Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) might sound like a good idea initially, what with the perceived cost cutting and employee happiness potential and all. But in reality, these aspects aren’t necessarily as they seem, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hidden costs can crop up in the form of IT support, employee attrition, and data breaches. And on top of all that, it can make corporate training more time-consuming and less effective.
You are potentially putting company data at risk.
When devices are used for both work and personal purposes (for any reason, including corporate training), you are potentially making your company data vulnerable to malware picked up in the personal capacity of day-to-day web browsing, and vice versa. And the IT headaches don’t stop there. Security problems arise in other areas, too, such as cloud computing and even texting. Once you delve into the security component of your corporate training, you might run into some setbacks there as well. You’ll need to separate trainees into different groups, according to what devices they are using and what inherent security features they have. Plus, you’ll need to have your IT department check each device for vulnerabilities prior to the training session.
Luckily, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service could offer a solution to some of the problems above. For mixed-use devices, a VPN would provide an extra layer of security as you transmit personal data over the Internet or engage in general web browsing. Further, if you have a dedicated computer for departments such as accounting, a VPN may be a solution for allowing multiple people to safely work remotely via the dedicated device. You can also conduct remote training sessions this way. And you’d be able to work from anywhere in the world, provided you have an Internet connection. Should you choose to use a VPN service (and you really should, at least sometimes!), VPN reviews on Secure Thoughts can help you find the one that suits your company best.
Technological inequalities may arise.
Employees left to their own devices, so to speak, will opt for different devices. This lack of uniform technology may manifest itself as a problem twofold. First, your IT staff will need to be well-versed on a variety of different platforms, which may mean hiring some additional specialized staff to help with the training, at least. Not so cost-efficient. But perhaps more importantly, your employees may not have equal means to purchase electronics. For entry-level staffers especially, setting aside a few hundreds dollars to purchase a new laptop is a tall order. And forcing them into a purchase is certainly not the best way to promote employee satisfaction or company loyalty. You may end up driving your new employees away, and ultimately spend more money on HR and recruiting strategies.
Instead, offer employees the devices they will need upon employment. You can offer portable laptops or fixed desktop configurations—it’s up to you. Not only will this make the devices more uniform, it may also be cheaper to purchase a fleet of devices and software permissions in bulk.
Your employees won’t be able to fully clock out, and neither will you.
Your corporate training is opening up the floodgate between your new employees’ personal and privates lives. Once you configure their devices to optimize their workflow and productivity, they’ll be locked in wherever they go. And with work email just a click away and a calendar brimming with alerts, it’s all too easy to get pulled back into work mode at the end of the day. But getting into this habit can put a serious hamper on a person’s work-life balance. It’s becoming a more widespread problem today, and some governments are even taking matters into their own laws. France is weighing the possibility of a “Right to Disconnect” law, encouraging employees’ freedom from their devices while off the clock. While such laws are not widely implemented, they do shine light on the value of disconnecting.
So take a page out of France’s book and urge your employees to enjoy their personal lives whilst untethered from their devices, without needing a law to tell you to do so in the first place.
All things considered, the decision to implement a BYOD policy in your corporate training is ultimately up to you as the employer. But before you make such a decision, it’s important to very carefully weigh the pros and cons. Keep in mind that if you choose to BYOD and then change your mind, your employees may need to be re-trained. Consider consulting your financial and IT departments as well. Their input may be a game-changer. And while the bottom line is an important factor, don’t forget to consider your employees’ preferences as well. Part of being an effective leader means keeping your staff happy, BYOD policy or not!
