With so many people now proficient technology users at home and at work, which today are often the same place, they understandably want to have a say in the technology they use. There are two key trends driving this change. Firstly, many people have already shifted to using their personal devices for work during the pandemic, perhaps when starting a new job in this period or waiting for a work laptop to be sent to them. Secondly, that younger generations want to work on technology devices that are familiar and comfortable.

With these trends shaping how businesses attract and retain employees, it is becoming imperative for organisations to offer choice. For many in the working population, this means having the choice to use Apple devices for work. In fact, three out of four employees say they would choose Apple . This is not just a passing preference but a deciding factor on where they would choose to work - so employers should take note. By giving employees more flexibility, they can reap a world of benefits.

Boosting the branding
By offering device flexibility, employers can improve the reputation of a company especially when speaking with prospective employees and clients. It shows that a company trusts its employees to know what’s right for them and gives them more agency in how they work. For this reason, offering device autonomy can also encourage employee innovation - directly feeding into how forward-thinking the company is perceived.

Attracting (and retaining) the top talent
By allowing employees to choose their technology, companies may see an advantage in attracting top talent. Technology takes up much of our daily experience at work that it is unsurprising that 71% of millennials say that the degree to which an organisation embraces technology and innovation influences where they work.

With millennials making up over 50% of the UK workforce, companies are under increasing pressure to adopt a flexible approach to the devices their employees choose. In addition to bringing new talent in, it can also help with employee retention with Mac users saying they are 17% less likely to leave the company.

Driving productivity and innovation
Organisations that offer flexibility to their employees cite an increase in productivity and other benefits across their workforce as well. One study found that as many as 68% of enterprise workers found that having a choice in the work devices they use makes them more productive. For many employees, this increased productivity comes from the empowerment they have to personalise their devices and design their own work environment. By being able to take control of how their tech works, employees can streamline their experience and focus on what really matters.

Workflows can also be optimised as employees can choose the most effective technology based on their role or type of work. As employees are spending more time using their work tech than ever before, making it work to suit them grants them autonomy and control over the way they do their job.

Keeping yourself secure and reducing the need for support
Cloud-based technologies and tighter security measures such as virtual private networks and firewalls can keep your work just as secure. It can also be more secure than other methods and the National Cyber Security Centre recommends Choose Your Own Device in place of BYOD as it allows companies to retain control over the device while maintaining the highest levels of security in keeping with company policy.

In addition to security support, allowing employees to pick what they are comfortable with reduces the number of complaints to IT as they can often resolve the problems themselves. For example, IBM found that only 5% of their Apple using employees had to call for support with their device.

Not only does this save time for your employees but also for that of your support team who can use their time more efficiently elsewhere.

After a year of working from home and having our home and work lives collide like never before, it is time to allow employees to choose their own technology to make the process even more streamlined, offering a whole host of benefits from productivity to attracting top talent that companies will urgently need in life post-pandemic.