Ever wondered if you could use your own laptop at work too? Please bring your own device (BYOD) allows employees to use their personal devices for work purposes. From mobile phones to laptops, businesses create a policy for all their employees to bring their own gadgets.
One of the most followed growing trends is that it is often utilized in small businesses to empower their employees and save costs. BYOD has its fair share of perks and cons. In this blog, you will see a comparison of both positive and negative consequences of BYOD policies.
A virtual phone service RingCentral is a handy way of giving your employees access to their business line. Once business and personal lines are separate, work becomes more efficient and peaceful. It also enhances the level of professionalism, which is often diminished while using personal devices.
Small Businesses going for BYOD, Why?
According to recent surveys, more than 67% of employees belonging to various businesses used at least one of their personal devices at work. Research has given evidence in favor of increased workers’ increased productivity and morale when they are working while using their own devices. While employees displayed accountability in greater numbers, this policy helped in cutting business costs as well.
An extensive study at Cisco put forward a list of all the benefits employers are enjoying with the help of BOYD:
- Almost 69% of the IT sector sided with BOYD policies.
- With increased productivity, workers also saved time by an average of 81 minutes per week.
- All the businesses who utilized this policy saved $350 on each employee per year.
- Small businesses enjoyed maximum benefits.
According to Forbes, the study focused on employees; more than half of the workers admitted to being more productive with BOYD policies. The minimal learning curve and a natural familiarity with your personal devices help improve employee morale too. Hence, this is a solid yet cost-effective way to enhance employee productivity.
What are some BYOD Downsides?
A lot of businesses are reluctant to kick start policies of BOYD in their companies. Their primary concern is about the company’s security. If any personal device is lost, a lot of valuable information can get into the wrong hands. Sensitive data, valuable conversations, and keys or passwords can get lost easily. Mitigating security risks take extra effort, but every risk can be mitigated to some extent.
Taking accountability becomes complex when employees have close personal and professional interaction on their phones. The boundaries between work and personal life also become nonexistent. Other than this, the burden that falls on the IT team’s shoulders is a heavy one. While issuing company gadgets mean all employees are on the same page, personal devices are far more complex.
How to Manage the Obstacles with a BYOD Policy
Similar to the operations of cloud-based applications, many services allow all the data to vanish in emergencies. If an employee is fired or the device is lost, you only need to deactivate the account to eliminate all the important details.
A virtual mobile phone service, RingCentral, permits you to deactivate the extension and terminate your employee’s access. In this way, you can prevent them from making or receiving any unwanted calls from the business line.
While there are some risks in this policy, there are protective aspects as well. Smart and thoroughly placed BYOD policies go a long way when you are building a small business. The first steps could be risky, but you can build your way from there smoothly once you are on track. Mobile usage increases when they are the primary devices for work as well. If employees are non-compliant, make the consequences well-known as well. Find a template to start the implementation of the policy.
Starting with BYOD
If you plan on implementing this policy, you must find out ways to compensate your employees. According to the survey, a small number of 7 percent of businesses cared to reimburse their employees, and at some places, only 18 percent received partial reimbursement. The ambiguous use of professional and personal uses from mobile phones creates this confusion. Monitoring data usage is complex, especially when the mobile phone is used for all time communications. In 2020, almost all employees already have an active data plan, so the burden is less for professional usage.
Virtual phone service is often used in companies to give their employees separate numbers for professional correspondence. Virtual services usually give your business a primary phone number, which comes with extensions. In this way, there will be some boundary, and the employee can maintain their privacy.
Virtual phone services now come with numerous perks, including:
- Give your clientele the main business number to avoid any hassle.
- Remember that you need to have a primary number in the city/town your target audience is based in. Otherwise, long-distance calls are pretty expensive.
- Tell your employees to safeguard their personal information while using their devices for work.
RingCentral works as an excellent VoIP service provider, which will prevent people from calling you on your personal number even after you have left the job. It also brings a wider range of call management offers. The setup is also pretty easy, and within a while, you can start making calls from your business phone number register on the virtual service. You can also go for a demo version to experience how this extension has features to benefit your small business.
Conclusion
Before implementing this policy, compare the benefits and negative consequences it will be bringing to your company or business. A BOYD policy will help you save a lot of cash, be more convenient for businesses and employees, require some compensation from the employer, and pose some security threats. Just as there are positives, there are negatives with the potential of being mitigated. Apply a version of this policy that benefits you in the best manner.