Tech Lover 9

We all know content employees are generally more productive.  Many businesses implement employee recognition and incentive programs to help generate enthusiasm. Another key to attracting and keeping good employees is offering flexibility.  This has become more and more important as many household are now dual income.  It is becoming increasingly difficult for dual income families to manage the high demands of both their personal and work schedules.  Additionally, people are realizing that when they are happy at work, they are more content at home.  Having a job with minimal frustrations is also very important.  So, what can a can a company do to enhance employee enthusiasm without compromising the integrity of their business?  First, start by thinking outside of the box.  Take a look around and see how technology has made our lives simpler in so many ways.  Today, a number of business have found they can increase employee satisfaction by simply implementing basic technologies which allow for more flexibility and ease of collaboration amongst staff. One of those “technologies” is the Cloud.

Remote Access = Flexibility

This is probably the single most valuable aspect of Cloud computing.  The ability to log in and remotely access files from anywhere in the world at any time releases employees from their office prisons.  I say office prisons because many feel the grind of being stuck in their office for 8 or more hours a day feels like confinement. Now, if an employee wants to attend a luncheon with their child, has a doctor’s appointment, or simply needs to be home to catch the cable repairman, they can do so without having anxiety about returning to the office late at night to get caught up with work.  With remote access, they can directly log in to their files and work from home.  This can also benefit an employee who may need to work from home or out of town due to a family emergency.  A few months ago, my grandmother fell ill.  Two of my out-of-town aunt’s wanted to be with her during this time.  The Cloud made it possible for them to work remotely for nearly a month.  This was a win-win for my both aunts and their companies.  They were able to be with my grandmother during her final days, and their companies didn’t have to fill in the gap during their leave of absence

Collaboration Capabilities

One frustration for employees is waiting for a response or approval on a correspondence, document or project.  And, sometimes the employees working together are in two different locales.  The beauty of the Cloud is the ability for “live” collaboration.  Google Apps for Business is an example of a platform which allows multiple people to log in to a single document and make edits simultaneously.  So, no more hanging around the office waiting for a phone call or e-mail approval – with the Cloud, your entire team can work together online! And, you don’t have to worry about accidently not saving or losing your work.  For added peace of mind, companies like spanning.com offer tools to back-up and restore your Google Apps.
No More “Flash Drive” Anxiety

How many times do you see people frantically searching for a flash drive?  With the Cloud, there is no need to store important information or presentations on external drives which can be easily lost.  Simply put what you need in the Cloud and access it whenever and wherever you need it.  The Cloud is also great for sharing files and photos which are too large to send via e-mail.  Remember the good ‘ol days when a graphic designer sent your logo files to you on a CD-ROM? Now, they can upload everything to the Cloud.

Many small businesses find platforms such as Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive and even Dropbox provide sufficient options for remote access, file sharing and collaboration. However, depending on the size and needs of your company, you may want to consider a private cloud provider.  It’s always a best practice to thoroughly research all of your options and determine which best suits both your immediate and future needs.