Adapting to technology can be quite a challenge for both companies and professionals. While the shifting to newer technological features is imminent, reaping its benefits hinges on it being utilised in the right manner. The type of devices you use, too, have an integral role to play.

From managing work schedules and tasks to delegating work to people, slow and non-functional devices can really hamper employee efficiency in the long run. BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device, has been an interesting policy which has come around in recent times. Allowing employees to bring in their own gadgets has helped with improving productivity while allowing that seamlessness between work and home.

Let’s look at some of the major benefits that BYOD offers, and why you should consider implementing it in your company.

1. Improved productivity

Office-run devices with their security plug-ins can become cumbersome to carry out simple tasks. IT departments enforce a lot of security information on any gadget used by employees. While it is important to maintain company privacy, more often than not, it also slows down devices.

With the ability to shift to personal devices, familiarity makes it easier to customise solutions for projects. As a manager, you can reduce the time required to adapt to devices. This would help you in onboarding your employees faster. 

A resource management tool can also ease the transition for employees and improve efficiency. Staff scheduling and task allocation in the tool would help them stay updated and stay ahead at work. As a manager, you also have the advantage of assigning the right resources for different tasks, based on skill levels and experience.

2. Lower operational expenses

Implementing BYOD can help bring in immediate cost reduction for companies. There are instant savings on hardware, with no need for purchasing or replacing devices. System updates and other such additional expenses are also reduced by a long shot with the help of this. 

Companies are also relieved from the pressure of keeping up with new technology, and change devices every now and then. For employees using mobile devices, data usage expenses can be reduced to quite an extent when BYOD is implemented. 

Companies have flexible offices as well, such as plug and play offices. They are becoming extremely popular, especially in startups and cloud-based organisations. Not only do they lower in costs, but they are also convenient to carry, and manage. In such a scenario, using your own devices can help further reduce costs.

3. Build and encourage creativity 

Employees who are engaged in a creative field of work, such as game designing and digital marketing, are dependent on their devices. Important software, tools and other implements let them to stay efficient. Therefore, it makes sense for such companies to shift to BYOD, instead of restricting them to dated company systems.

It is also important to remember that creative requirements are present in other companies as well. Even in the most technical companies, such as IT delivery, there are some areas where creativity is required. BYOD can help these teams achieve more with no added cost to the company. 

With better access to tools, information and even perspectives, BYOD would also boost employee satisfaction in the long run. It offers autonomy in decision-making, which encourages employees to be creative in the future.

4. Better work-to-life transition

There is no doubt that using your own device helps employees feel better at home. Because they are in a familiar environment, productivity also increases by a great deal. Whether they are at home or somewhere else, employees can log in to work at any point of the day. 

Therefore, BYOD is a great step towards flexible work arrangements. Remote work options, such as working from home becomes easier to implement when personal devices are being used. On the other hand, it offers employees flexibility with their working hours. For example, they have the option to join important meetings over their phone, if required. 

As for the company, BYOD can improve communication between clients and managers. There are many instances when managers need to reach out to staff to get updates on the status of certain tasks. A BYOD policy proves to be very useful in such scenarios. Employees can open up their own devices and provide the information asked for.

5. Attract the best experts.

Improved productivity is a major factor for employees to stay in a particular organisation. BYOD can help attract the best talent in the business, by the virtue of the flexibility they offer. 

Most experts are tech-savvy or in the know of the top technology trends. And opting for BYOD-friendly company policy helps the experts  use the latest tools on their own systems. With better expertise and improved productivity, companies can plan for more enriching projects, which bring them good revenue.

What’s more, collaboration improves when BYOD is in play. Employees can engage in real-time conversations and complete tasks without even being at work. Queries can also be resolved quickly, helping in faster completion of tasks. For entrepreneurs, it also offers a great opportunity to collaborate with others and work together. 

The increasing popularity of BYOD only shows that it is a step towards the future of project management. Security issues and losing company data may be issues that companies are dealing with currently. Having said that, in the changing landscape of work, organisations may fall behind if they do not adapt to newer technologies and ventures. With the required security protocols, such as to install company-verified antivirus software, BYOD can be a reality for most companies.

What do you think? Would you want to implement BYOD in your organisation? Let us know in the comments below. 

Author bio: 

Aakash Gupta is the expert authority in the smart workforce planning and resource management domain. As the chief consultant for Saviom Software, his experience has enabled multinational businesses around the globe to diversify their project portfolio. Follow his work here.