Interview with Gyutae Park on BYOD’s Impact on Workplace Training

As part of a series we started earlier this month on the impact of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy is having on workplace learning and development, I spoke recently with Gyutae Park, Head of IT at Money Crashers Personal Finance.  Gyutate is a BYOD expery, familiar with the range of policies in the business world today. The full interview is below. Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. For earlier Training Station posts on this topic, please click here.

Training Station: To what extent do you think training managers should welcome the use of personal devices in training sessions?

Gyutae Park: Personal devices in the workplace is basically here to stay, so training managers should welcome their use during training sessions, as long as certain parameters are established.

TS: What are some of the the benefits that fully welcoming the use of these devices provide in employee engagement and training?

GP: Employees could potentially be more engaged in training due to the fact that they’re using their own device, rather than a work-provided computer that they just may not be as comfortable with. Also, for an extended training session with a great deal of material that needs to be covered, employees could get through the materials faster because of the mobile nature of personal devices.

TS: How can learning executives overcome the fears of BYOD – security concerns and related problems – in their organizations?

GP: Make sure the company has a comprehensive and detailed BYOD policy in place. It should include what devices are acceptable, as well as any required security measures. Executives should also prepare their IT departments for a possible increase in traffic, as employees may encounter issues with their devices while at work.

TS: Other than security, what other reasons are there for the slow adoption rate of mobile devices into training strategies?

GP: If you have older team members, they might just not be that familiar with such technology.

TS: If there are more devices, doesn’t that mean there are more opportunities to learn and engage with trainees?

GP: There are absolutely more opportunities to engage with employees if there are more mobile devices, as long as those mobile devices are acceptable for company use. For example, a jailbroken or rooted mobile device may open up the company to potential security breaches.

TS: What are some ways to “mobilize” existing training content?  Use of video?  Other ways?

GP: Using videos is one great way to mobilize existing training content. However, one should be careful that the chosen delivery method is supported by the various devices of all team members. One key consideration to keep in mind is that Flash presentations aren’t supported by the iOS operating system. Another thing to keep in mind when mobilizing existing training content is that your team may be viewing these materials on a variety of different devices. One person may be viewing the content on a 13-inch tablet, while someone else might be viewing it on a smartphone with a 5-inch screen. So your content should be tailored with that in mind.