BYOD – Where IT and HR Collide or Converge

 IT and HR Policy have tended to collide or converge in three main areas to date: data protection, internet and email usage policy, and PC usage policy. What this means is that in order to deliver suitable organizational governance in these areas, both HR and IT should be involved in the development of the policy. As many of you will be aware, a new HR and IT policy area is emerging and that is BYOD or Bring your own Device.

What is the BYOD trend? Well, it seems that many employees and job applicants tend to have better quality devices than they might receive from their employer, which means that many employees prefer to bring their own mobile devices into work (smart phone, tablet, mini notebook ) and use these to access the network in the business. The more savvy users really do not want to be burdened by having to have two mobile devices: one for work and one for play. It may sound fun, but, (apart from being able to use the second smart phone to lead a separate life that your spouse doesn’t know about), having two smart phones is a bit of a nuisance.

But, surely this is a technical issue; what’s it go to do with HR? Well, the BYOD phenomenon has begun lapping on the shore of HR in many areas. For example, a 2012 Accenture survey reveals that 60 percent of respondents said that their personal satisfaction levels would rise if they were allowed to use their own devices and applications on the job. So, clearly the question of whether or not to adopt BYOD and to what extent BYOD is implemented is not just an issue for IT; it’s also an issue for HR as it could affect employee engagement.

Coupled to this, research from a 2013 CTIA survey has shown that employees tend to still use their own devices at work, even if there is a strict policy in place prohibiting it. So, there are also clear employee relations and potentially disciplinary issues around BYOD devices.

Furthermore, a CIO article reveals that nearly two-thirds of millennials use a BYOD at work compared with 33 percent of boomers and 60 percent of workers in their 20 and 30s. This shows that the majority of the workforce, and particularly millennials, depend on using BYOD and expect to be able to adopt BYOD in any organization they work in. It is becoming a part of the employer brand and organizations that don’t have BYOD will be seen as less technologically attractive and less attractive to talent, which makes it another clear issue for HR.

So, how many firms are implementing BYOD? Well, at the moment, according to a Zdnet.com report, more than 44 percent of organizations allow BYOD and another 18 percent expect to move to BYOD by the end of 2013. So, if your organization is not planning to adopt BYOD at some point in 2014 you will actually be behind the curve and your organization will be lagging behind in terms of its technological provision. This will have a negative effect on your employer brand, particularly amongst millennials.

So, HR professionals in organizations without BYOD should act now and convene with their CIO to find out what the plan for BYOD is – and if there isn’t one in place, HR should be leading the charge for BYOD adoption.