DON’T JUST BYOD, BRING YOUR BRAIN!
The first time I saw the words ‘byod strategy’ written down I thought it was an article about ‘body strategy’ by someone who couldn’t spell. I thought it was all about planning to have the best possible body and I fell on it as I always do with every opportunity to become the sylph-like individual that I know I am inside.
However, I discovered that BYOD stands for ‘Bring Your Own Device’ and means you can take your own favourite gadget – iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Laptop – to work and use it there. At first glance that sounds phenomenally boring, if not a bit stupid. But then I thought about it more and realised that it chimes perfectly with the way we work now.
On any given day someone somewhere within thebigword is holding a meeting. These are not the ‘around a table’ formal meetings that they used to be. They’re loose groupings of people who come together to plan and progress a project. Typically, a meeting comprises two or three people in a room in our HQ in Leeds, UK, one or more joining by video link from Tokyo or New York, and several more teleconferencing in.
In this environment, it’s clear to see that people need to be using devices. The meeting organiser can’t ‘table’ papers like we used to do. Any documents have to be distributed electronically and the people taking part need to look at them on some device. This means that documents are accessed, viewed and often updated during a meeting between people who are thousands of miles apart.
If you’re sitting in your car or in an airport lounge or on a park bench somewhere, you need to be able to use a device you’re comfortable with. Apparently, favoured technology has become so important to young people that some companies see it as a way to attract the best candidates.
This is where I part company with the idea. At thebigword, technology has always been a driving force and we’ve recorded many ‘firsts’ in our sector, including being the first to truly harness the power of translation memory. We also employ someone whose job title is ‘Technology Evangelist’! In my next blog I’ll be telling you some very exciting news about our latest technology that is truly going to revolutionise the way our industry works.
Despite this, we employ people not because they have a favourite gadget, but because they the have brains, creativity, enthusiasm, drive and commitment we need to propel thebigword into the world top ten (we’re currently four places off that).
So when employees ask if they can BYOD, that’s fine, as long as they don’t leave their brains or their BODY behind.
Have a great Easter break,
Larry
However, I discovered that BYOD stands for ‘Bring Your Own Device’ and means you can take your own favourite gadget – iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Laptop – to work and use it there. At first glance that sounds phenomenally boring, if not a bit stupid. But then I thought about it more and realised that it chimes perfectly with the way we work now.
On any given day someone somewhere within thebigword is holding a meeting. These are not the ‘around a table’ formal meetings that they used to be. They’re loose groupings of people who come together to plan and progress a project. Typically, a meeting comprises two or three people in a room in our HQ in Leeds, UK, one or more joining by video link from Tokyo or New York, and several more teleconferencing in.
In this environment, it’s clear to see that people need to be using devices. The meeting organiser can’t ‘table’ papers like we used to do. Any documents have to be distributed electronically and the people taking part need to look at them on some device. This means that documents are accessed, viewed and often updated during a meeting between people who are thousands of miles apart.
If you’re sitting in your car or in an airport lounge or on a park bench somewhere, you need to be able to use a device you’re comfortable with. Apparently, favoured technology has become so important to young people that some companies see it as a way to attract the best candidates.
This is where I part company with the idea. At thebigword, technology has always been a driving force and we’ve recorded many ‘firsts’ in our sector, including being the first to truly harness the power of translation memory. We also employ someone whose job title is ‘Technology Evangelist’! In my next blog I’ll be telling you some very exciting news about our latest technology that is truly going to revolutionise the way our industry works.
Despite this, we employ people not because they have a favourite gadget, but because they the have brains, creativity, enthusiasm, drive and commitment we need to propel thebigword into the world top ten (we’re currently four places off that).
So when employees ask if they can BYOD, that’s fine, as long as they don’t leave their brains or their BODY behind.
Have a great Easter break,
Larry
