When a colleague says they’re “working from home”, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Am I being unfair in assuming that many of us are guilty – at some stage in the past at least – of reaching the conclusion that this colleague may not actually be working? Or at least not working as hard as they would be if they were in the office?

Trust plays an important role in mobile working and this is evident in our recent study into employee behaviour. The better the experience of working on the go, the more benefits a company will see. But what makes for a better experience? Why is it easy for some employees to work from home and not others?

1) Trust your employees to work away from the office.

72% of workers who find it easy to work away from the office say they have the trust of their leadership team to do so. The quality of their work is what tops the list of importance, not the location where it’s been carried out.

2) Ensure your employees have adequate data allowances on their mobile devices.

Employees are concerned by the cost of using data. Around 3 out of 4 office workers say their employers try to limit the costs of using smartphones and tablets with 20% regularly running out of data. Make sure each employee has sufficient allowances to complete their work (and are aware of it).

3) Connect to the best mobile networks available at your workers locations.

Mobile networks can vary across coverage, quality of coverage (specifically for data), and price. It’s important to find the right network for your business. Workers who find it easy to work away from the office are more likely to rate their mobile network highly.

4) Provide simple access to work documents and files.

How do your employees access what they need when away from the office? Workers who find it easier to work from home are twice as likely to access all their work documents and files through one single application. This ease of access allows them to get to what they need faster and complete tasks quicker.

5) Set up Instant Messaging on your employee’s smartphones.

Instant Messaging makes communicating easy and speedy. Mobilising this capability has two clear benefits A) It is easier for people who work away from the office to communicate with colleagues and B) It is easier for people in the office to reach their colleagues out in the field.

Read more from our recent research into mobile working. It has identified some clear trends in employee behaviour and attitudes and it also raises significant questions for business leaders.

Download your copy of our Mobile Multiplier Research here