Workshifting is a state of mind, and for it to succeed, managers and employees need to change how they view productivity, time, loyalty and work-life balance. But technology can help, too. I like to say that technology has allowed us to get to the point where workshifting is possible (thanks, Internet). But technology is now also necessary to make workshifting work--to make it as productive as actually being there is.

To that end, here's a list of my favorite workshifting-friendly technology:

• A headset. This is the most important tool that I own. I spend a lot of time on the phone, with clients and in conference calls, and my neck and shoulders are grateful for my headset. More important, the headset lets me move around my office and my house while staying connected--allowing me to take full advantage of my remote location without sacrificing connectivity.
  
  
• Audio and web conferencing. Especially web conferencing, which allows me to share information and collaborate with colleagues and customers without having to travel. This is especially important for me, since I have three youngs kids and I hate to leave them. But I use conferencing as more than just a replacement for events and large group meetings; I use it to make what would otherwise be phone calls better. Web conferencing supports work-product collaboration in a way that's hard to do even when collaborators are in the same room. It's designed to enable document mark-up and sharing, which is even better than having two people work on the same document in the same room, on multiple or a shared PC.
  
  
• Instant messaging and (more important) presence. I use presence information to see who's available when, and how I can best reach them--important data when I can't literally see the people I'm working with. But I also use it to let my colleagues know when I'm not available--either by setting my status as unavailable or by simply logging off the system. That ensures that when I need to focus on work, I can--it's the virtual equivalent of a closed door (which, let's face it, is really the value of doors).
  
  
• The forward feature on my business landline that ensures my business calls are automatically forwarded to my cell phone, and its voicemail, when I'm away from the office or on a call. It's poor-man's find-me/follow-me, and it keeps managing my phone calls and voicemail much simpler.
  
  
• Social networking tools Facebook and Twitter. I use Facebook to stay in touch with colleagues, partners and customers on a personal level; it's amazing how much I learn about people, and that knowledge informs my business relationships with them. For starters, it gives me common ground in our conversations and interactions--a point of departure for opening a new discussion or request. But it also makes me more willing to help when asked, and more likely to get help when I need it. That's what friendly business relationships do, after all: grease the wheels. (Of course, they also make work more fun.) I use Twitter to be part of a very specific community--in my case, people who cover and/or care about unified communications and collaboration. Sending my thoughts into the ether and watching them get traction (or not), as well as following the cloud conversation to see what's top of mind right now keeps me connected to my market regardless of where I am or what I'm doing.
  

What tools make it possible for you to successfully workshift? And what would you love to have that you don't?

Photo by: Justin Levy