As a professional recruiter, clients ask that I look for essential
requirements in job candidates. Typically, they relate to the qualities and
qualifications of the person. However, I predict that soon I will also be
asking about more than their past achievements.
The remote worker is becoming an increasingly viable option
for businesses. The technology is here and new products are appearing on the
market to address the security and control concerns of the past. Add drivers
such as green agendas; cost cutting measures; and potential need access to
remote talent, and suddenly remote and mobile working becomes an attractive
option. The impact on recruitment and an individual's employability could be
significant. Leaving aside the personal qualities needed to be able to work
effectively and happily in relative isolation, how important will technology
qualifiers be to future employers?
I wonder how quickly we will see job specifications
containing technology qualifiers. Will not having high-speed broadband
connectivity in your home become a handicap in the job market? Will I have to
start asking about broadband speeds and availability in the area where the
candidate lives and state a minimum speed and availability in job adverts? How
quickly will employers expect candidates to have their own smart devices to
make them mobile? Many companies are already considering Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
policies. How long before BYOD becomes the norm, and the days of the company
mobile and laptop come to an end?
I do not believe it is too soon to be asking these
questions. Remote management of teams and individuals allow a company to grow
into new markets without the need to invest in office space. The benefit of
having a local resource in a market, speaking as a native and fully
understanding the local culture is essential. While the Cloud makes access to
remote services and applications possible, it cannot replace human contact and
local knowledge entirely.
Expanding the infrastructure beyond the major population
centres could go a long way in encouraging more inward investment in Britain.
As a population, we may have to insist on the highest level of connection to
the communication infrastructure as we would to the power and water
infrastructures. As businesses, we should be looking at new ways of working
that will make our businesses as geographically agile as possible to take
advantage of global opportunities.
