the advent of WYOD: is your company prepared for the wearable onslaught?

The era of wearables has dawned upon us. a few years ago the buzz was about bring your own device (BYOD), with employees bringing their own smartphones and smart devices to the workplace. Today however, boardroom discussions are revolving around wear your own device (WYOD). There is no denying that wearable technology is fast gaining traction and employees aren’t going to wait for an official ‘go ahead’ to start using it.

is your company ready for WYOD?

Companies are trying to determine if they are ready to adopt WYOD and all those responsible for the policies in their organisation are trying to understand wearable devices and account for them in their policies. To put it simply, when employees start wearing smart technology to office, the hr, it, and legal teams will be on high alert to tackle the challenges that WYOD poses.

Employees wearing their own device to work pose similar threats that were faced with BYOD and this has companies worrying about unauthorized access to sensitive business content. Wearables will bring emails, text messages, financial data, and more to a smaller and more portable form. this is the new trend at the workplace, and organisations will have to prepare themselves to embrace it. Including wearables in the current security strategies can ensure that business data accessed on these devices is secure. However, organisations that have already adopted the BYOD policy stand a chance to stay ahead of the game as they will have to only extend their BYOD policy to explicitly cover wearables.

can WYOD benefit organisations? 

Security can be a major glitch for companies encouraging WYOD, but on the other hand it can act as a tool to attract employees. An organisation that enthusiastically acclimatizes to the latest technology and encourages its workforce to use it is typically considered modern and flexible. Such organisations can attract job seekers, who are particular about being associated with a company that has a contemporary and dynamic outlook. Another important point to consider is that WYOD can help monitor data. wearables can be used by organisations to monitor employee behaviour and collect data related to their online mobile activity. This data in turn can help organisations gather useful information about the type of content employees post online. 

However, the flip side of smart wearable devices is that they can be a distraction at the workplace, hindering the overall productivity of employees who are likely to use these devices for personal activities, thereby hampering the work environment. 

the bottom line 

The convenience of wearable technology will empower mobile workers in various industries and provide access to the required content in real time, but wearables will also pose certain challenges. The key lies in weighing the pros and cons of WYOD and developing the right strategies and policies. It is essential for companies to gear up for WYOD and HR managers will need to have policies in place to usher in newer technologies at the workplace.