Top talent demands enterprise mobility

By David Barclay, National Practice Manager, Data^#3 Limited

[Reading time: 2 mins]

We all know IT can be a competitive differentiator. When IT is treated as a business tool rather than a restrictive necessity, great things can happen. What you may not have considered is how critical your IT capabilities are to attracting and retaining talent.

A recent Business Insider article shows that Australian workers are searching for flexible working arrangements two and a half times more than 2 years ago. This rate of change is leaps and bounds ahead of an already strong global trend.

The reasons behind this are simple. Consumerisation of productivity solutions has opened the door for workers to adopt devices, applications and services, to fit their working preference and stay connected. This is often regardless of what the IT department mandates. People want their workplace technology to provide the same seamless experience as they have at home – and the result is Shadow IT.

Viewing IT as a tool to improve employee satisfaction can provide forward-thinking organisations with a competitive advantage. Providing workers with the slick experience and flexibility they are increasingly demanding can improve retention and help attract top talent.

Data^#3 National HR manager, Tash Macknish, sees this play out every day. “We are definitely seeing flexibility/mobility emerge as a key element in the process individuals undertake when reviewing potential and existing employers. The increased pressures brought on by the blurring of work/life boundaries mean that increased flexibility has an important role to play in attracting good employees and in retaining key individuals within the business.”

The pressure is on IT departments to step up, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In most cases, workers are simply looking for better access to data and applications. Transformational changes like building Tailored Applications to overhaul existing business processes, or deploying content aggregation solutions can revolutionise the way work is done, but simple steps such as allowing remote/mobile access to existing applications can greatly improve satisfaction – and productivity.

The trend we see towards mobility is here to stay – and likely to accelerate. Don’t get left behind. If you’re keen to see how you can take advantage, please contact me today.