Mobile Workforce Roundup: Recent Must-Read Posts From Fellow Community Members

Greetings Mobile Workforce members!

Many interesting developments are emerging in the mobile workforce world. And, as always, your fellow community members have been busy writing about them, including how best to introduce employees to technological change, how the pandemic has affected mobile device sales, and how technology is changing how the power industry operates in rural areas. Click through using the links below to read about these and other fascinating topics. And remember, your comments are always welcome. 

Happy reading from Energy Central Community Manager Karen Marcus.

Tactical but Strategic – Progressively Introduce Technology Change to Your Office Teams and Field Crews

By Alan King, posted on August 16

There are many ways to introduce change to employees, including a phased approach. That is, incrementally introducing change one region, depot, shift, or business unit at a time. Alan suggests that this approach is a great way to help workers get used to new technology processes.

Shared Link: Mobile Device Sales Plummet

By Paul Korzeniowski, posted on August 11

In his introduction to this IDC article, Paul notes that worldwide smartphone shipments decreased 16.0% year over year in Q2 of 2020 because of the economic crisis due to COVID-19. He invites readers to think about your utility’s expected spending on mobile devices during the pandemic and beyond.

Shared Link: How Do Storms Affect Mobile Workforce Numbers?

By Rakesh Sharma, posted on August 7

This shared link points to an Edison Electric Institute FAQ about the response and restoration process. In his introduction, Rakesh points out that the results of worker “borrowing” during National Response Events (NREs) include a significant increase in mobile workforce numbers.

Rural Computing and Connectivity Provider Could Appeal to Power Industry Members

By Peter Key, posted on August 3

In this post, Peter describes “edge-network-as-a-service” technology, which could be helpful to electric power companies with assets in rural parts of the country. He notes that it could be especially useful to operators of remote solar and wind farms, transmission line owners, and distribution utilities.

Hacking of Remote Utility Employees Shows Challenges of a Mobile Workforce

By Christopher Neely, posted on July 30

The ability to enable employees to work remotely has been essential for utilities in continuing to function during the pandemic. However, remote work entails risks. Here, Christopher explains how the increase in remote workers has led to more attacks against utilities since the pandemic began.