Getting the most out of a mobile workforce

A number of mobile workforce management solutions are available on the market. From systems to best practices, experts offer opinions on the most effective ways to keep arrangements flexible and employees productive. The dif- ficulty is in finding a tool that can address the connection issues facing mobile workers. Where can organizations find a tool that encourages communication while managing time spent on the job? Does such a tool exist?

It does. And, in most cases, it’s a tool most organizations already employ: a time and attendance system.

Time and attendance systems are often the most widely used applications in an organization. Every employee interacts with it, even if at different levels, and the application itself is designed to track and manage time on the job. With the right features and functionality, it’s easy to see how a time and at- tendance system can be an effective tool to manage over-connection and thwart disconnection.

To be most effective, a time and attendance system should help mobile workers manage their time on the clock to avoid unnecessary hours or overtime (to combat over-connection) and promote communication between supervisors or managers regarding time-related issues (to discourage disconnection). Addition- ally, the system should be suited to the demands of the mobile worker—that is, it should be as mobile as the employee. With this in mind, let’s examine the time and attendance system characteristics best suited for today’s growing mobile workforce.

The key to avoiding over-connection is providing mobile employees the tools to easily track and manage their hours as they accrue them. Working in conjunc- tion with straightforward policies around working outside of scheduled hours, a time tracking mobile app helps employees avoid being too “plugged in.”