Mandatory BYOD?

[dilettante]

I don't have a regular "wage slave" job myself anymore, so for most of my contract work BYOD is a given. But the majority of people actively programming for pay probably have a fairly standard full work week on the premises.


Ramifications of mandatory BYOD on workers and employers was interesting to read. Does anyone expect to run into this soon? Are you seeing it already?

Or is this more likely to be an issue for people doing entirely different kinds of work? Perhaps limited to non productive occupations such as managers, administrators, handlers ("Project Managers"), and other Big Idea folks who are normally either on the phone or warming a seat in some conference room?


Another side of this coin:

Most likely, most companies that will mandate BYOD, will restrict employee-supplied gear to a short list of phones, tablets, and notebooks. This is much the same as they did when the company was supplying the gear. It is practically impossible for IT staff to adequately support all brands and models of gear that employees will bring to work if left to their own devices. This short list of acceptable gear will require new hires to buy new equipment to qualify, even if they already own their own non-supported equivalents.

I can see people suing successfully over this kind of employment discrimination. If such specific device limitations are eventually legally eroded the "IT Boys" standing out on the loading dock smoking may end up jumping to accomodate a free-for-all device ecosystem.


As some commenters pointed out there are lots of trades where you are required to arrive with tools purchased out-of-pocket. Maybe BYOD is inevitable?

[techgnome]

Construciton/Trade work is the only job I can think of off the top of my head where that is true...

I can go down to the pawn shop and buy a circular saw for $25 and it will work just the same as the $100 one at Lowes... problem is that technology doesn't work that way...

-tg

[Shaggy Hiker]

I still work at a place that would like to standardize equipment. Therefore, there is a pretty big condional wrapped around the acronym. It's more like this:

If BYOD Then
DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!
End If

[Nightwalker83]

If BYOD Then

What is BYOD?

[techgnome]

Bring Your Own Device.... a play off of BYOB or Bring Your Own Beer...

-tg