The call center industry pioneered the all-virtual business model more than a decade ago. As a result, thousands of people now work from home taking pizza orders, sending flowers, booking flights, and answering informercial calls from insomniacs. Now think about that. Here's an industry that relies on fairly low wage workers to:

• work untethered,
• provide their own workplace--one that meets the companys' requirement for privacy and quiet,
• purchase and maintain their own computer and broadband service,
• and meet the stringent security standards required for handling credit card numbers, social security numbers, medical information, etc.,
  

VIPdesk, is an all-virtual call center based, well, everywhere. They provide customized solutions for premium brands such as Land Rover, Eddie Bauer, and others. "We refer to our home-based staff as Brand Ambassadors," says Sally Hurley, president of VIPdesk, "because their job is to inspire customer loyalty through great customer service." I asked Sally what led them to the virtual model. She described it as a matter of business survival.

VIPdesk started life as a concierge service for MasterCard and other credit card issuers. If you hold a premium MasterCard, chances are you can call their 800 number and reach someone who can help you reserve a flight to Machu Pichu, purchase tickets to see Wicked on Broadway, or send your Mom a bouquet of her favorite orchids. As a platinum customer, you expect great service. That's where, back in 1997, VIPdesk saw its niche. At least that was the plan.

"We started out with a traditional big-building, cubicle-farm approach but quickly--or, actually not so quickly--learned that the kind of people who made great brand ambassadors didn't want to sit in a cubicle eight hours a day earning $10/hour. Initially we thought, well, maybe we're in the wrong place to attract the kind of people we need. Over the next several years we pulled up stakes and moved three times in search of a reliable pool of talent; to no avail. There just had to be a better way. In 2001, we completely abandoned the bricks and mortar approach for a home-based agent model. That decision, it turns out, made all the difference."

Here are just some of the benefits VIPdesk realized when they sent their people home:

• The average age of their customer service representatives went from mid-twenties to early forties.
• They attracted more educated people. Over 90% of their reps have college experience and 5% have advanced degrees.
• Their retention rate went from 100% turnover, to 90% retention.
• Their employee to manager ratio went from 12 to 1, to 25 to 1.
  

Now if that doesn't inspire managers to consider telecommuting, here's the clincher,: VIPDesk has never lost a single client to a competitor--something Sally attributes entirely to their virtual business model.

VIPdesk's experience is not unique. Time and again, companies have found that a home-based approach yields more qualified, more engaged, more professional, more available, more productive, and less expensive (by a long damn shot) workforce

If an industry can achieve unprecedented success by sending its lowest paid employees home, why doesn't the rest of the world follow suit?

When I was sophomore in high school my friend Eric and I had an agreement.  This agreement was based on a mutual and symbiotic arrangement that provided us both with relative equitable value with respect to the services we were in need of at the time.  It wasn't contractual, however, in retrospect that would've added a layer of texture to this tale that would've made a good story a great one.  It was fairly simple really. 

Today we have a guest post from Sean Ryan.  Sean is an research analyst with IDC focused on mobile enterprise software. 

Classifying mobile workers
Charles Darwin may not have had a smartphone or a laptop with wireless connectivity, but he did spend five years aboard the HMS Beagle making stops along the way to classify new species and fit them into a well-defined taxonomy.  It makes you wonder how a naturalist like Darwin would define the characteristics of the various types of mobile workers. How different would that classification be from the distinctions made by business managers and HR departments today? How different would it be from those of the technology providers (ISVs, SIs, carriers, device OEMs) developing solutions to meet the needs of various worker types? One can imagine how there could be different distinctions of what constitutes a mobile worker and different ideas around the tools and policies to support those workers.

Many of you reading this post likely have an idea of the type of mobile worker you are. Terms like road warrior, corridor cruiser, work extender, digital nomad, web worker, and telecommuter come to mind. You may be a journalist, or an attorney, or a sales professional, or a call center specialist, or an executive, or a traveling nurse. You may work exclusively from home. You may travel to different locations. You may split your time between the office and your home. As a research analyst covering the wireless industry for IDC, I spend a lot of time paying attention to the various mobile worker types and the technologies they use. I myself am a mobile worker;  I split my working time between the office and my home, and I also  travel for business.

While in some cases it may be fairly straightforward to classify a mobile worker type, in other cases it is like classifying a Duck-billed Platypus. (Is it a bird? Is it a mammal?) Unfortunately, for CIOs and for technology solution providers, classifying mobile workers -- whether straightforward or not -- is an exercise that they must engage in if they are to effectively set policies and offer a comprehensive set of tools to enable and support a potentially diverse set of mobile workers at a given organization.

As part of our ongoing research at IDC we have developed a mobile worker segmentation to help our clients in this exercise. We have identified three top level mobile worker types: office-based mobile workers;  non-office-based mobile workers; and home-based mobile workers. Each of these categories has subgroups to account for the messy realities of overlapping worker types, as is the case with my situation. Under this taxonomy, I am an office-based mobile professional since I work out of an office primarily and I am mobile or remote at least 20% of the time. Though similar, this is different from a pure telecommuter, with a home office only, who also travels for business.

Our research shows the mobile workforce growing from 847 million mobile workers in 2008 to over one billion by 2011. Office-based mobile workers accounted for 62% of the mobile workforce, mobile non-office accounted for 32% and home-based accounted for 6% of the mobile workforce in 2008. Similarities exist across all of these mobile worker types, particularly between office-based workers who also telecommute, and telecommuters who also travel for business. Yet, in many cases there are different needs among the worker segments, and further distinctions are made when considering different verticals and taking into account different roles in the organization. Certain aspects of technology can be consistently leveraged across all mobile worker types and across verticals and roles. However, organizations do have to make decisions that can greatly impact the financial bottom line: Who gets cellular services (voice and/or data)? Who gets smartphones? Who gets laptops? Who gets netbooks? Which mobile apps do we support and for which users? Who gets remote access or a VPN client? Where do we deploy WiFi? What level of helpdesk support is offered to mobile workers? These are among the considerations that organizations need to take into account.

A typical mobile worker tool chest can consist of a smartphone (sometimes more than one; I see a lot of execs carrying a BlackBerry and an iPhone), a laptop, a netbook, remote access services, conferencing services, social networking tools, collaboration software, unified communications, and a variety of vertical and horizontal apps accessible from mobile devices. One size does not fit all, a fact that will become more apparent as the needs of mobile workers and the capabilities of the tools become more sophisticated.

What kind of a mobile worker do you consider yourself to be, and what types of technologies are you leveraging as a mobile worker?

Photo by: karenwhitak

While I spend my fair share of time on the road and in coffee shops, most of the time I'm huddled away in my home office here in Chicago. When people find out that I often work from home, the most common response I get is something along the lines of "I'm so jealous. I wish I could work in my PJs in front of the TV all day." Sound familiar?  As most of you Workshifters know, working from home is anything but cushy. Sure, it has its advantages, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. Here are some of the things that have helped me stay sane as a home office warrior:

• Minimize distractions.If you have an office door, shut it. Turn off the TV, the radio and anything else that will prevent you from actually getting work done. Figure out how you operate most efficiently. To truly focus on what I'm doing, I learned quickly that I need complete silence - no TV and no music. Sometimes, I also disconnect from the Internet to focus 100% on projects.
  
  
• Stay connected. Other than the standard emails and phone calls, find other ways to connect with your clients and co-workers. You're missing out on the water cooler chit-chat, so it's up to you to make those connections in other ways. I use Google Talk, Skype and of course Facebook, Twitter, among others.  (If you use more than one instant messenger application, consider using a service like Pidgin, which lets you log in to account on multiple chat networks simultaneously.)
  
  
• Get out. Working from home can get pretty isolating at times. This was a challenge for me at first. Make sure you get out on a regular basis and have actual face-to-face interactions with people. Work in a coffee shop for one day a week. Run errands over lunch. Connect with other Workshifters in your area through groups like Jelly.
   
• Know when to stop. One of the toughest things about working from home is not being able to leave "the office." If possible, separate your work space from your living space. Also, don't go "back to work" when you've finished for the day. If you're going to check your work email on the weekend or before you go to bed, try to only do so for a set amount of time. That way you won't get sucked in...
  
  
• Insist on IT support. As a Workshifter there is nothing more frustrating than IT troubles. Actually, I take that back. There's nothing more frustrating than having a tech problem and not having anyone to help you fix it. If your employer doesn't have a system for this in place, investigate IT support in your own neighborhood. MindFire works with a company that uses a remote support approach using Citrix GoToAssist.
  
  
• Finally - develop a routine and stick to it. As AJ Leon noted in his recent Workshifting post, "maintaining some construct of routine is far more important for a Workshifter than for a traditional employee." Whatever that routine may be, it will help get you in the "work" mindset and bring some normalcy to the day.
  

See also: an excellent post over at zenhabits 501 on Top 30 Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working from Home.

What are some of your best tips for home office warriors?

Photo by: baliboro

I think I've tried every time management and time trick going. Not only for myself, but for my clients, who also hope that I can help them to be more efficient, get more done, find more time.  More often than not I can help them find that elusive extra hour, even though I've never found time management utopia for myself.  As the old saying goes, "Physician, heal thyself!"

The trouble with the art of time management is that it doesn't cater for the crazy, juggling whirring world of conflicting priorities that is the life of a working mum.  Is there a perfect time management technique for working mums? Or is searching for this as useful as tilting at windmills?  Here's just a selection of the many, many techniques I've tried, in my quixotic quest for the "perfect time management solution":

Urgent Important Quadrants

I forget what the proper name is for this, but I have just one word to say about it: "Yeurch".  This was Stephen Covey's idea wasn't it? You know the one - where you divide a page into four quadrants, with urgent important, urgent non important, non urgent important and non urgent non important?  Stuff and nonsense. Sacrilege perhaps to slate the great Covey - I really buy into his big rocks theory on time management - but the quadrant thing just drives me mad.  For a start, the stuff that is non urgent and non important never even gets written into that naughty little 4th quadrant. If I'm procrastinating on writing an article, making a call or doing my accounts, I don't write into the 4th quadrant: "browse autumn fashion trends on PC", "waste time on twitter" or "pick up ski brochure from doormat and mentally calculate cost of next skiing holiday and fantasize for 2 hours".
 

Prioritization

Sometimes I prioritize according to Michael Neill's time management suggestion (Michael is a well known American Success Coach whom I respect hugely). According to Michael's simple system, you just classify things as "A", "B" or "C".  

"A" means "Bad things happen if I don't"; "B" means "Good things happen if I do" and "C" means "That'd be nice!"  I love this simple technique when I'm feeling focused, but it falls down with all the inevitable overlap of work and life.  A WaHM's life is like a Venn diagram - work in one circle, home in another and a big grey blobby overlap of messy juggling in the middle.  

As a mum who works from home and runs her own business, I might class "write article for blog" as a "B" (good things..someone might like the sound of me, click through to my website, call me, become a client).  But  "Call Revenue and Customs to sort out tax mess" and "Make boys' dinner" have just got to be "A".  Well, have you ever dealt with a hungry toddler who's been at nursery all day?  Have you ever tried to argue with Revenue and Customs that you haven't responded to their error that has caused them to fine you and then fine you some more because "Actually Mr Taxman, I was focusing on making some bl**dy money so that you can claim their bl**dy share. And besides this Mr Taxman, it was actually your error in the first place?"  (You might note a certain personal bitterness in this example).   So the "A" priority stuff of being a mum and being the family Administrator and Financial Controller frequently stops me from working on my business, which should be "A" more often.

Do the Worst Thing First

Mark Forster, a time management coach and author, suggests that we do the thing we least like doing first.  This is my least favorite time management technique! 

Just get the file out:  Mark also suggests that, when procrastinating on something, we "Just get the file out". This one works for me, but I give original credit for the idea to my mum, who used to tell me to "Just write your name at the top of the paper" to encourage me to start a dreaded essay.

Post-It Notes

 
I use these to write short reminders like "M football kit", "Send invoice", "Buy milk" or "Jo birthday" and stick them in strategic places like the front door where I can't miss them.   This works well until my youngest son decides to appropriate one of the bits of paper to draw on and then I find it stuck to the bottom of my shoe when I'm on the way to school with M sans football kit.   

Nice Stationery for Mummies

Earlier this year, I bought a calendar from an online shop called Organised Mum. It sits in the kitchen with nice little picture stickers of things like a football (denotes "extra curricular activity"), a suitcase (denotes "holiday") and a present (denotes "birthday").  These stickers are supposed to help me organise myself and my family.  It even has a little plastic overlay so you don't have to keep writing regular weekly activities, and a tear off shopping list and "to do list" on either side of the calendar.  It really appeals to the homemaker in me and makes me feel like a proper mum.  Alas, whilst I keep it in the kitchen to impress other mums, it's more for show than practicality. The shopping and to do lists aren't big enough, the space on the calendar never fits in all the various things going on and fundamentally, I'm a technophile, formerly wedded to my PDA and now my beloved iPhone. The calendar remains permanently in July.

Chuck Out the To Do Lists

I once tried "binning" my to do lists (not list - lists plural), because Thomas Leonard, the founder of Coachu (the coach training school I trained with) said lists were bad.  Thomas Leonard died a few years back and he's like the Godfather, the Granddaddy, and the Patron Saint of coaching.  He is widely considered by those in the know to be the original and the ultimate coach.  If Thomas said it, so be it.  And boy, was Thomas Leonard wise - I've learnt a lot from him about how to live and how to help create the "perfect" life for my clients. But then I realised that when Thomas said "bin your lists", he may have been a brilliant coach, but he was not a working mum.  Lists are essential for working mums.  Challenge me on this and you'll get a fight. Have you seen how I handle a windmill?  

Priorities, big rocks, first things first and just getting the file out are all very well, but as a mum, I have to be strong, firm, focused about "work stuff" and "non work stuff".  I know from experience - my own and my clients - that if I'm not, I can spend half the day catching up with stuff that doesn't serve my business at all.  So what's a WAHM mum to do?  Quite simply, she must write lists, lovely, satisfying lists.

Praise Be! To Do Lists

Oh, my precious!  "To Do Lists" represent the simplest time management technique, as slated by Saint Thomas and many more.  I live by lists. I love my lists.  I have lists from yesterday that get consolidated into today's list.  I have "household to do" lists, I have "tolerations" lists and I have "business" lists.   Oh, the relief of getting all that stuff out of my head, cooling down my hot burning brains! Oh, the pure pleasure of crossing through something on one of my To Do Lists when it's finally done. I like to make each item on my list into a small "do-able" task if I can, so that I get to do more crossing through. Sad?  Undoubtedly.  But effective? Satisfying? Empowering? Most definitely.

Here endeth my reflections on time management as a WAHM.  PLEASE let me know if you've found time management heaven for mums.   In the meantime, I'll take a break from tilting windmills; I'm off to cross "Write first blog entry for www.workshifting.com" off my lovely To Do List.  Aaaah!

Photo by: Ali Nassiri

Last week Enterprise Nation, the home business website, went on a roadtrip. Starting in Scotland, the touring team traveled south to meet and film home based businesses in what will become a mini documentary charting the rise in this modern way of working. It spanned 18 home businesses and 1,233 miles.  Whilst out and about, the crew picked up on a few clear trends.

Now is a great time to start - the mood throughout the week was incredibly upbeat. One moment that will stick in the mind is when Patrick Elliott (CEO of Business Link in London) opened an event with a question to the audience of 'Do you think this is a good time to start a business?' - a ripple of 200 voices came from behind and it was a resounding 'yes' - throughout the week we met people who are starting up whilst holding down the day job and others who have come out of redundancy to realise their business ambitions. We met a wide cross-section of businesses and there was nothing but positive chat from them all.

Technology means trade - all of the businesses we filmed are making the most of technology, whether it be Stuart Mills who is applying the web to the pub world, or Malcolm Gallagher who is communicating his business message through online videos; produced cost-effectively from a home studio. Many of the craft businesses are using sites such as Etsy.com and MyEhive.com to sell their products to a national - and international - audience. Technology is clearly broadening the trade and partnering horizons of many a small business.   

Freedom & control - we stopped counting the number of times these words were used in interviews. Having started up, home business owners are finding freedom and flexibility in their working lives and are relishing being in control of their creativity, working environment and earnings.

Ethical - this is a slightly difficult one to put in to words. Every business owner we interviewed is doing something 'good' by being in business; whether it be Clare Nicolson who believes in giving work to the people in her neighbourhood, Emma Henderson who sources fair trade fabrics from India or Emma Warren who offers time and business experience to a charity. They would not refer to themselves as 'ethical entrepreneurs' as such but these business owners are having an impact in many a varied way.

Growth through outsourcing - the adage of 'do what you do best and outsource the rest' is being taken seriously by the home businesses we met. Companies are partnering up and work is being outsourced to professionals. In the case of Bodie and Fou, Karine Kong outsourced the design and build of her website to an expert she's yet to meet! Technology tools such as Skype, email and project management software means there's no need to be in the same place but for others, physical networks are important as a place to meet business partners .. but also just to have a social chat!

It was a crammed and fascinating week that shone a light on what is a bright and vibrant business sector. The documentary will be aired for the first time on Home Enterprise Day [Friday 20th November] when home business owners will be traveling to us!

First off, let's throw the 80-20 rule out the window!

Many studies have been written about the importance of using your time efficiently.  We all know it.  We all know what it feels like to be exhausted at the end of day, and in hindsight, feel like we didn't accomplish anything.  Ever have one of those days?

I vote we throw the 80-20 rule out the window and crush it.  It's aspirational at best.  You know, the Pareto Principle.  As I browse Google for a definition I find the following; "...helps you manage those things that really make a difference to your results."  The key word, "results". There are good results, ok results, impressive results...  I think I speak for most when I say we want amazing results.  Amazing results are not achieved merely by checking off tasks.  It feels good, but what did you accomplish?

I think the best use of anyone's time is spent striving to be effective.  If you're like me and can't live your life out of a list with the three most important things at the top, than read on.  If that is how you are and you can be effective, then no offense, I'm impressed.

I measure my day by how effective I was at every turn:

Did I look into my Daughters eyes when she talked to me this morning, or did I continue to glance at the computer?  If the latter, ineffective.

Did I take over the meeting or allow others to contribute, come up with ideas and solve problems?  If the latter, effective.

Did I create the PowerPoint just before the meeting, or did I create a meaningful experience for the team by being prepared?  If not prepared, ineffective.

There are dozens if not hundreds of times a day you can choose to be effective.  Two of the three on my top 5 list may not be done yet, but if I can say that today I was truly effective, than for that day, my list is complete.

How are you effective?

Photo by: mag3737

Ah, football season is here. After the 2nd week of College Football (how about that Matt Barkley from USC) and the first week on the NFL - millions of people all over the country are now giving themselves a new job title - Monday Morning Quarterback. I can already see the player trades, the extra copies of the local paper being picked up to check stats, circling this week's picks and projections and checking the injured roster for nice and easy trades that come from the post game Fantasy Footballers. For those that are foreign to what I am talking about, Fantasy Football as written by FOX Sports columnist Roger Rotter is

...a game that allows fans to take an active role in professional football by creating their own team and competing with teams built by others. Fans create their own roster of players by drafting talent from actual NFL teams and compete based on those players' real-life performances in NFL games.

Most major sports media players offer free leagues for people all over the world to join, play, talk trash, track stats and enter an almost Second Life type of community for 4-5 months in the fall. The greatest thing for these media companies comes in the form of longer page views and inflated impressions due to the fantasy captains hanging around waiting for something to happen.

So what's the cure for the Monday Morning Quarterback?

As much as Americans love their football it can become a major distraction throughout the week and needs to be treated like any other distraction. The first thing is to notice when it is taking away from your work. This seems obvious, but when Monday seems to go by quicker than usual (not that this is a bad thing), your to-do list builds faster than Adrian Peterson in the Red Zone.

The next step is to allow yourself time to indulge. Giving yourself an hour in the morning to check stats is no different than giving yourself an hour to read your RSS Feeds. Having this time set aside gives you something to look forward to and gives you ample time to get through your to-do list.

The last tip is to start looking at Fantasy stats in your downtime and on the go. Taking the bus, subway or in the airport? Take a look at the top sports apps in the iTunes app store. They are sure to keep you in the loop and get your fix in while you are killing time on your way to a meeting, new destination or the office.

But I Missed This Year's Draft...

Don't feel left out if you missed Fantasy Season this year, there is still plenty to be thankful for this football season. Renewed hope and belief for every market, every school and every player that is on a contract year!

I look forward to seeing the coffee cups with mascots, Football Fridays and the water cooler talk that comes with football season. I have even seen some local sports bar hook up wifi for the Monday Night working crowd. Here's to a great season and may the Dolphins look better than they did last week.

Photo by: Arnett Gill

I'm a big fan of Dan Pink.  First, it's hard not to like a guy who describes his former role as chief speechwriter for then-Veep, Al Gore, as his last real job; who describes his contribution to Yale Law School as being in the part of the class that made the upper ninety percentile possible; who's written three transformative best-selling business books, including A Whole New Mind, Johnny Bunko, and my favorite, Free Agent Nation which he ingloriously lists among "Other Projects" at DanPink.com. Oh, to be so good.

While his latest book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us won't be out for several months (December 2009), his recent presentation at TEDGlobal hints at what's to come. Corporate America, he asserts, is ignorant (my word, not his; but I'd be willing to bet that sentiment will come through in his book). Pink points to the fact that study after study shows that incentive-based management does not work. In fact, according to Pink, it's actually been shown to stifle creativity and reduce performance. Yet, the large majority of companies cling to carrot and stick-based motivation. When it doesn't work, they may try different vegetables and call it innovation, but the fundamental approach never changes.



What does motivate people? According to Pink, three things: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. In short, people want to excel, they want to contribute, and they want to work on their terms. Hmm, that pretty much sums up freelancers and entrepreneurs doesn't it? We want those things so badly that we're willing to leave the safety of a paycheck, retirement plan, and job description to get them.

A handful of companies are finally getting it. Pink cites Google's policy of letting it's people spend 20% of their time working on something other than what they're supposed to be working on as a prime example of how well these principles work in practice. More than half of Google's new products are hatched during this "play time." Best Buy and others have achieved amazing increases in performance by letting their people work where, when, and how they want while only focusing on results only.

Two years ago, companies were jousting for talent. Then came the recession and with it layoffs, unemployment, and employee angst. In times such as these, people may be willing to settle for carrots, but this too shall pass. The factors that were predicted to lead to widespread labor shortages two years ago are still present. Smart companies are positioning themselves for the recovery. The ones that are willing to abandon management techniques that were shaped in the days of sweatshops and typing pools are not only going to grab the best people, they're going to empower those people be the best they can possibly be.

So, now I want to know what motivates YOU? Is it autonomy, mastery and/or purpose?

"Why should I blog?"

"How the hell would blogging help my organization?"

"Can't I hire someone to blog for me?"

"I hardly have time for 'real' work, why would I waste my time blogging."

"Blogging is for people who sustain themselves on HoHo's and Diet Coke and live in their grandmother's basement."

These are actual quotes from people I have spoken to about blogging recently.

I've been thinking a great deal lately about blogging, and it's importance as a medium not necessarily for marketing but for delineation.  

As we progress into the deciduous and ever-evolving landscape of the social web, blogging has, in a way, been relegated to the margins of social web status.  When I was in 5th grade in our school cafeteria, there was a table towards the back, furthest from the teachers, where all the cool, rich kids would sit with their Cheetos and their slick hair and their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pez Dispensers.  At the time, I would have choked a baby bunny to sit at that table, but there were only so many seats, and I was still 20 lbs overweight and didn't know who Michael Jordan was.  Now the cool kid table is all Twitter and Brightkite and Foursquare and virtually every iPhone app...but poor blogging is like me, fat and alone with his cheese sandwich, ruing the day he left home.

Well, I am here to tell you, that blogging is still cool, dammit!  In fact, I would postulate that blogging should not supplement, but should indeed serve as the foundation, the very substratum of our communication strategy.  It's less about marketing and more about delineation.  You have something important to say and chances are even if we work in the same field, you have an uncommon perspective that is unique and possess a viewpoint that is indigenous to you alone.

If you read nothing else in this post, the takeaway is this: Blogging affords us the opportunity to define the textures of our dissimilarity.

Inspired by blogging and all it's resplendent geekness, I have posted a video for the handful of you that didn't fall asleep while reading this rant ;)

So that makes me wonder, do you blog? Why or Why Not?

If so, why do you value blogging?

On a side note, in June, my friend, Daria Steigman (who is infinitely wiser than I on this topic), wrote an article for the International Association of Business Communicators on the notion of "Blogging for Business Value".  I would definitely suggest reading her post as it has served as the inspiration for my obsession with this topic over the last few weeks.

Photo by: Kristina B

 

Today we have a guest post from Brenda Dentinger.  Brenda has been with Citrix for over 5 years and is an expert in technology and support services. She is exclusively focused on the remote services and support industry and often writes about remote support topics in her blog.  This post is a cross-post from Brenda's remote support blog that I thought would be interesting for our community.

Business Week's (BW) article Telecommuting: Once a Perk, Now Necessity highlights the benefits of working remotely. In fact, some companies are mandating that employees work from home vs spending hours in the car each way for the daily commute. "The flexibility will cut costs and at the same time accommodate both loud talkers and hermits." writes BW author Michelle Conlin.

Yet, HRRecruitingAlert.com reported that execs are resistant to the idea even though people are often more productive when working from home. A telecommuter, BW highlights in their article, Eve Gleb, said she inititally didn't know what to do with her extra time but now she goes for a walk and is more productive then when she is at the office. Another BW telecommuter, Grace Renteria, said "I only go into the office when I don't have a lot going on." (How that for a shift in perceptions about web commuting!) According, HRRecruitingAlert.com 21% of employees would take a pay cut to telecommute. Yet, Eve Gleb's company actually gave her more money to telecommute and Grace Renteria saves $70 on gas a week, $15 a day on lunch + wear and tear on her car. (hum....there just might be something to this.)

Some other findings from their report:

• 75% of employees want the freedom to work remotely.
• 56% have never been able to telecommute.
• Managers' most common arguments against telecommuting include: Job duties demand office attendance (cited by 38% of managers), remote work hurts relationship-building (19%) and productivity will decline if employees work from home (15%).

Now, internal IT managers and help desks need to provide remote support to these web commuters, aka, mobile workers. Many times companies will set up a VPN but when that fails, you still need a way to support your mobile workers and that's where remote support tools can help out.

Are you seeing your remote workers on the rise in your companies?? Tell us your story.

Photo by: wrumsby

Many of us who workshift travel a lot, perhaps more than we'd like. Although I had the pleasure of a summer pretty much free from business travel, things are starting to ramp up again for fall. And while I love the opportunity to meet with clients and colleagues live and in person, I hate the drain traveling puts on my productivity. It's just not easy getting day-to-day work done from airports, taxis and hotels. Throw in delays, bad food, sick seat mates and time away from family and friends, and business travel is a necessary burden, not a pleasure.

But I have found ways to mitigate the impact. Here are a few friendly tips:

• Designate a carry-on bag that you take on every trip, and leave the things you know you need on the road in the bag. In my experience, these should include business cards, noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs, hand lotion and/or no-wash anti-bacterial gel, a notebook and pen, and breath mints.
  
  
• Invest in extra chargers for your cell/smart phone and PC. Then, leave them in that designated carry-on bag, so you always have power for your critical business tools.
  
  
• Pack healthful snacks for your trip--as many as possible to cover you for the duration. I like nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and hard cheeses. Then, I toss in some fancy chocolates, for a late-night treat. I also keep an empty water bottle on hand, and fill it when I'm past security. This lets me get smart calories and a reliable energy boost, without the crash of processed foods--and without the high airport and mini-bar prices. And it guarantees I won't go hungry or thirsty on the flight if we're stuck on the tarmac for hours on end.
  
  
• Check into your flight from home or the hotel, and print your boarding pass ahead of time. (Most hotels will let you do this free in their business center, or at a computer/printer by the front desk.) Also, print out directions to the hotel and any other locations you'll be visiting, and make sure you let the hotel know you'll be late checking in if, in fact, you will be.
  
  
• Request a room with no connecting door. TV noise and loud voices carry in the space underneath the doors, so you're more likely to get some peace and quiet with a solid wall between you and your neighbors.
  
  
• Try to get in a workout whenever you can, whether that means hitting the hotel health club or going for a run in the neighborhood before your first--or after your last--meeting. Stretch in your room, and take the opportunity to walk whenever you can, even if (especially if) you're in front of clients all day.
  
  
• Plug your devices into an outlet whenever you can.  There's nothing worse than running out of juice mid-trip, and not being near a power source when you need (or simply have the time) to get work done. Consider investing in an extra battery for your phone and PC, too (and then leave them in your travel bag).
  
  
• Make a list of tasks you can reasonably expect to get done on your trip during your down time, but don't be too ambitious. Sometimes, it's nice to take advantage of being disconnected from the regular slew of calls and e-mail--a nice benefit of being on the road. 

What tips have you found that are useful to YOU for staying more productive while traveling?

Photo by: Chris Brogan

Today Anne Stephanie Cruz stops by to clear the air on employee background checks.  Anne is a 25 year old writer from Cleveland, Ohio and has been an employee of crimcheck.com for 5 years. Crimcheck.com was founded in 1991 by security expert Ted L. Moss, and has received the Weatherhead 100 award for the past 4 years for outstanding service and growth.

When potential employees find out that the condition of their employment may be dependent upon a background check or vetting process they may become nervous at the thought of an invasion of their privacy. Even the squeakiest clean of us don't like people poking around in our personal business and it can be quite off-putting to many people. I would like to address this situation and maybe give some techniques you can use to set your employees mind at ease.

1) Unless you work for a government entity background checks are not a mandate by the Federal government and it is not the result of the Patriot Act. Background checks have been a part of many companies hiring process for decades and they are used to find the best candidates for jobs.

2) There is nothing personal about background checks.  They are not only used to protect the company from liability but they are used to protect employees as well. Providing a safe work environment for employees is the responsibility of every employer.

3) Each type of check you are running on an employee should be made clear to the candidate. Some people have no problem with you conducting a criminal record check but may balk at having a credit report run on them. Whatever your company's reasons are for running each check these should be explained to the employee or potential candidate.

4) Referring back to number one if your company does work for or is a contractor for the federal, state or local government you may be required to conduct background investigations due to certain mandates. If this is the case you should also explain this to a potential employee. If a certain job position requires a security clearance these investigations may probe deeper than a normal background check, this should be explained in writing to your employees as well.

5) Make sure that your organization has policies in place about what information is available to whom and under what circumstances. Are upper level managers going to be able to see the results on an employees background check or will HR be the only ones allowed to view this information? Can third party entities request copies or access an employees results and under what conditions? Employees should be made aware these polices as well.

6) Above all, be up front and honest about your employment screening policies, explain the employee's rights and the processes that are involved. Even if you are a small company your policy should be written down and followed to the letter of the law. Within that policy decide what will be disqualifying factors and let your candidates know this ahead of time.

If done correctly and explained properly background checks do not have to be a point of contention between employers and employees. Some employees have the idea that background checks are used to discriminate against them specifically or that they are an invasion of their privacy. We, as HR professionals, need to dispel these myths and assure potential candidates and employees that their private information is just that, private and that all candidates will be treated fairly and in accordance with Federal (FCRA) state and local employment laws.

Photo by: bionicteaching

There is no one I know that exhorts the concept of working independently more than I do.  If you've ever read any of my posts, I probably seem like a creepy Workshifting Evangelist, preaching down the archaic, dehumanizing cubicle farms that rich executives use to subjugate their employees because it feels better than empowering them...okay, there I go again.

However, if there is one thread of verity that we should embrace from the tyrannical enclaves of the traditional corporate world it is this.  Routine is indeed important.  In fact, I would actually posit that maintaining some construct of routine is far more important for a workshifter than for a traditional employee.  Now let's back up for second, by routine of course I don't mean "9 to 5" routine as I feel that as workshifters we inherently (and intentionally) smudge the lines between work time and play time.  What I do mean is a daily schedule, some regiment or form to your day that makes it both productive and effective no matter where you find yourself.

But developing some sort of daily architecture or schedule is of incredible importance and here's why.  As independent workers, workshifters, digital nomads, whatever you want to call us, we are agile. We are flexible. We are mobile. We use technology to allow us to make a living while working from coffee shops and airports!  It's nuts!  I literally feel like I am living in Back to the Future II sometimes, minus the hoverboards (much to the chagrin of all children of the '80's).  

However, as with most freedoms, the converse serves up an equally potent dystopia.  Mobility is freeing for sure, but if we don't watch it, we can very easily become unproductive and inefficient, and being that we report to...ourselves, this can obviously become a dangerous cycle for our careers and livelihood.  Embracing mobility without some form of daily structure can lend itself to anarchy.  Outside of a formal schedule, it's just far more natural for us to devolve into disorganization and scattered efficacy.  In other words, we can find ourselves either "putting out fires" or finding new stuff to worry about 90% of the time, while actually accomplishing "real" stuff 10% of the time.

Most people don't realize this, but workshifting isn't new, it's just much more easy than it used to be.  Winston Churchill is the greatest workshifter of all time.  Apart from being arguably the most influential statesman in the 20th Century, the guy is like the Godfather of all workshifting.  During the period of the Second World War, Churchill traveled well over 100,000 miles to meet with national leaders and visit Allied Troops!  But let's remember that Churchill wasn't a General, he was the Prime Minister of the British Empire.  He was the first one to call Hitler out, was instrumental in crafting most of Britain's war time strategy, personally recruited most Allied nations (oh by the way, including the US), signed dozens of treaties, gave literally hundreds of public addresses, weathered two heart attacks, almost fatal pneumonia, and ran the most expansive empire in modern history AND he managed to do all of this while working in underground bunkers while in London as it was being decimated by Nazi V1's and while traveling 4x the circumference of the earth!

What is even more remarkable is the stark contrast between Churchill, FDR, and Stalin.  FDR worked from the White House, leaving only a handful of times during the War and Stalin literally got on one plane during the same period!

Churchill was said to have accomplished all this and work until the age of 90 by maintaining a rigorous routine.  Recently, I visited the the Churchill Centre and Cabinet War Rooms in London. I was trying to figure out how in the hell he was able to accomplish everything he did while traveling so damn much.  And there it was. In the "Grey Section" of the museum, there was actually a little case devoted to his legendary schedule, which he maintained irrespective of what was happening around him or where he was in the world.

It made me realize how much work I have to do in this arena, and since I've returned to NYC, I have started taking my Google Calendar much more seriously :)

Have you developed a routine that helps you maintain productivity?

What are some tips or tricks you can share with us?

Super Secret Workshifting Tip:

Later in his life, when Churchill was asked by Walter Graebner from Time-Life how he was able to work so many hours and maintain such a rigorous schedule, he was quoted as saying:

"You must sleep some time between lunch and dinner, and no half-way measures. Take off your clothes and get into bed. That's what I always do. Don't think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That's a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more. You get two days in one-well, at least one and a half, I'm sure. When the war started, I had to sleep during the day because that was the only way I could cope with my responsibilities. Later, when I became Prime Minister my burdens were, of course, even greater. Often I was obliged to work far into the night I had to see reports, take decisions and issue instructions that could not wait until the next day. And at night I'd also dictate minutes requesting information which my staff could assemble for me in the morning--and place before me when I woke up."

Churchill continued: "But a man should sleep during the day for another reason. Sleep enables you to be at your best in the evening when you join your wife, family and friends for dinner. That is the time to be at your best--a good dinner, with good wines...champagne is very good...then some brandy--that is the great moment of the day. Man is ruler then--perhaps only for fifteen minutes, but for that time at least he is master--and the ladies must not leave the table too soon."

Photo by: melissaleon

It used to be that office = work and everywhere else = life. I listened to lots of small business owners talk about work/life balance in a focus group recently. A theme that I heard repeatedly was that there's no line between work and life now.  Workshifters have anytime access to work and the people they work with. I couldn't help but ask myself, are we losing the "life" in work/life balance? Here are two different perspectives I heard from the small biz owners group:

Work and life should be more intertwined. The most passionate business owners are those that have made work an extension of their lives. I heard from architects to book store owners about the fact that their work isn't really "work." For these people work and life happen simultaneously where one minute you're drawing blueprints for a house and the next minute you're drawing artwork for your spouse (that wasn't intended to rhyme). You really have to love what you do for this philosophy or you will burn out quickly. But for those who have this nailed down, good for you.

Set expectations and turn off. The other school of thought is that we need to keep work and life separate thus developing a balance. I fall into this group more than the other. I heard from one woman who tells her clients that she's not available on Monday or Tuesday after noon and Sunday altogether. If the client needs something they'll just have to wait. If this is your philosophy then you need to be able to turn off and hold strong. Your customers build expectations based on what you do, not what you say. If you say you don't work on Sundays then you better not answer work email on Sunday.

What do you think? What is work/life balance to you? Do you fit into either of these groups or do you have a different perspective?

Photo by: Kaitlin Shiner

There comes a time in every workshifter's life when the idea of hiring staff evolves from a fairy tale to a necessity.  For the solopreneur breed of workshifter, this issue precipitates two contradictory realities.  On the one hand, you cannot afford to hire a high paying salaried position.  But on the other hand, you cannot afford to hire some schmuck at 5 bucks an hour either.  In other words, hiring a low wage laborer typically constitutes someone who is going to engender a "clock in, clock out" mentality which obviously isn't congruent in a workshifting paradigm.

In Greek mythology, Procrustes was the badass spawn of Poseidon.  Procrustes had a lock on the only pathway through Mount Korydallos to Athens.  As travelers would roll through on their merry little way to Athens, he would invite the weary adventurers to stay in his guest room.  In a bizarre turn of events, he would ask them to lie in his bed.  It appears as if Procrustes was both a psychopath and an incredibly anal dude.  Because if their legs were too long and swung off the bottom of the bed, well, he would just chop them off.  And if the traveler's head hung off the top of the bed, he would lop that sucker off as well.

I know what you are thinking, and no, I am not suggesting you invite potential staff candidates to an interview, and if they don't fit your criteria, to subsequently amputate their body parts.  
What I am saying is this.  As workshifters trying to grow our team, we are in a Procrustean Bed.  It doesn't all fit.  We need good...no, great people working with us in order to achieve our hopes and objectives, but at the same time we are most likely cash strapped and cannot afford a "quality" hire.

So, what do we do?

For the most part, we have two options to procure new team members.  We can either find people (typically friends or associates) that possess at least a drop of the entrepreneurial penchant, and develop a non or low salaried partnership with them in exchange for equity in our company.  Or we seek to hire potential staff abroad in economies in which we can afford to pay good salaries leveraging communities such as oDesk or Guru.  I'm sure there are many derivative possibilities from these two choices, but the point is that in order to crawl out of our uncomfortable Procrustean Bed we have to get creative about how we find new team members or staff.

Over the past year, my company has grown from me all by my lonely workshifting self, to adding three additional staff. After trying everything to bring on new people and screwing up more times than I can remember, I saw an interview with my buddy Ryan Carson, Founder of Carsonified, where he was asked "What do you look for when you're hiring staff?" His answer completely realigned my perspective in hiring new staff.

Whether you go local, create a partnership, or outsource to find your new staff, these three qualities are absolutely essential to the architecture of an indelible employee.

They must be...

Curious

A curious person will not only do what is asked of them, but will have an internal desire to learn the what, how, and why of everything they do...and probably what everyone else does too!

Helpful

A helpful person doesn't just settle with what they are asked to do, they actively seek to help and empower everyone around them to be better at their jobs.

Proactive

A proactive person doesn't just check tasks off a list, they anticipate and create solutions before problems even occur.

In your experience, what are the qualities that make or have made for outstanding staff?

Do you have any examples?

Photo by: The Eggplant

Home businesses from a range of sectors have reported an increase in turnover and profit as holidaymakers choose the UK as their destination of choice. With the staycation trend set to continue, businesses are preparing to maintain new customers and ensure the sunny times of increased turnover continue.

Results of higher turnover for home businesses came from an Enterprise Nation poll, supported by Business Link. Over 70% of the 230 respondents said their turnover had increased on account of more people holidaying in the UK. The majority (57.1%) also saw an increase in profit, with one in four reporting gains of up to 50%.

Home businesses are benefiting from a staycation trend that looks set to keep on running. According to YouGov 54% of people plan to take their main holiday at home in 2010, more than double the 26% who said they were doing so this summer. With staycationing set to be more than a one-year wonder, home businesses are preparing for the new opportunities this presents.

Alison Vaughan is considering a new colour in her line of Muksaks; her own invention and a product that allows dog-owners to carry dog waste safely and securely. "With the increase in people holidaying in the UK and taking pets with them, I've seen orders rise this summer" says Alison "I'm working on plans for new colours in the range so as well as serving a practical purpose, the Muksak can also be a holidaying fashion item!"

Business Link advises other ways to attract new staycationing customers through incentives and promotions in the form of loyalty cards and competitions, and offering discounts as an effective tool in keeping customer coming back.

Patrick Elliott, Chief Executive of Business Link in London, said:

"Entrepreneurs can take themselves to the next level, setting themselves apart from their competitors by developing tactics to retain new customers. Keeping in touch through e-shots and using creative ways to interact with customers by making the most of social networking tools such as Twitter will all help in making the most of what is a new and growing customer base."

Businesses are taking note. Over half the home businesses polled are planning on improving their marketing strategies (44%) and 38% said they will be customising their products or services.

The general message seems to be, let's make hay whilst the sun still shines!

Photo by: Rob J Brooks

We all have our favorite spots to cram in some work during the day time, and even night owls have locations that get that warm and fuzzy feeling. But how do you know when you need to pack up and find a new spot in your local scene?

Change can be good for your creativity and to keep you alive and aware. Getting dormant in many of our careers can stunt our growth or cause us to get into a routine that is no different from being in an office all day tied to a cubicle.

So, with that in mind, here are 5 situations that may be a trigger to take your name off your reserved table and explore.

1. Your food is at your table every morning just before you arrive, yet you didn't call ahead. Have you become such a regular that you not only come in every morning to bust out a few mobile TPS Reports, but you also order the same bagel, cream cheese and coffee concoction without fail that the girl behind the counter can put it at your spot without worry that you might change your mind? Getting a new location might do you some good. New food, new view and new outlook can impact your work, no matter what field you work in.
   
   
2. You knock out designs, ask you workshifting buddies to take a look, and then you see a Tweet to one of their clients (that you pitched!!) with your look and feel. Having neighbors help with creative input, lending ideas and crowdsourcing is one thing. Stealing designs and clients is another. Even if the coffee rocks and the waitress is cute, its time to find a new workspot.
   
   
3. You notice the boyfriend of said cute waitress has been coming in reguarly, sitting next to you watching your every move. No need to start a friendly game of "my coffee is hotter than yours." You are there to work, not get distracted. Hit the road and find a new spot.
   
   
4. The people no longer interest you. One of the main reasons I frequent my local shops is to get some inspiration from the vibe and the people that make up that vibe. Seeing people's emotions, their moods and manners feed into me and the projects that I am working on at the time. When that energy is no longer there, its time to move on.  It can also be fun to people watch and look for "that guy" at the coffee shop. :)
   
   
5. When your WiFi costs more than coffee. It doesn's matter how good the coffe, or the muffin or the sandwiches are, when your WiFi bill starts getting 3 digits long, something needs to change. I am all for throwing in tips to support the access, but man, o, man, we need the insanity to stop. Heck even McDonalds is starting to offer WiFi and their McCafe isn't half bad.

In all seriousness, finding a great location albeit for checking morning email or cranking out a full day's schedule, you need to find a place that offers comfort and an ambiance that is conducive to your personal style.  As long as you can continue to grow your business, or increase productivity, find a great local spot, treat the staff like gold and move on when productivity gets stagnant.

So what about you? What are some reasons that you have jumped from spot to spot to get into a better state to get your work done? Share in the comments.

Photo by: cafemama