Struggling to Support Remote Workers? It's Only Going to Get Worse

Your IT department will soon need to support more remote workers than ever before. Both technology changes — such as video adoption — and cultural issues — such as user expectation — will require that your company embrace telecommuting. Doesn’t that just cheer up your day?

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Knowing the Changing Reasons for Remote Workers

Also important: attitudes surrounding remote work are changing. Until recently, telework was justified on the grounds of efficiency and productivity — a way to maximize accessibility and rein in costs. From here on, however, expect remote working to be viewed as an issue of individualization, with an emphasis on increasing staff effectiveness. The worker today is thinking, "How can I maximize my comfort, allowing me to get on with the job?"

Plus, younger staff expect mobility and flexibility — where once the ability to work remotely was a real privilege given under extraordinary circumstances, according to Pultz. They also blend their home life with their work life, so there's no longer a separate "work computer" and "home computer" in their home offices.

Gartner defined six levels of organizational telework maturity on which each company can judge itself. (You don't necessarily have to aim for the "top" level; the right one is the one that makes sense for your company, he said.) At the bottom, Level 0, there's no official telework policy, and no monitoring or tools. At Level 5, more than 75 percent are working remotely, the IT policies extend to partners, and tools are available to all employees.

Providing Services and Tools for Teleworkers

New strategies for dealing with remote workers start by identifying the needs of each type of user. What do they need in terms of access, security, support and monitoring? IT departments are used to thinking about access and connectivity, such as network options and quality of service. They're probably also aware that remote workers can be the weak link in any enterprise security system. But few have thought about the changing support needs of people who may work 24/7. Concierge-style, individualized services become important, said Pultz, and contextual help is more than technical (such as "Where's the nearest WiFi point in this city? ").

Access is going to become an even bigger problem, said Pultz. "Video is going to have an incredible impact on teleworking," he said. This isn't March Madness putting extra stress on your network. "It's largely legit traffic," Pultz said, citing e-learning and webcasts as easy examples. And that video traffic will stress what remote workers can do over DSL, he added.

There are plenty of mobile workforce tools, ranging from network access tools to application delivery controllers. These are worth investigating, he said.