Mobile working is no longer the next new thing; thanks to advances in IT and connectivity many of us are now living it daily. By 2013, market research firm IDC predicts more than a third of the world’s workforce will be mobile workers with 734.5 million people in the Asia Pacific being mobile.

As companies wise up to benefits such as savings on property costs, fewer overheads, improved staff morale and raised productivity, they will need a strategy to manage and support their mobile workers in a structured way.

According to the report VWork: Measuring the benefits of agility at work by Regus and Unwired, virtual work is replacing the traditional fixed office model, with more and more people working in an anytime, anyplace, anywhere environment. To cope with the rapidly changing agile workplace, it argues, companies must adapt.

They must also put strategies in place to cope with this new reality. Relying on cafés or hotels as the lynchpins of mobile work should not be part of any company’s agile working plan. Not only do they diminish a corporation’s image and the employee’s professionalism, but their use also risks breaches of confidentiality, and affects productivity and efficiency.

While business adapts to a new workplace model, trust remains a major hurdle in the progress of flexible working. In the Regus Flexible Working Report 2011, 40% of companies surveyed felt that only senior staff are sufficiently trusted to be given some level of flexibility.

Companies can maximise their mobile workers’ productivity by following these 10 steps:

1.Make sure employees on the move are properly kitted out. Provide the best and most appropriate technology to help staff work efficiently when working remotely, for example, a smartphone, laptop, dongle, Wi-Fi or broadband access. Make sure they have IT helpdesk support if anything goes wrong.

2. Ensure staff are not isolated if they work from home.Offer alternative workplaces such as a hotdesk in the office or workspace in a business centre, and encourage them to keep in touch in person at least once a week. Managers should call in regularly to make sure they have all they need.

3. Do not forget health and safety at home. Provide adequate advice on ergonomic office space at home before agreeing to homeworking, for example, information on how to adjust a chair to the right height or avoid trip hazards such as trailing cables.

4. Keep staff connected.It is hard for staff to stay engaged when on the move, so set up opportunities for team briefings and meetings where the whole team meets regularly face-to-face.

5. Create a set of rules for staff to follow when they are out on their own. These should cover circumstances they are likely to meet, such as meeting a client in a public place, taking calls on public transport and working in client offices.

6. Cafes are for food and drinks, not business. Business and the bustling café latte culture do not always mix. Provide mobile workers with access to a quiet place to work while on the road such as a professional business lounge where they can get online and be productive.

7. Do not allow meetings in hotel lobbies or casual settings like libraries. Private conversations are never private in public areas. It is not necessary to compromise on confidentiality when there are business centres offering private rooms in every major town and city across the world.

8. Mobile calls attract strangers on a train. Instruct staff not to make business calls on trains but if they have to take a call, warn the person on the line where they are. Ask them to suggest calling back when they are in more suitable environs such as the office or a business centre.

9. Seek alternatives to the client’s spare workspace. Provision of mobile workers sometimes have to be near clients but you do not want clients overhearing sensitive conversations. Give staff access to outsourced first-class offices, which can be reserved by the hour, day, month or year. These allow staff to keep business professional and private.

10. Save on travel and the environment. It is no longer necessary to travel abroad to take part in a meeting in person. Videoconferencing at business centres provides the same face-to-face contact and helps reduce air miles. If staff have to travel, allow them to remain productive by using business lounges and business centres at airports.

From broadband and Wi-Fi to tablet PCs and smartphones, technology is driving change faster than most organisations can adapt. As mobile working rapidly advances changes in the way we work, companies will be left by the wayside unless they evolve with the times.

While it is vitally important that companies maximise the productivity of remote workers by offering them support, it is just as critical for employees to take every effort to remain productive as they shoulder more responsibility.