You might think that when it comes to workplace modernization, small and medium-sized businesses would be at the forefront of innovation. After all, for SMBs fighting to keep talent in a competitive marketplace, it’s all about offering a superior employee experience and responding well to people’s needs – and often, that means giving people the new technology they demand. When the latest mobile devices hit the market, you’d expect IT leaders at SMBs to be all over them.
This logic makes a lot of sense, and historically it’s often held true. But lately, some doubts have been raised about whether things are still working that way in practice. Small Business Computing reported that at many SMBs, there’s a disconnect today between the workplace technology that corporate leaders think they’re offering and the perception of that technology among employees. Among SMB decision-makers, 79% believe they’re offering a good employee experience; at the same time, 40% of people at SMBs say they’re dissatisfied with their work environments. They often cite technology as a reason why.
“SMBs pioneered the now widely held ideas about the mobile workforce,” said Dilip Bhatia, VP of global user and customer experience at Lenovo. “However, this notion is unmatched in SMB organizations’ ability to offer their own employees more flexible technology for a better employee experience.”
When you dig into the details, it’s clear that mobility is a key reason for many employees’ dissatisfaction. Survey data from Forrester shows that 38% of SMB employees say they’re “not in an environment that helps them to be productive,” and they cite key issues like outdated machines that are constantly crashing and having to update software. In addition, 74% say they have no access to cloud-based tools that could help them be more productive, and 87% of SMBs are lacking a bring your own device (BYOD) policy that would add flexibility to their work routines. Mobility is the common theme, again and again.
“While benefits and financial incentives remain important for attracting and retaining staff, SMB efforts must also be willing to invest in future tools and technology that are mobile, flexible and inclusive,” Bhatia said.
With all of this in mind, now is a great time to consider Zones as a business partner that can lead your SMB forward. We specialize in offering mobile device management (MDM) solutions that help your employees use mobile devices in a secure, controlled way. This should make your team more productive while also saving your IT team time and effort.
The way we see it, the future is rapidly approaching – and that shouldn’t be true just for large corporations. If you run a small or medium-sized business, you know how important it is to offer your team a comfortable work environment, and you also know modern technology is a crucial part of that. With our help, you can make sure your company never falls behind.
Want to know more about how our Workplace Modernization solutions can help your business? We can give you the lowdown – just click the link below.