes, or IP that provides them a competitive advantage. If they lost that to a rival, it could be catastrophic to the business.
There are steps that can be taken to protect data while using the phone, however, there’s more to consider than just the security of the device, too. What happens when the employee leaves work, for example? Some organizations with strict BYOD policies insist on the entire phone being wiped at that point, which would take personal information, contacts, and photos with it.
Other companies are much more flexible and won’t insist on a device-wide wipe and the end of employment. It’s important to read and understand the BYOD policy closely before deciding to use your personal phone for work.
Another consideration is what the phone does to your life and the ability that a BYOD phone has to become a major disruption to your work/life balance. A study found that one in four adults check their phone less than one minute after waking up in the morning. It’s one thing for that action to be to check social media and catch up with friends – though it’s an addiction to technology that’s still not healthy. To allow work to be a part of that process, however, and to start seeing work emails within a couple of minutes of waking up, can become very detrimental to a person’s sense of balance in life.
The benefits of BYOD
Of course, there are significant benefits to BYOD too. The first, and most obvious one is that it’s irritating to carry around multiple phones, and if enterprises are going to take this “work/life balance” approach seriously – as many organizations would like to (because studies show that we’re more productive and available for work for longer hours when we’re not restricted to the 9-5 day), then it is incumbent on them to provide an environment that allows for the fair use of personal devices for the purposes of work.
Another benefit of BYOD is the money saved. An organization doesn’t need to supply phones under BYOD, and the professional can minimize the expense of the phone – either the employer will cover some of the cost of the phone, or the part of the phone used for the purposes of work becomes a tax incentive. In this way, many professionals are able to justify the purchase of a higher-end phone, which allows them to work better, and also enjoy their phone more.
Finally, there’s the familiarity to consider. When an employee is using their own phone, they’re much more comfortable with it. They selected the phone because they like the interface and design, and have customized and tailored it to their preferences. What this translates to is greater levels of productivity with the phone when also using it for work. 49 percent of employees say that they’re more productive when using their own device.
Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
It would seem that BYOD is the way forward. The benefits do outweigh the risks, and it is something that both employers and employees prefer. The challenge is in how it’s managed. Employers do need to be cognizant that a BYOD device is that employee’s personal possession, and they need to respect that. At the same time, the employee needs to understand the sensitivities of their employer and be willing to cede a little control over their phone by way of agreeing to the BYOD policy so that they can enjoy the benefits of rolling their work and personal devices into one.
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