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Five questions to answer if you want to finish 2018 strong

@rogers
yesterday

Five questions to answer if you want to finish 2018 strong

Do your employees have the tools that they need to be their most productive and successful?

Two people conversing and looking at a laptop

It’s that time of the year …

Time to send the kids back to school, drink all the pumpkin spice lattes and return to full productivity at work.

If you’ve ever guessed that you get more done in the fall, you were right. A study by Priceonomics found that knowledge workers are the most productive in September, October and November.

The most productive time of the year for knowledge workers is a Monday at 11:00 AM in October. Priceonomics

The study revealed that we complete 7.2 percent of our yearly tasks in January and between 8.8-9.5 percent of them in each of the fall months. The researchers think that this is because we spend more time planning early in the year and then rush to get everything done at the end of the year.

Whatever the reason, you might want to boost your employees’ productivity so you can finish the year strong. One way to do this is by making sure that they have the communications tools that they need to complete all of their projects – whether they are working down the hall or around the world.

Here are five questions that you should ask to get clear on your mobility needs:

1. How will your staffing needs change in the near future?

Determine how many employees currently work for your company and if your staffing requirements will change in the next six months to a year. For example, are you expanding and hiring more people? If so, which teams or departments will grow? Are you planning an acquisition that will impact your headcount? Getting clear on your staffing needs helps you determine whether or not your IT environment and mobility strategy must also scale.

2. Where do your employees work?

Take stock of your current offices and other locations. How many do you have? Are they all local or spread across different geographic regions? Are you going to open new branches within the next year? If so, where?

But it’s not just about location. Also note how your employees work. Do they stay at their desks all day or do they need flexibility to move around the building? How many of your employees work from remote locations, such as their homes or while traveling?

3. What are your communications needs?

If your employees use their personal or corporate mobile devices for work, now is the time to reflect on their mobility needs. What types of devices do they use? What tasks do they perform on these devices? For example, do they primarily use them for phone calls, emails, and text messaging? Or do they access a range of business productivity apps, such as Office 365 or G Suite, on their devices? Do their current devices enable them to perform all of their work tasks efficiently and securely?

4. Do your employees travel for work?

If so, do they travel within Canada, internationally or both? What do your current data plans cost? Do employees frequently run up large roaming bills when they travel? If so, do you have any opportunities to bring these costs down?

5. What are your security risks?

More employees are storing confidential business data on their mobile devices. Do you have visibility into who is accessing corporate data on mobile devices and what they are doing with it? Have you ever experienced a security incident related to your employees’ mobile devices?

Answers to these questions will also help you get clear on your security needs. An enterprise mobility management (EMM) solution can help you secure all of your company’s mobile devices, along with the applications and content that resides on them. EMM also allows you to remotely wipe devices that are lost or stolen, as well as revoke access to your data if an employee leaves the company.

Now that summer vacations are over, it’s time to return to maximum productivity and start planning for 2019. Do your employees have the right wireless plans and tools to succeed?

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