by Before placing any huge orders on tablets, computers or smartphones, try talking to your staff and seeing how they feel about the devices you’re considering. Chances are they will know someone with the same device or will have read about it and so will already have an idea how they feel about them. If you can find a device that your staff like using and feel proud to show off, then you will not only find that they use them more often and more effectively, but also that you are more popular as a result and that they work harder in order to earn their shiny new toys.
And if you were to survey your employees on the devices they’d most like to use, they’d almost certainly tell you that iPads and Macs were up there with the items they want most. Apple products don’t just look far more impressive than a lot of other devices, but they are also intuitive and fun to use, rarely go wrong and are great for play as well as for work.
So Apple products can help to make your staff enjoy working with their technology while also ensuring they feel looked after and cherished by their organisation. This article will help you to get more out of those devices so that your office becomes the ideal merging of man and machine…
The ‘Walled Garden’
One of the things that has always made Apple so popular is its huge ‘ecosystem’ of apps, hardware and services. If you have an app on your iPhone, then that app will automatically be available on your iPad; if you save a file on your iPad, then you’ll be able to grab it from iCloud on your Mac.
All this makes working with Apple products seamless in the office and ensures there’s no lag while your staff transfer files or backup their computers. If you’re going to use Apple products in your office then, make sure you dive right in and go ‘full Apple’.
Update
Another benefit of Apple products is how nicely made the hardware is, and the premium feel this gives off. This can help your staff to feel better about their work and even perform better (the same way that ‘dressing for the job you want does’), but it can also impress partners, investors and clients when they visit your office. That’s why it’s worth upgrading your Apple devices each time an upgrade is available – that will say a lot about your company and show that you care about your image and your staff.
Wire
If there’s one thing your staff hate about their desks then it will probably be the wires under the desk. You can solve this problem quite quickly however by using a simple DIY fix – running the cables through paper clips attached to the desk to prevent them from tangling or falling off the side. Do this on your desk then smile knowingly when the boss comes round to do a desk check…
Meanwhile, do take advantage of the common charging plug for iPhones and iPads, and of wireless transfer options to minimise your wires. MacBooks can take this one step further and liberate your staff from their desks so that they can sit and work in the communal areas or even on the train.
Don’t be Too Strict…
If you’ve given your staff iPads to use for work, then you might be tempted to make them use those devices only for work and to prevent them from installing games on them or using them for personal uses. This would be a mistake however as it would only serve to make them resent you for it, and probably to look for ways of getting around the restrictions you set up (and they will find a way). Show your staff you trust them, and let their Apple toys be the perks that they should be…
