Sunday 8 April 2012

Personal access to technology is a future job essential

I remember the world before mobile phones and home internet connections. However, I am so reliant now that I don't know how I ever functioned without them. Thanks to my iPhone, I can operate from anywhere I can get a connection. I no longer need to go to the office every day, I don't even need to live within commuting distance of the office.


As a professional recruiter, clients ask that I look for essential requirements in job candidates. Typically, they relate to the qualities and qualifications of the person. However, I predict that soon I will also be asking about more than their past achievements.
The remote worker is becoming an increasingly viable option for businesses. The technology is here and new products are appearing on the market to address the security and control concerns of the past. Add drivers such as green agendas; cost cutting measures; and potential need access to remote talent, and suddenly remote and mobile working becomes an attractive option. The impact on recruitment and an individual's employability could be significant. Leaving aside the personal qualities needed to be able to work effectively and happily in relative isolation, how important will technology qualifiers be to future employers?

I wonder how quickly we will see job specifications containing technology qualifiers. Will not having high-speed broadband connectivity in your home become a handicap in the job market? Will I have to start asking about broadband speeds and availability in the area where the candidate lives and state a minimum speed and availability in job adverts? How quickly will employers expect candidates to have their own smart devices to make them mobile? Many companies are already considering Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. How long before BYOD becomes the norm, and the days of the company mobile and laptop come to an end?

I do not believe it is too soon to be asking these questions. Remote management of teams and individuals allow a company to grow into new markets without the need to invest in office space. The benefit of having a local resource in a market, speaking as a native and fully understanding the local culture is essential. While the Cloud makes access to remote services and applications possible, it cannot replace human contact and local knowledge entirely.
 
 
Expanding the infrastructure beyond the major population centres could go a long way in encouraging more inward investment in Britain. As a population, we may have to insist on the highest level of connection to the communication infrastructure as we would to the power and water infrastructures. As businesses, we should be looking at new ways of working that will make our businesses as geographically agile as possible to take advantage of global opportunities.