BYOD (bring your own device) and HR policies
I recently wrote our company’s BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy; I spent time reading about best practices and issues to consider. Each article was helpful, identifying issues related to IT support (hardware and software), data, and IP security, each very important considerations for your own BYOD policy.
Unfortunately, no article talked about BYOD’s involvement in HR, employees, and managers. Not even one article talked about work-life balance. To be fair, they were written by lawyers (mostly) who aren’t known for writing beyond the parameters of legalese.
I don’t care if you’re a Millennial, Gen Xer, Boomer, or Zoomer when you’re instituting a BYOD policy that you should review in your HR policies. BYOD is NOT just about IT, IP, legal or security, it’s about HR! (Yes… I repeat myself… because it is important).
Bring Your Own Device policies can be great morale boosters! I’m a GenX startup junkie who works mostly with Millennials and some Boomer/Zoomers. I have some of my own companies, consult with different companies and advise students with their own companies.
I’M LOVIN ‘IT that everything is in one place: multiple inboxes in Outlook and on iPhone. ALL files are in one place (thanks Dropbox). A laptop + an iPhone… Great!
I’M LOVIN ‘IT that I don’t have to bear the capital cost of equipping everyone in the company with their own device. This is a huge expense that start-up companies cannot afford.
I’M LOVIN ‘IT that everyone is working on a device that makes them happy!
BYOD allows us to work from anywhere, a team can be virtual and really with all my ventures we are absolutely virtual.
I’ll prefer the next section with the following: 1) I haven’t had a company-owned device in 10 years, 2) I’m still trying to find something that even resembles work-life balance. A different rant on a different day. Right now, this rant is about companies and managers not thinking about the implications of BYOD.
Anyone who has worked for me knows that I have a simple rule of thumb: “Just because I work ridiculous hours doesn’t mean you have to.” With email going out from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Dropbox syncing files during those same hours, I’m clearly on the job. Under no circumstances should anyone feel obligated to respond to my email outside of office hours.
it drives me crazy that my working hours can be tracked Dropbox is constantly syncing. It’s almost impossible to get away from work without turning off and going to a free wi-fi zone.
it drives me crazy that people feel is good to work 24/7. Not well. My husband and family will tell you that I am in the 24/7 category; They’ll tell you I’m a workaholic who needs to learn balance. They are not wrong, I actually enjoy working most of the time. But with BYOD I can’t just take work offline—everything is in one place.
Do what I say, not what I do. Anyone who works with me should feel that he has some freedom. Turn off, get out, jump in the puddles (it’s been raining a lot this summer)!
Many of my friends who work for large companies, BYOD or not, are expected/feel obligated to work, they answer phone calls and emails outside of work hours. I wonder if their managers have thought about their work habits and the impact it has on those who work for them.
So what should you consider with BYOD and HR policies? Make sure…
- you understand the HR implications.
- the value system in your organization promotes balance.
- all managers understand these values and promote balance.
- have an open dialogue about BYOD to address challenges employees may face with the shutdown.
Try to enforce some rational business hours and email response. Like flex time and flex hours, standards need to be set for when it’s reasonable to respond to emails, phone calls, etc.
BYOD should NEVER end as a form of 24/7 uptime for employees.
I challenge most companies in North America to follow Brazilian law: company emails to workers are the same as orders given directly to the employee, so they qualify for overtime!
Brilliant, Brazil may be the only country where the law keeps up with technology.
Meanwhile, class action lawsuits are popping up across Canada and the US to address employees’ challenge with overtime. Be careful, your company may be next.