Employee mobility can be a boon or a bane. Telecommuting helps with employee productivity, as business solutions experts would agree. However, companies should watch out for risks.

Along the lines of security, another concern would be device loss or theft. Company-issued laptops and mobile phones can be lost or stolen while the employee is in business dealings outside of the office. The issue is complicated in that you have to protect yourself two ways: from the possibility of the equipment being stolen by thieves, and by theft by your employees themselves.

The first issue—that of third-party theft—is more easily addressed. Invest in good security peripherals such as laptop cables with combination or keyed locks. These devices can also be insured for a minimal cost.

The second—that of employee fraud—can be more difficult to anticipate and handle. Laptops and mobiles are not difficult to hide, declared as lost or stolen, and later on fenced and passed on as used goods. A good way to mitigate such risk is to agree on a transfer of ownership with your staff, where they would actually have to purchase the gadgets they use for work on an installment scheme (they can pay for the purchase cost partially or in full). This way they won’t have the incentive to steal.

A good measure to address both is to have an up-to-date inventory of equipment, with the identity numbers registered with the appropriate authorities to ensure that they will be difficult to sell or dispose of if stolen. In fact, company formation experts recommend this as a standard procedure in the establishment of any brick-and-mortar business.

Related Articles




Leave a reply