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posted by janrinok on Saturday August 06 2022, @02:51PM   Printer-friendly
from the I'd-like-an-ice-cream-machine-please dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes the following story:

I’ve long believed companies should offer workers a choice in the technology they use in the office and when working remote. Doing so lets employees use what they feel is the best choice of devices for their work, it can help attract and retain staff, it lessens the likelihood workers will go rogue and source their own technology (aka shadow IT), and it establishes a positive relationship between IT and the rest of an organization.

Companies like IBM and SAP have documented their experiences in moving to an employee-choice model and have declared it a success. But does that mean it would work for every company? And how do you decide which way to go?

The most important question in developing (or expanding) an employee-choice model is determining how much choice to allow. Offer too little and you risk undermining the effort's benefits. Offer too much and you risk a level of tech anarchy that can be as problematic as unfettered shadow IT. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Every organization has unique culture, requirements/expectations, and management capabilities. An approach that works in a marketing firm would differ from a healthcare provider, and a government agency would need a different approach than a startup.

Options also vary depending on the devices employees use — desktop computing and mobile often require differing approaches, particularly for companies that employ a BYOD program for smartphones.

Most employee-choice programs focus on desktops and laptops. The default choice is typically basic: do you want a Windows PC or a Mac? Most often, the choice only extends to the platform, not specific models (or in the case of PCs, a specific manufacturer). Keeping the focus on just two platforms eases administrative overhead and technical support requirements. It also allows companies to leverage volume purchases from one partner in order to receive bulk discounts.

Have you been allowed to choose your own technology and equipment at work? What were the choices offered to you and what restrictions were placed upon them?


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 06 2022, @06:26PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 06 2022, @06:26PM (#1265323)

    With that in mind I tend to work as much as I can from home so I can just then use whatever I want. I don't bother unpacking the work stuff if I'm at home. In some cases I don't even use the organizations hardware for long stretches of time, they asked a few times cause I have licenses for various statistical software packages that was extras that I then don't really utilize very often.

    I work 100% remote, and my company-supplied laptop is locked down tight. I can't install any "non approved" software on it, and I can't access any company resources from any other computer because they don't have the VPN set up as on my work laptop.

    I *can* get source code over to my personal machine, by disconnecting from the work VPN and using "scp" to copy the files back and forth. Note that this is a firing offense. But someiimes I would rather spend an hour fixing a bug using reasonable tools than a week using what they provide me. And, I'm close enough to retiring to not care if they fire me for doing my job better.

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  • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday August 06 2022, @06:51PM

    by RS3 (6367) on Saturday August 06 2022, @06:51PM (#1265330)

    Oh gosh, I both relate to this and am frustrated reading it. I don't even know what stupidity category to file it under. I attribute it mostly to power and control issues. Mid-level manager wannabes. When owner / CEO types get wind of these things, they might promote you (they should!)

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by GloomMower on Saturday August 06 2022, @07:34PM

    by GloomMower (17961) on Saturday August 06 2022, @07:34PM (#1265338)

    If they have git and thus openssh installed, you can fairly easily setup a proxy server so you can use the VPN from other machines.

    https://coldstonelabs.org/SSH%20Proxy.pdf [coldstonelabs.org]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 07 2022, @03:44AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 07 2022, @03:44AM (#1265375)

    Being there, bro. Perhaps the same place.