Better balance between work and private life
The biggest advantage of a phone that you only use for work-related matters is a better balance between work and private life. As a (self-employed) entrepreneur, you choose for yourself when you want to be reachable and when not. If you provide a work phone to your employees, it may seem like a disadvantage that you can reach them less, but that’s not the case. Generally, productivity among employees during work hours increases if they don’t have to be 'on' constantly in their free time. Additionally, a work phone has the advantage that you can install good security software on it, so that any sensitive company information doesn’t get leaked.
Costs of work phones
The costs of a work phone for yourself are manageable, but what does the cost look like if you also provide work phones to employees? Of course, it’s an investment, but in the end, that investment also pays off. By improving the work-life balance mentioned earlier, you reduce work pressure and thus absenteeism. It may also be worth looking into the tax regulations regarding company phones. For instance, the purchase of work phones may fall under the work-related expenses scheme, and subscription and call costs are deductible in many cases. Moreover, you can save on a work phone by choosing a refurbished model. That’s a phone that has been previously used and has been fully checked and 'wiped'. As a result, the phone is as good as new, but significantly cheaper. For example, search for 'refurbished iPhone 14' to see what’s possible.
Make clear agreements about usage
If you provide a work phone to an employee, it’s important to make good agreements, especially about availability. Discuss on which days and hours you expect the employee to be reachable on the work phone. Also good to know: you remain the owner of the phone. This means, among other things, that you have (limited) access to the information on the device, of course within the applicable privacy laws. Additionally, you must keep in mind that a phone can occasionally break and needs to be replaced. Also, establish a protocol for the loss of a company phone. For example, agree that an employee reports the loss as soon as possible and see if it’s necessary to build in an option to remotely wipe data.
