Want to improve employee productivity? Let them choose their own devices

Building a slide deck, pitch, or presentation? Here are the big takeaways:

  • 68% of enterprise workers said that having a choice in the work devices they use makes them more productive. — Jamf, 2018
  • 72% of employees who are offered the choice between Mac and PC devices chose Mac. — Jamf, 2018

Allowing employees to choose their own work device improves their productivity, collaboration, and company loyalty, according to a Thursday report from Jamf.

With this being the case, enterprises are increasingly offering employee technology choice programs, or those that give employees the freedom to choose among brands of computer hardware and mobile devices for work, according to the report. Today, 52% of organizations allow employees to select what type of computer they use at work, while 49% allow them to choose their mobile devices.

In a survey of 580 executives, managers, and IT professionals worldwide, Jamf found that 68% of employees said that technology choice makes them more productive. Of those who get to choose, 77% said they were more likely to choose to work or stay at a company that offers device choice than one that doesn’t. Further, 90% of respondents whose company offers a hardware choice program said that these programs should become a standard in business.

SEE: IT hardware procurement policy (Tech Pro Research)

Employees also reported that choosing their own devices improved their creativity (37%) and collaboration (35%).

“When it comes to attracting and retaining top talent in the enterprise, the job landscape is more competitive than ever,” Dean Hager, CEO of Jamf, said in a press release. “And, with the highest global talent shortage in 10 years, it’s no wonder that a major priority for enterprise organizations is to create the ultimate employee experience.”

Workers are looking to employee device choice programs to keep their work and personal lives separate, according to the report: 74% of employees said they would prefer a company-issued device over a personally-owned device for this reason.

In terms of preference, when given the choice between Macs and PCs, 72% of employees choose Macs, the report found. And 75% of those offered the choice between iOS and Android as their mobile device operating system chose iOS. (It should be noted that Jamf is an Apple device management company.)

These results signal that employers should pay more attention to the device they are issuing, and consider employee wants and needs when updating their device policy.

Image: CNET

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