How to create a mobile work environment

The office is dead! Long live the home study, the train, the coffee bar and the beach. OK so you might not want to do away with your office altogether but you certainly could, with the right kit, if you wanted to.

'Mobile working' is now increasingly popular and means that you are no longer confined in terms of time and space but can work anywhere and at any time, with the use of technology. For example, with the arrival of laptops, mobile phones and blackberries, travel time is no longer down time.

Of course this may sound like a nightmare to some people who use their morning and evening commute to catch up on sleep or listen to music. But open your mind to using 'dead'

time for work and you could make much more of every day. Imagine the freedom to catch up, get ahead and save time, prepare presentations, email colleagues and clients so that you are squeezing everything out of the working day and can enjoy truly unspoilt time at home.

The 2007 Flexible Working Survey, compiled by facilities management firm Johnson Controls, shows that employers are using a mixed approach to

how and where staff work and more than 70% of people already consider themselves completely independent in where they can work. Rather than completely abandoning the traditional corporate office, the research shows that employees are using a mix of home, remote and office working as part of a combined package. The study also found that greater flexibility has a positive effect on staff, with 67% of workers claiming it actually improves relationships with managers and colleagues.

For some people and organisations, mobile working is highly profitable because once they have made the initial investment in technology, they can then save the expense and overheads of business premises. It also helps create a paperless environment. Research also shows that two in three people would work from home on days they phone in sick. The study by NTL:Telewest found that travelling rather than working was often the barrier to coming to the office.

Of course mobile working is dependent on new and reliable technology, including broadband, 3G and WiFi, so in order to set up and maintain a successful mobile work environment, it is essential that you - or preferably your employer - can invest in technology. Think about what your job requires, the nature and frequency of communication you need and the sort of information you need to share. Email will be a must, as will the need to view, manipulate, generate, exchange and generally manage documents.

Get your boss to kit you out with a smartphone so you can keep on top of things when you are not near a computer and don't want to lug your laptop around. For example, the new BlackBerry Pearl 8120 will give you access to your email and includes fast WiFi web browsing. The 1GB memory card and external memory slot makes switching between media files a breeze.

With your laptop, a wireless USB modem will keep you connected to the net and email whether you are on a train, in the garden or grabbing a coffee between meetings. These fast little plug-and-go gadgets allow you to send and receive information at speeds of up to 384Kbps (when in 3G coverage); and up to 53.6Kbps on GPRS - as fast as most home dial-up internet connections. You employer may also set you up to connect to a network server with access to data and information from your company when you need it.

It's important to set some boundaries for yourself so that your working time has some structure and boundaries for others so that they do not assume you are contactable at all hours of the day and night. This may include only reading emails twice a day and resisting the urge to look at everything as it comes in.

Make sure you get the support you need from your employer, too. If you rush around too much, you could end up feeling 'baseless' and there is always the concern that you will be out of sight and out of mind when promotions arise. You may also miss the esprit de corps of having colleagues around and it may take time to become as organised as you need to outside of the traditional office structure. If there is a hot-desking option then you may want to ensure you spend some time in the office. Your employer should certainly make sure you have ongoing supervision, support and training.