Today's post is from Jessica Eastman, Product Marketing Content Manager for Citrix Online. She manages the development and creation of lead-generating content across all Citrix Online's Web collaboration and remote support and access products. Her background includes technical writing and marketing within the financial services and software sectors.

I have a love-hate relationship with my office desktop, sort of like my relationship with the elliptical exercise machine at the gym--I hate to use it, but it's the most convenient way to get the job done. 

At times, usually in the morning, my desktop gives me that cozy, familiar feeling because I have my routine.  I know what to expect and it never changes.  I've got my freshly poured coffee to my left, my Outlook open, and Gmail and social networking sites going.  My day is off, and I'm ready to knock out some work.

But after about an hour of this focused work, when my coffee has run out and my "to do" list has suddenly doubled, the three beige monstrosities that surround me collapse on my cozy feelings.  And I just want to get out and work somewhere else.

When I hit this wall (literally sometimes), I take a quick mental break. I filter through my favorite tech blogs and newsletters (and, of course, check my Facebook updates).  So the other day, while I was reading my daily ZDNet newsletter, an article comparing the iPad to the Kindle made me pause--and celebrate.  This quote says it all: "The iPad has freed me from my desktop for at least 3 or 4 hours during the work week."  This was said by Jason Perlow, a regular ZDNet blogger, after testing out his new, handy device.

Even though I do work in a cubicle all day, the philosophy at my company, Citrix Online, encourages flexible working.  If we are even the slightest bit sick, we can go home and continue meeting with our colleagues using GoToMeeting; if we find amazing talent, we can hire them no matter the location because our solutions allow them to work from anywhere.  And now, with the release of the iPad, the ability to work from anywhere and meet with anyone is even more achievable--and ensures not only my productivity, but my satisfaction as well.

And this rings true for other business folks as well.  The iPad GoToMeeting app has proven to be one of the top downloads, making the mobile working experience even more convenient and realized.

Yes, I say to the iPad!  Freedom in the workplace and a new, fun gadget to play with--who wouldn't want that?

Besides the boost to my own work output, I've seen research that backs up the productivity benefits of workshifting:

• Virtual employees are more motivated than their peers who work onsite (34% vs. 28%). (Blessingwhite. (2008) "The State of Employee Engagement")
• Employee productivity increases 27% when workshifting. (Telework Research Network)
• Staff meetings are 37.6% shorter with a Web commuting plan in place. (Stegmeier Consulting)
• Individual workshifters save an average of 6.3 hours per week in commute time; and in turn, reinvest an average of 4.5 hours back into their work tasks. (Stegmeier Consulting)

These stats, plus the opinions of iPad users, make me realize that workshifting from anywhere is definitely the way to go and will help me get those "to do" list checkmarks faster.
I think the iPad and the freedom it brings will not only help my relationship with my office desktop, but might even get me moving outside more and away from that dreaded, stagnate elliptical at the gym--which is definitely a win-win all around.

What do you think?

Photo Credit: Tom Raftery

My fellow "Citrite" Tal Klein just provided a great insight in his comment on my recent "Eruptions" post. I hope he won't mind if I replicate it and discuss it here, because it is evidence of a new style of thinking which (I have to say) I rather like. Tal's comment was:

I think teleworking is now officially a part of my life. I'm even teleworking when I'm *in* the office because I have meetings with people all over the world and I honestly don't care if they're at home or in an office as long as they're getting their work done.

I'm pleased to see this, because Tal's insight is into the very nature of remoteness itself: remoteness means "remote from each other", not just "remote from HQ". This is akin to the shift from Ptolemaic to Copernican thinking; HQ is not the centre of the universe, rather there is no centre, just lots of locations, all some (possibly variable) distance from each other, just as stars in a galaxy do. So your organisation could consist entirely of one-person home offices, or (because locations tend to cluster) the offices could be cubes in one of many floors in one of several buildings on a campus, as part of a large multinational. Most companies are somewhere in between. But the crucial point is the shift in the basic, underlying assumption, from:

The world is basically centralised, and anything that's elsewhere is a special case

to:

The world is basically distributed, with co-location of entities being a happy convenience

The centralised world is very tempting to live in, because it's simple; but the distributed world is real life. So what's to do?

Well, we can really only make the obvious compromise: let's recognise and allow for the distributed nature of things, and exploit any benefits (which are, to be fair, huge), but we don't really want to deal with all the complexity it introduces, so let's try to hide as much of it as we can to make life simpler for anyone who has to plug themselves into this world. And this is what the computing world has been doing ever since it came into being: as the power of computers and the breadth of the communications between them grew, the more complex the applications that could be built, and the greater the need to simplify the user experience to keep pace.

Translating this into practical terms, organisations that wish to fully embrace teleworking should ensure that all their staff are as fully equipped as the homeworker with phone, computer, webcam and headset, so you don't end up with the situation where our teleworker can't use the power of the communications at her disposal because her co-workers back at the ranch don't have the same kit. If two staff members happen to be co-located, either temporarily (say at a meeting at a customer's office) or more permanently (working in the same building) then they are fortunate enough to be able to converse face-to-face as well. Having said that, many intra-office discussions are still carried out by email! So we shift from "face-to-face normal, webcam if needed" to "webcam, unless we can do face-to-face".
I hope this doesn't sound too pedantic (although I prefer the term "accurate"!); the difference in thinking might seem trivial, but the change in overall perspective is huge.

What's your perspective?

Photo Credit: iammistletoe

Martha Johnson, the new administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) has become a passionate endorser for Workshifting since her appointment to the post in February of this year. She has given numerous speeches in which she has touted the advantages of remote working environments.

 Earlier this week she backed teleworking during a speech at GSA's Interagency Resources Management Conference in Cambridge, Md:

"Why are you not teleworking? Are you in love with the 1980s for some reason?"

And at a keynote for FOSE in March she talked about the role teleworking played in keeping government agencies operating during the storms that rocked the Northeast this winter. She said that nearly 60 percent of GSA employees worked remotely during the blizzard.

"I am personally passionate about this notion that 'work is what you do, not where you do it.' I believe we are moving away from the industrial model where you watch workers do work. That is waste in the system. There's no need to have a system where people watch people. There's a fundamental shift in culture that everyone needs to understand, and that is something that is core to this for me."

This shift in culture that she references is just as big of a barrier for private companies as it is for the federal government. While many companies have embraced Workshifting, there are still plenty out there that have yet to accept this idea that (as Johnson so eloquently puts it) "work is what you do, not where you do it."

I still regularly come across people - from clients, friends or family - who have a hard time grasping that I don't work in the MindFire office. Many people automatically assume I don't work as hard as my office counterparts or that I have the luxury of sleeping until noon (not true). Others think that my remote working environment will come in incredibly handy once my husband and I have kids. After all, I'll just be able to watch the kids since I'm not in the office all day, right?

So the question becomes - how do you help facilitate that shift in culture? A solid "business case" for teleworking is certainly an important part. In addition to productivity and efficiency, Johnson believes there are also security and environmental benefits that should be touted.

But in order for the established cultural beliefs to take hold, change needs to take place on a more personal scale, as well. I think the sheet logistics of Workshifting are daunting enough for some to simply dismiss the idea. I believe that the more people work with Workshifters and are exposed to the benefits (and perhaps downfalls) of this type of working arrangements, the more accepted into the mainstream teleworking will become.

As such, an increased acceptance of teleworking in the federal government will likely also ultimately help increase the acceptance in the private sector.


What do you guys think?


Photo Credit: Cayusa

I sat down with the President of Citrix Online, Brett Caine.  It was fun to sit informally and chat about collaboration, culture, the need for simplicity and much more.  He even fields a few questions from the Twitterverse about tools he can't live without and his favorite Workshifting location.



What makes this interview interesting is that it is completely unscripted and unrehearsed.  I whipped out my Flip camera and we just rolled with it.  A company's willingness to do this speaks volumes about their commitment to transparency and to their community.  I'm a trust agent in my organization so I have credible chops which allows me access.

Being a trust agent or trusted advisor is how you gain access to thought leaders. The lesson is that your social credibility and that of your company is at the fingertips of anyone with a keyboard and a browser.  Be mindful of your reputation and the digital crumbs you leave behind.  Don't feel intimidated to ask the thought leaders for their opinions.  If you're kind and thoughtful in your approach, you'll not only be heard, but you'll be invited back.

What do you think?

If you're a WorkShifter, that great coffee shop may be a nice environment for you to work in, but where do you go when you need to meet with someone? Holding a business meeting at a cafe table might work in some instances, especially if the person you are meeting with is not a complete stranger to you. But what if you need to meet a new client? Then things can be a bit more difficult.

Home office workers can face the same problem, too. Not everyone keeps their house in presentation mode at all times. The distractions of a personal space may not be the right environment for some meetings. And family and pets can be added distractions, as well.

Coworking can provide a good option for a workspace with the characteristics of an office, but without the associated overhead. Coworking spaces are, first and foremost, work spaces. So there are fewer extraneous distractions than you are likely to find at home or a coffee shop.

Those of us with young children face the nearly insurmountable task of keeping toys and clutter out of the way. Staying on top of that, as well as running a business is just one more headache to deal with if you are meeting people at your home.

Some pets may not be conducive to a good meeting environment, either. Not everyone's dog is calm and quiet when strangers come to visit. Even locked away in a back room, a barking dog can disrupt a meeting. And a visitor with allergies to your pet may be uncomfortable in an environment where the animal has been living.

Another problem that neither the cafe nor the living room address very well is the kind of furniture that is available. Meetings with more than a couple of people are often difficult with the small tables found in most cafes. And very few homes have tables other than a kitchen or dining room table that are the size and scale of a meeting table.

Coworking spaces not only have work furniture, but private meeting rooms are the norm, so that you don't have to disturb your fellow coworkers, either. My coworking space has two meeting rooms, one that will accommodate 4-5 people, and the other for as many as 12. There's also a small phone room that sometimes gets used as a two-person meeting room.

Even with a home office, it can be useful to have a coworking space available as a place for meetings. For people who don't need full-time access, but who may occasionally find access to a coworking space useful, some coworking spaces offer day-passes or other short-term options that allow use of the facilities on an as-needed basis.

Do you have other options for meeting space?

Photo credit: Workantile Exchange

It may be a guy thing, but I love spy thrillers. Who hasn't dreamt of being James Bond, Jack Bauer, Mitch Rapp, or Austin Powers?  Today I wanted to share with you The Jason Bourne Guide to Workshifting.  Sure, his methods are sometimes a little difficult to duplicate and he does work alone most of the time, but I think the results speak for themselves.  Here are three universal keys to successful web commuting that we can learn from Jason Bourne a.k.a David Webb.

Have A Go Bag
Never leave home without your gear.  Bourne always has the right tools to complete his mission. Guns? Check. Passports? Check. Currency? Check? Sat Phone? Check.  I like to call them go bags.  Go bags carry the essential equipment we need to get things done while workshifting.  Simplicity is the goal here. Most of the time we don't need as much as we think we do. For a few tips on what to pack, check out what's inside Chris Brogan's work bag and AJ Leon's gear bag. Most software tools we use can be found in the cloud, but having the right hardware will make all the difference.

Blend Into Your Environment
We have all seen him.  You know, the guy who sets up central command in Barnes & Noble. When working from a remote location, fly under the radar.  Bourne blends into his surroundings by adapting his environment. We can do this by mirroring our surroundings.  Leslie Poston does a great job discussing how to do this in her "Don't be that guy" post.

Keep Moving
One thing about Jason is he stays on the move.  Working in multiple locations helps us stay fresh.  Working in the same spot can make us less focused.  Try changing locals from time to time, it will help you be more creative. I have a friend that changes his spot at least twice a day to help him shift mental gears. We all have our favorite spots to set up camp but a change of scenery helps us stay out of ruts and prevents burnout.  

We may never be international men and women of mystery or secret operatives but we can learn to work with the agility and efficiency of a Jason Bourne. What do you do to stay efficient and mobile when working?


Photo Credit: Perry_Marco

Is workshifting a more effective work environment than a cubicle farm? Yes.  From an organizational basis are there financial benefits?  Yes.  Are there efficiency benefits?  Yes.  Will employees be more content and empowered with this freedom?  Yes.  There are countless benefits to a workshifting environment, but what about the individual?  What are the benefits for us?  And are we taking full advantage of them?

My first laptop weighed 17 pounds, and I loved it. It made me mobile, if in a battleship kind of way. My second laptop was about 12 pounds, and I loved that it didn't require an extra large computer bag on wheels to tote. My third laptop was... well, you get the picture. Over time, they got smaller and lighter, and that's been a big plus.

I finally purchased a netbook, and I've been testing it out for the last two weeks. And while it won't replace my 22-inch desktop monitor for power computing, it's been a revelation:

• You can't beat something that fits into a normal-sized bag.
• No more lugging power cords. The long battery life means I'm not carting around extras. Sure, my last laptop was only 3 pounds, but add in the power cord and it started to feel like a workout.
• I don't need to invest in expensive software. Okay, I knew that already. But it took a stripped down netbook to finally get me playing around with OpenOffice. (I do have Office 2007 on my desktop.) The only other software on the netbook so far: Skype, TweetDeck, Chrome, and Evernote.

Of course, the biggest revelation has been realizing how tethered to my office I was until now. I didn't realize that a bigger, battery-poor device had me advance scouting cafes for power outlets. Now, it doesn't matter. I feel free, because I can finally work on the go without having to plan out the details.

AJ Leon tweeted me the other day: "New netbook. Nice. Better for workshifting." He is so right. I really didn't know what I was missing.


What do you think? Have any laptop/netbook stories to share?

Photo Credit: zieak

We're going to introduce a different style of post around here to provide you with, hopefully, even more value and resources.  We'll be posting book and product reviews that the workshifting team thinks will be useful to you.

If every person in the U.S. with a workshifting-compatible job worked at home on Earth Day, collectively it would:

• Save 900 Million vehicle miles
• Save 45 Million gallons of gas--$188 Million in consumer savings
• Save 2.3 Million barrels of oil--valued at $185 Million
• Eliminate 423,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases--the equivilant of taking 77,000 cars off the road for a year.
• Save 28 million kWh in net electricity--enough to power 2,600 homes for a year
• Save 775 people from traffic injury and deaths

Less than 2% of U.S. employees work from home the majority of the time (not including the self-employed), but 40% could. If they did so just half of the time (roughly the national average for those who do), as a nation we would save over a half a trillion dollars a year and much more.

• Workshifting offers a relatively simple, inexpensive solution to some of the world's most vexing problems:
• Environmentalists applaud telecommuting because it significantly reduces greenhouse gases and energy usage.
• Astute company owners support telecommuting because of the cost savings and increased productivity.
• Work-life experts endorse telecommuting because it addresses the needs of families, parents, and senior caregivers.
• Workforce planners see telecommuting as away to avoid the 'brain drain' effect of retiring boomers.
• Human resource professionals see telecommuting as a way to recruit and retain the best people.
• Employees see telecommuting as a way to save time and money, and improve the quality of their lives.
• Baby Boomers find telecommuting offers a flexible alternative to full retirement.
• Gen Y'ers see telecommuting as a way to work on their own terms.
• Disabled workers, rural residents, and military families find home-based work an answer to their special needs.
• Urban planners realize telecommuting can reduce traffic and revitalize cities.
• Governments see telecommuting as a way to reduce highway wear and tear and alleviate the strain on our crumbling transportation infrastructure.
• Organizations rely on telecommuting to ensure continuity of operations in the event of a disaster or pandemic-all federal workers are required to telecommute to the maximum extent possible for just this reason.

More details about workshifting are available at the TeleworkResearchNetwork.com.

"It's time we made the road less traveled the way to work." What are your thoughts?


Photo Credit: FlyingSinger

Agile, in this case, does not imply flexibility or balance.  Agile is a process.  More specifically, it is derived from a software development process called Scrum.  About a year ago my team began to use the Agile process in our Marketing department.

We are not Engineers, but we do share the same desire for productivity. In the Agile process, solutions and requirements for a project evolve through a collaborative process of cross functional teams.  Without getting to far in the weeds, this is an iterative process made up of Sprints.  A Sprint is a period in time, in which the team commits to an outcome.

We use weekly Sprints to measure velocity and productivity towards a desired outcome or strategic goal.  For the most part, Sprints are measured in terms of months.  You need to figure out what Sprint duration works best for your team and desired outcome.  A desired outcome could be a product launch, new television creative, etc.  A strategic goal could be as broad as Campaign Management or launching a new product.

During the Sprint we have daily Stand-Ups.  These are 15 minute Stand-Up meetings, followed by an optional 15 minutes of Q&A.  Full time Workshifters attend via an online meeting.  Yes, they stand too (or at least I like to think they do).  I find these meetings to be one of the most valuable aspects of the Agile process.  Each person speaks for only one or two minutes.  During that time they talk about what they did yesterday, what they are doing today, and call out any "blockers" that are inhibiting their progress.

This is not a regurgitation of Task Lists; they are talking about high level activities that align with objectives and that weeks Sprint.  I'd be lying if I said it was always like this.  Sometimes we get lazy and blurt out our tasks, but for the most part it's incredibly valuable.  The primary benefit is transparency and communication among the teams.  Invariably, something comes up during a Stand-Up that requires two people to address it further during the Q&A.  Success can be measured in terms of productivity by functional area and product line.  Below is sample of what I look at:



Points are durations of time.  The goal is to make sure people are not taking on more than can be achieved during a Sprint.  If someone signs up for to many points, that may be an indication they are overworked or simply taking on to much.  This process is not limited to Engineering or Marketing, it can be applied to running a start up, managing distributed teams or just about any project that requires collaboration.

The cult Scrum among you may blast me for putting my own spin on Agile, and that's ok.  I'm of the opinion that you can take from the Agile process what works for you, and toss out the rest.  Plenty has been written about the subject, and there are real experts out there that can help you get started.  In our organization, Dan Greening was instrumental in bringing Agile to my group.  Definitely check out his blog.  If you have an Engineering department, start there.  They are enthusiastic, know your business and are in the best position to get you started.  Here are a few helpful links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_development

http://agilemethodology.org/

http://onlyonce.blogs.com/onlyonce/2006/02/agile_marketing.html

Now that you've read my twist on Agile, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you keep your team productive and engaged.  I'd like the Scrum die-hards to chime in and tell me how I can improve too.

What say you?

The UK has become a quieter place this last week, with the eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland. (What is it with Iceland? First it declares bankruptcy, then it catches fire ... sounds like the mother of all insurance frauds to me!) All plane flights have been cancelled, giving the long-suffering residents of Heathrow and Gatwick the ability to hear each other speak. Tens of thousands of people are stranded - both visitors to the UK, who are unable to leave, and Brits abroad unable to get home (like my sister and her family, enjoying an extended holiday in the Mediterranean at some airline's expense). For many, life is temporarily better.

But for others, it will have got more complicated. One of my team is currently in Naples (that's Italy, not Florida) - he can't fly home, it's a little far to drive (and most European car hire places don't do one-way rentals), and the only ways of getting across the English Channel - ferries and the Eurostar train - are overbooked. But that's OK; he's currently logged in, using the PC in his office here in Cambridge (UK, not Massachusetts, although that would be no harder), talking to us on MS Communicator, and working more or less normally. He'll be joining in our meetings using conference calling and some of our company's own products, and he'll be drinking better coffee than we will. In fact, I'm beginning to wish it were me in Naples and him here.

However, all this would be infeasible without the right technological support, and without helpful company policies. I suppose I could insist that my missing team member used any means of travel whatsoever to get back to the office and continue work, but this would be churlish of me, and would probably waste resources all round, not to mention creating ill-will quite unnecessarily. And because all our team elect to work at home now and again, we are all used to working remotely, and working with others who are working remotely. And those of us who work in virtual teams - which may be spread worldwide - accept this model of working almost as natural.

What I find strange is the organisation that requires its staff to work in virtual teams, but then refuses to allow them to work at home. In this situation, the thing that's stopping them can only be the notion of working at home (a place traditionally associated with leisure, although again I know people whose home lives are so busy they come into work for a rest). I can only marvel at the tortuous logic that gets used to justify such practices, arising largely from fear of loss of control, and from a lack of trust. I think the moral of the story is not to work for organisations which, whilst trusting staff with trade secrets and corporate plans, simultaneously refuse to credit them with the integrity to work whilst out of sight of their boss.
It needn't take a volcanic eruption to jolt organisations into the modern age; but every such disruption helps in bringing about a seismic shift in the way people work.

What are your thoughts?


Photo Credit: Plasmastik

The Three Rules to Command Attention and Change Minds

Today's post is from Tim Wackel, one of today's most popular business speakers who has mastered the ability to make information entertaining, memorable and easy to understand. He combines more than 20 years of successful sales leadership with specific client research to deliver high-impact programs that go beyond today's best practices.

Imagine you've been working on a significant opportunity for several months. You've invested long hours with all of the key players and it's almost time to go to contract. The final step is a simple "show-n-tell" online presentation that you need to deliver to the executive committee. All you need is their nod and you're off to the bank to deposit the commission check.

The day of the big pitch arrives and you're feeling good. You start confidently, connect to your online meeting and launch the presentation. Suddenly all eyes are on screen and without warning you find yourself stumbling through a lame introduction that goes something like: "Hi, my name is Bob and I work for XYZ Company. Thanks for taking some time to meet today."

You race through the deck until you get to the meat of the presentation (easily identified by the slides that have lots of words typed in small fonts). Finally you begin to feel strangely comfortable as you start reading these complex screen shots to the decision makers.

And then, without warning you find yourself staring at a blank slide. There is nothing left in the deck so you immediately ask for questions and of course there aren't any. You awkwardly thank everyone for their time and end the meeting. Now you're left with no clue if you'll win this opportunity but you're certain that you won't get a second chance.

Sound powerful? Probably not, but I'll bet it sounds familiar.

So what does it take to keep the Board Room from becoming a Bored Room? Here are three quick tips to get you back on track now.

#1. Get a hook!
Most audiences rush to conclusions in the first two minutes of your presentation. Failure to develop a solid introduction is one of the biggest mistakes sales professionals make. Leverage those first two minutes to take command of your listeners. Engage them with a relevant story. Grab their attention with an alarming insight. Or just make them smile with some simple humor. Worry less about educating (do you like to be educated?) and worry more about entertaining (everyone likes to be entertained).

I'm not suggesting you start your next presentation with a card trick (although that could be a great hook). But I am suggesting you take a hard look at how you get your audience to lean in for the first two minutes of your next presentation.

Script, practice and polish your hook until it is rock solid. And for additional assurance, keep your script handy as you present during your online meeting. Grabbing their attention from the very start sets you and your ideas apart from everyone else who just "wings" their opening. And a great hook creates confidence that you can build upon throughout your presentation.

#2. Stop death by PowerPoint
PowerPoint was originally developed to be a visual aid--a tool that presenters could use to add "power" to their message by highlighting a key "point." Think big fonts, few words, maybe even a picture or two to drive home important ideas.

PowerPoint was not designed to be a proposal tool or a script. Save the Gantt charts for the appendix... PLEASE!

PowerPoint decks aren't the presentation, you are the presentation. The deck is there to support you and your ideas.

Look at it another way. PowerPoint decks that are jammed full of data, charts, conclusions and complete paragraphs could just be emailed to the customer. What do they need you for? The customer can read it themselves and it saves you from having to make a sales call. What an interesting way to decrease business and work yourself out of a job.

#3. Eliminate inspirational deficit
Most of the sales presentations I get to watch (and I get to watch hundreds every year) close with the presenter saying "thank you."  Not exactly a strong call to action, is it?

You deliver presentations because you want someone to do something. You might want their approval or an introduction or maybe you want their feedback on an idea. The bottom line is you want something from your listener and the best way to get it is to ask for it!

I know you won't always get what you want, but if you'll ask for something specific it becomes a springboard for questions, discussion and next steps. You conclude the meeting knowing where you stand versus hoping that your phone will ring.

Want to learn how to avoid the biggest presentation mistakes that business professionals make? Watch this on-demand Webinar, "Anatomy of a Lousy Pitch: The 6 Worst Presentation Habits and How to Avoid Them." Additionally, visit www.timwackel.com for more tips. How can you afford not to make this investment in yourself?

It takes courage to admit you could be a better presenter and confidence to believe you can change. It takes nothing to create excuses.

What do you think?


Photo Credit: James Jordan

I may be new to the workshifting space and the workforce, but I'm not new to workshifting. As a college student, I took pride in working anywhere and everywhere--and well, there were just times you had no other choice. Between distractions, other commitments, or a roommate requesting the dorm room for a little TLC time with their significant other, you simply got used to working whenever and wherever you could. Throughout my education, I worked where it was convenient--I wrote papers at the Laundromat, during meals in the dining hall, and with a shoddy wifi connection I worked on beautiful days outside on the Boston Commons while my peers suffered indoors thinking that to be productive, they needed a desk.

Workshifting is key to a modern education. With online and blended learning, as well as technology prevalent in the classroom, education is more mobile than ever. Wifi hotspots are everywhere these days, and as workshifters, college students are busy people. Many hold down jobs, have extra and co-curricular activities, their classes and then of course homework and projects to squeeze in between. This creates a perfect storm for the next generation of workshifters: they didn't switch their career over to workshifting, but have always been fluid in getting their work accomplished as there was simply no other way. We've been connected to the internet for most of our lives, and technology is seamlessly integrated from the smartphone with no business intentions to the laptops we take our class notes on. But while the college student has all the makings for a perfect workshifter, many have a lot to learn, the experience and tips that this blog and seasoned professionals offers is crucial.

Tips on being a productive, workshifting student:

1. Be mobile. Don't tie yourself to the library during midterms--the crowd and everyone vying for the same resources can cut into your productivity. Keep your files on hand, photocopy the pages you need from that book and take your work somewhere else.
2. Do it now, not later. Procrastination is the college student's best friend and worst enemy. Just remember how much fun you'll have later when your work is done, without the doom of yet another allnighter hanging over your head. Rather than killing time for the random 45 minutes between classes, pull out your work and bang out a homework assignment or get a chunk of reading done. A little bit here and there can add up to a lot by the time the day is done.
3. Get some sleep. Running on empty for too long will cut into your productivity, particularly if you end up sick.
4. Kill two birds with one stone. Think ahead to what you'll need to accomplish several tasks, and see what can align with each other. You can do laundry and write a paper at the same time, and then more of your time is freed up for more fun things.
5. Study where your peers aren't. Since you're mobile and prepared, you can get a little peace and quiet away from the crowded library and can study while enjoying a gorgeous day from the local Starbucks patio.

What do you think? Do you have any suggestions for workshifting students?


Photo Credit: Michelle Pacansky-Brock

Workshifting is about more than just working from anywhere.  It's about a certain way to work.  Seasoned workshifters work differently than most other knowledge workers.  Many of the behaviours of workshifters are learned by necessity, but once learned, are found to be more effective than traditional methods.  Workshifting is not only positive for the freedom it gives to the worker, but the skills and lessons learned while workshifting can benefit almost all businesses and workers.  As such, the corporate world should take a good look at successful workshifters and see what it can learn from them. Here are just a few lessons that the corporate world can learn.


1) Not every e-mail is life and death

As a workshifter, you often have to contend with intermittent internet access. People who fly often know this feeling well. WiFi is not yet ubiquitous in the air, and as such, a long flight can often leave a road warrior without access to the internet or his emails for hours at a time. Strangely, this doesn't actually cause the world to end.

Office workers are all too aware of the familiar MS Outlook notification, or the buzz of the Blackberry.  The pressure to respond immediately means a break in the flow of whatever else you were doing, so that you can answer that e-mail instantly.

The workshifter, instead, will download his e-mails, and then while disconnected, take the opportunity to respond to all of them, and queue them into his outbox. Upon connectivity, the e-mail responses go out.  

A mandatory disconnection from the e-mail server would do office workers a world of good in both productivity and stress reduction.  The majority of us don't have jobs where an e-mail going without answer for 3 hours will make a difference.  If the subject of an e-mail were that important, then the sender would pick up the phone.  Also, by self-imposing e-mail blackouts, a worker trains his co-workers as to which medium to use for contacting him.  E-mail for regular communication, but a phone call for something that is urgent.

2) Employees do well with flexibility

Workshifting employees are generally more productive than their office-bound counterparts because they can do things according to their own rhythms.  Every individual has his own peaks and valleys of productivity throughout a day, and so, imposing the same schedule on everyone doesn't make sense. People perform better when they're given the opportunity to operate in an environment that best suits them.

In the coporate world, this manifests itself in a few ways.  Giving employees flex hours means that they can work when they're most efficient, instead of forcing both Tina, the mom with two kids who's up at 6 am, and Jim, the 20-something night owl to both come in to work at 9 am.

Opening up network firewalls also gives employees the flexibility to do what needs to get done.  If employees are getting the work done, recharging their creative batteries by checking Facebook for ten minutes will not harm the company.

Likewise, computer admin access for those who request it, can go a long way in an employee's productivity.  More and more people are becoming computer savvy, and those people develop their own preferences for the tools that they are most productive with.  Forcing them to use the tools that the company imposes upon them is handicapping them for no reason.

3) Focus on results

The workshifter doesn't count hours.  He can't because, oftentimes, he's working in between other commitments, at strange times, or in odd places.  Despite this, the workshifter still gets his work done.  This is because he focuses on results and not on how many hours were put in.  Workshifters work with tasks and projects, not with punch cards, and for that reason, they're more likely to get the job done, because instead of saying, "I'll work from X to Y," they say, "This needs to get done."

Similarly, the corporate world that is often predicated on a work schedule, and has the backwards habit of rewarding those who put in extra hours, could stand to learn a thing or two from the workshifter.  

By focusing on results, companies may see work get done quicker because employees don't have to fill up their days.  Instead, they get their work done, and that's all.  Just because one employee leaves at 4 pm, and the other leaves at 7 pm, it doesn't necessarily mean the one staying later is working harder.  More likely, the employee leaving earlier is working smarter.  However, there is no incentive for an employee to work smart if the company doesn't focus on results.

4) Work in any environment

Workshifters are used to working in any environment.  They work from offices, home, cafes, co-working spaces, trains, planes, hotels, and anywhere that they can set up.  Location independence is what makes them workshifters after all.  However, this kind of flexibility to work anywhere can benefit the corporate world as well.

By empowering employees to work from places other than their desks, productivity is maintained when they simply can't be there.  One example is employees who have to attend training seminars or conferences.  By allowing them the flexibility and tools to work from anywhere, they will still be able to be productive in between sessions.  Employees will not feel like they're falling behind, and employers get additional productivity.

In addition, giving the employee location flexibility can help to drastically reduce the loss of productivity from sick days.  When someone is feeling under the weather, they can choose to work from home.  That same person would either have not worked at all that day, or would have come in to work, and possibly gotten other people in the office sick, contributing to future productivity losses.

5) Push decision-making power down the chain of command

Another great trait of workshifters is their ability to get tough problems solved quickly and efficiently.  Because of their remoteness, they don't have the luxury of seeking advice, or waiting for someone else to make the call for them, and so they are forced to make quick decisions.

While this may be scary for some managers, at the end of the day, allowing employees to take more responsibility is more efficient and leads to more confident employees and a quicker more agile team.  When all decisions need to be approved by a manager, things bottleneck, and response time slows.  Employees often know exactly what the course of action to take is, but are afraid to do so, because they have never been empowered to do so.  Therefore, giving the employees the responsibility doesn't materially change the decision that's made, it just allows it to be reached faster.

The corporate world is constantly fighting against the ankle biters.  Those small firms that seem to steal away business simply because they're quicker and more agile.  By empowering employees, large firms can emulate the ankle biters and preserve their domain, while at the same time providing employees valuable leadership and decision-making experience which will allow them to grow within the company.

Conclusion

Workshifters, whether by necessity or ingenuity, have created a new way to work.  That way of working is faster and more efficient than many traditional ways of doing the same work.  There is no reason why traditional companies shouldn't learn from this new wave, and embrace some of the lessons that have come from it.


Photo Credit: mccun934

Bandize / Basecamp

One of the first things we teach musicians is to treat their music like a business. That may be an easy concept for many reading this site to understand, yet many musicians are running their career like a hobby. The first step beyond all the legal mumbo-jumbo is to get organized and start tracking progress of all the things happening in the band. We use project management software to do this. For smaller indie bands we go with Bandize, a project management software made specifically for musicians where they can track everything from mileage to gigs to inventory, accounting and more - all from a very nice user interface that gets even the most computer loathing musicians in tune. For those bands with a bit more going on, we use Basecamp from the 37 Signals crew. It gives more power to the big projects and allows us to tie in all kinds of users from promoters to PR to techies to booking agents, managers and even the band members themselves.

Email Solutions

photo by LoneGunMan

The largest asset a band has are its fans. They dictate the income, travel and release schedules for all musicians that are paying the bills through their art. When artists are on the road they need quick and effective ways to communicate with all their rabid fans. For us, we teach that the email is the most valuable metric to their business and we have gone on to show that more than 30% of their revenue will come as a direct result of the emails they send. There are countless email software providers and each has its own little quirks and features. In the music industry there is FanBridge and Reverbnation that are the two big players for indie artists. Again when the musician gets to a point where their skills pay the bills we look into larger solutions like Aweber or InfusionSoft.

Bandcamp

In the music sharing space the hands down leader is BandCamp. This service allows you to upload high quality .wav files and distribute them to your fans in a multitude of ways including

• Pay What You Want
• Per Track
• Per Album
• Free W/ an Email
• Free W/no Email
• With physical merch
• In any format of your choosing (.mp3, FLAC, WAV, etc)

I can't say enough about the service other than they rock and will be a huge player in the direct to fan movement happening in the music business right now.

 

Google Suite of Tools

What business would be complete without good old Google. From the web apps to the smartphone connectivity nearly all communications go through Google in one way or another. Whether its brand management through Google Alerts, managing a street team with Google Groups, checking Basecamp and fan mail in Gmail or reading up on some trends with Google Reader, we can go on and on about the "G." The best part for a band. They are all free, which fits right in their price range.

Mobile Blogging With Wordpress

Fans love interaction and they love seeing behind the scenes. Technology has really helped give musician's the edge here as their ability to quickly and consistently post photos, videos and text to their official sites has become very seamless and effective. Wordpress is our weapon of choice, however posting updates to a Tumblr account is just as easy. The simplicity of sending an email to your Wordpress account as a post means that even on the road or on someone's couch they can keep their fans updated with the latest happenings. There are plenty of other tools, yet you have to draw the line somewhere. We keep seeing new industries get into the location independence mindset. I love learning about them. Let's share some other tools and industries that help make this lifestyle attainable.

It's always cool to get questions from readers.  This one asks about jobs that allow workshifting:

"I would like some information on how to begin searching for occupations which allow workshifting.  Is there a well-maintained website listing potential companies/occupations in which workshifting is allowed/encouraged?"

I wish there was a one-stop shop of companies that offer workshifting.  And, if there is...I'm not aware of it.  My initial thought is each organization has their own unique corporate culture.  And jobs, while they may share the same title or some of the same responsibilities, aren't identical.  So even within the workshifting environment, not every workshifting situation would be exactly alike.  

One of the first things to consider when it comes to positions that include workshifting, are the actual responsibilities of the job itself.  Ask yourself are the tasks associated with the position ones you can do from anywhere at any time.  

Also consider what you would need in terms of equipment, workspace, etc.  I've seen people say, "All I need is a laptop."  And when they actually started doing the work, the list got much longer.  Understanding what is required to truly get the job done will make any conversation about workshifting go smoother.

After you know the details of the position, there are several places online where you can begin to look for openings.  Although none of these come with guarantees about workshifting, they are a great start:

Use lists to research organizations that might offer workshifting.  Examples are Fortune's 100 Best Companies, the Great Place to Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management's Best Small and Medium Companies to Work for in America, Working Mother 100 Best Companies and Brazen Careerist's Top 50 Gen Y Companies.   Most of the companies made their way on these lists because of their progressive thinking and creative human resources policies.

Find Twitter hashtags that can narrow your search.  Career Rocketeer published a post titled "Top 100+ Job Search Hashtags on Twitter".  Hashtags included on the list are #freelance, #home-employment, and #work-life.  All good places to monitor for potential openings that might be conducive to workshifting.

If you have a specific company, do a direct search of their company profile on LinkedIn to see if they mention anything about encouraging virtual teams, telecommuting, teleworking, etc.
Lastly, keep in mind that a position not workshifting today could be workshifting tomorrow.  Organizations change all the time and if you find a job that you really like, maybe the best approach is to do a great job and figure out a way to sell the company on allowing you to try workshifting.  Write a business case and ask for a trial period to show how it could work. 

If you or your organization are exploring adding workshifting jobs, The Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration have established a website, Telework.gov, to provide access to information about telework in the Federal Government.  Even if you weren't looking for a government job, there are resources available for individuals and employers about teleworking.  I found the self-assessment to be particularly interesting.

The most important factor in finding a workshifting occupation is understanding - yourself, the job, the company, the culture and how it can help the business be successful.


Photo Credit: Daniela Vladimirova

(from the girl who kissed a frog)

As a professional coach, if I was to write a job description for myself, one of the "essential" parts of the job that I would include would be this:  "Assist clients in making their dreams come true"

Recently, I took my sons to see Disney's new animated film, "The Princess and The Frog".  This was a film about making your dream come true, and it espoused some of the lessons that I teach my clients when helping them to define and achieve their own lifestyle dreams or goals.  The difference between a goal and a dream? Try this: A goal is a dream with a date on it.                 

I was enchanted by "The Princess and the Frog",  a modern day take on an old classic with the star an African American girl called Tiana from the poor end of town in New Orleans.  The messages within the movie were so delightfully presented and even better, they serve to illustrate my own three step process to achieving your lifestyle dreams.

Step one: "You gotta HAVE a dream!"
Tiana's dream is to own a restaurant.  She's had the vision since she was a little girl, helping her daddy to cook at home.  Tiana's father had a picture of a beautiful restaurant, full of smiling people and delicious looking food.  The restaurant is opulent, decorated with chandeliers, sweeping staircases and populated with smart besuited waiters.  He wrote on this picture "Tiana's Place".

Fast forward though the years and we see Tiana as a young woman.  She's still looking at that (now rather tattered) piece of paper with "Tiana's Place" written on it.  Every day when she comes home from work, she takes it out and looks at it and imagines how her restaurant will look.  With the help of Disney animation, we go off into Tiana's multi sensory experience of her dream - sights, sounds, smells.. We see what Tiana will be wearing, the food she'll be serving, the fame of the restaurant, the buzz of the place... it's VIVID.

I teach my clients to define their vision  i.e. their dream. You can do this in several ways.  Write "A day in the life of", collect pictures, write a vision statement out each morning and read it out.  The important thing is, like Tiana, to make your dream, your vision, as vivid as possible and to keep it in the forefront of your mind.  

You have to hold onto that vision, even when you don't believe you can achieve it.   On the hard days, you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. On the hard days, it's even more important that you read it/look at it/write it/imagine it, even if you're doing it "by rote"

Step two:  Do something
Nothing in life happens without you taking action. A dream without action will remain a dream.  I'm not from the school of thought that says that things just come along in life without putting some effort in.  I'm one of those old git types who bemoan the fact that so many youngsters these days believe that a life of fame and fortune awaits them if they just queue up for an audition on X Factor.  Don't get me started on that...

Anyway, back to hard work!  We all know deep down that those "overnight successes" we hear about aren't actually overnight successes.  The successful person will invariably have worked for many years and tried many different things in order to achieve that success.

In The Princess and the Frog, we follow Tiana over the years working day shifts and night shifts in different restaurants as waitress and cook. She saves all her tips for the down payment on the derelict building that features as the setting for her restaurant dream. We see her collapsing on her bed each night after looking at her precious picture of "Tiana's Place".  Whilst all of her friends are out having a good time, Tiana never stops working towards her dream, knowing that every shift at the diner, every cent in tips, is moving her closer towards that down payment.

Step three:  Let go
I preach balance in all things.  As Oscar Wilde said:"Everything in moderation, including moderation!" (Actually, that probably doesn't illustrate balance, but I love that quote and I've always wanted to use it!)

Tiana, as our heroine, has a fatal flaw (as all heroines must at some point in the story).  Her fatal flaw is that she doesn't work in moderation, she works to excess.  Tiana never lets her hair down, goes out with her friends or lets up from working towards her dream.

Then she meets her antithesis in Prince Naseem, who represents everything she's not: loucheness, extravagance, fun and drifting through life without any direction at all.  Naseem asks her to dance and she tells him that she can't dance; she's been too busy working hard to achieve her dream to learn to dance.

Naturally, as the movie nears its dénouement (I don't think I'll spoil the ending  here -it's Disney, so it's obviously not going to be a sad ending), Tiana has to give up on her dream and it looks as if it's all going to hell in a handcart.  As soon as she lets go of that neediness and that single minded drive towards her dream and accepts life as it is, that's when the Disney magic happens!  Tiana achieves her dream, of course.  To find out how and what happens to her along the way, you'll have to go and see the film yourself!

John Lennon said: "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."  Too right John!  We have to live each moment of our lives now, and the more we can find happiness and joy in the life we are living today, the more space we create for the magic to happen to us.  


So, in summary, your three steps to achieving your dream, from the girl who kissed a frog, are:

1. Define your lifestyle dream in vivid Disney Technicolor and burn that image into your brain, your heart and your soul.
2. Make a plan to achieve your dream, no matter how far away or how impossible it may seem now.  Keep taking baby steps forward, just as Tiana saved her tips for many years.
3. In the meantime, live the life you have now, rejoice in it, enjoy each moment, kick off your shoes and dance with life.  Then, when you're least expecting it, the magic will happen!

What do you think?



Photo Credit: Krystn Palmer Photography

Today's post is an interview with Todd Mera of AwardWallet.com, a very useful website that can track your award points and remind you of their impending expiration. Launched in 2004, Award Wallet it is gaining a following of dedicated users

So tell us a bit about your background, AwardWallet, and what motivated you to start it?
AwardWallet was started out of a need for me and my business partner to track our miles more efficiently. There were a couple apps out there that helped with this but they did not meet our needs. I was looking for something that was easy to use and available from anywhere, anytime. More and more people were using web based application and it made sense to build AwardWallet as a web application.

Sounds like you're a jetsetter. Do you workshift a lot? What are your necessary gadgets?
I like to think of myself as 'An Office of One'.  Meetings in a hotel lobby connected to the Wi-Fi doing a web demonstration with a global audience is not uncommon. My newest favorite gadget is my new Sony eReader.  I used to carry about 10 lbs of books with me everywhere I traveled.  I also remember ripping out the first 100 or so pages of a large technical book to read on a flight.  I just couldn't bring that 1500 page technical magna carta with me.  Now, I carry 1000s of digital books with me all the time.

What's the largest benefit you see AwardWallet offering workshifters?
If you are a workshifter, you are probably on the road a bit. AwardWallet will help you track and take advantage of the miles you are accumulating.  AwardWallet will allow you to see all of your frequent flyer miles, hotel points, car rental points and many more from a single screen.  AwardWallet will automatically update the balances and let you view all of your travel equity from a single screen.

Another great feature...AutoLogin.  From AwardWallet.com click on the program name, ie Delta, and we will take you to their site and automatically log you in allowing you to check in for you flight and do any other necessary business. All in all - Huge time saver!

What do you think is the single most important thing for the workshifter to keep in mind when using their award points?
DON'T LET THEM EXPIRE.  Frequent Flyer miles can expire in 12-18 month of no activity depending on the program.  You spent all this time earning those miles flying from here to there.  Don't waste them. AwardWallet will let you know if any of your miles are due to expire. With this info the workshifter can now create some activity on the account where the miles are about to expire and reset the clock.

What advice can you offer workshifters on account management?
Know what you have Get points for everything.  Example, I only buy stuff with credit cards that allow me to earn points.  I then pay off the credit card every month.  I even buy all of my groceries with a credit card.

Use them. You earned them. Take a trip. They do not earn interest and they are not getting more valuable.  So go have some fun.


Photo Credit: Bob the Lomond

Drew Clark from BroadbandCensus.com, one of the leaders in the quest for public and transparent broadband maps, asked me to cover the first ever White House Conference on Workplace Flexibility last week. "Cool," I said, "but I live in San Diego." "No problem," he offered, "it's being broadcast live over the web." So I actually got to workshift my first White House news assignment (full disclosure: it wasn't so much a White House news assignment as it was a request to write a little blog post, but it's probably the closest I'll ever come to the former so I'm milking it for all it's worth).

What was clear from the kickoff by the First Lady to the Teleworker in Chief's final remarks, was that workplace flexibility, and in particular, workshifting is high on the federal agenda--not just for their own employees, but for the private sector workforce as well.

Michelle Obama talked about how much flexible work has meant in her own her family and how she's discovered throughout her career, that the more flexibility she gives the people who work for her, the happier they are and less likely they are to leave. The President described flexible work as key to being competitive in the global economy.



"It's about attracting and retaining top talent in the federal workforce and empowering them to do their jobs, and judging their success by the results that they get--not by how many meetings they attend, or how much face-time they log, or how many hours are spent on airplanes. It's about creating a culture where . . . work is what you do, not where you are," said the President. He urged those organizations already successful at making work flexible to spread the word.

Addressing the challenges to this new way to work the President promised "where regulations are in the way, we'll see what we can do to change them. Where new technology can help, we'll find a secure, cost-effective way to install it. Where training is needed to help managers and workers embrace this approach, we'll adopt the best practices from the private sector." Calling for a 50% increase in workshifting eligibility among federal employees in FY2011, he joked, "I do not want to see the government close because of snow again."

John Berry, head of the Office of Personnel Management, spoke about how flex policies improve the government's ability to hire and retain great people, "I want to make government (jobs) cool again." Adding with a smile that "if flexibility can succeed in the federal government with the unrivaled complexity of our missions--as well as our red tape . . . it can succeed anywhere."

Common themes throughout the conference included the stuff us workshifters have been saying for years; workshifting increases productivity, reduces turnover and absenteeism, and improves worklife balance. But hearing those words coming from White House mouths was music to my ears. Between that and wanting to make federal jobs cool again, it was clear this is not your grandmother's government. What do you think?

Today's post is from Shabana Siyed, who is a part of the global marketing team at Citrix Online.  On a daily basis, she interacts with workshifters from all over the world with the mission to educate and inform others on the benefits of remote-access technology.

So a few weeks ago, I attended my first HDI conference in Florida representing Citrix Online's GoToAssist. Of course, that meant that I would have the opportunity to workshift and make a pit stop in Alabama...

Why Alabama? Well that is where my family lives, and what better way to break up the trip than to say hello to mom and dad. At least that is what I thought, but once Monday rolled around and the jet lag wore off, I found myself lost in a world of work, unaware of my family surroundings.  Sure I was physically in Alabama, but consciously I could have still been in California at my desk. That's the wonder of remote-access technology.

It didn't hit me, however, until my mom (who was just downstairs!) called my cell phone - she forgot I was there (or was trying to make a point)!  That was when I stepped away from my computer and checked my surroundings. There I was in Alabama and, impossible to believe, I was ignoring the sweet Indian spices of my mom's traditional home cooking: biryani, chicken curry, dosa, saag paneer... She was whipping up all my favorites and I had been crazily taking all this for granted, especially since I make it home maybe once a year and rarely cook Indian food, and when I do, it is definitely not like mom's. What was I thinking?

Initially, I thought I would save a few vacation days by working remotely, but in that moment I realized that vacation days are there for this reason - to spend time with those you love. So, I logged off GoToMyPC and requested a vacation day to spend time at the movies with my mom, cook food with my dad, and go shopping with my little sister from Auburn University (Go Tigers!).

My short Alabama break before the conference made me realize that we all live in a technology-driven world, and we are very lucky that we can work from anywhere in the world, but the downside is that we can sometimes forget that we need to log off and step outside the "cubical box."  In the end, the little moments that we sometimes take for granted are all that we need to make something memorable - like my mom's traditional Indian food in Alabama mixed with a little Bollywood action (random, I know!).

Photo Credit: Roboppy

Sitting on the train, riding in a plane, laying in bed, sipping a coffee. Wherever you are. Whatever you are doing. You need to have a way to record your moments of inspiration.  


What do you use to jot down your ideas? 

In a recent article from Inc., The Case, and The Plan, for the Virtual Company, by Max Chafkin, he discuss the pros and cons of changing from a traditional office setting to a virtual company. The article is wonderfully detailed, but this quote from their Photo Director Travis Ruse really stood out: "My job really became just about my job. I missed the distractions and surprises that my co-workers bring to the day. Part of working is the social aspect of doing something collaboratively. I missed that very much."

Nothing would be worse than if "my job really became just about my job." I am, what the Inc. article refers to as a "hybrid" workshifter (they call it a "hybrid approach"). I'm frequently in the office, but also work remote from home, an airport, coffee shop, etc. I need heavy doses of my peers. I like to wade in the ebb and flow of our corporate culture.

I recognize that not everyone has this need, or benefit, depending on your view. My team is distributed across the globe and many don't have the opportunity to drop by the office (aka The Mother Ship) more then a few times a year. It's more important to some, than others. With that said, it is the responsibility of the Manager to gauge the desire of the employee to connect in-person and the value that interaction provides the company. It may sound cold to some, but bringing dozens or hundreds of employees back to the office to reinforce in-person relationships may not be the best use of funds for a company.

In my organization we encourage occasional visits to the office but they usually have a purpose in mind that is planned for and in budget. Set expectations for office visits in advance of an employee transitioning to workshifting (unless they live down the street). Visiting the office several times a year or even several times a month may not be enough for some people. In those cases, workshifting is not a good option, and you should consider other alternatives.

The newbie workshifter needs help to ween themselves off of the corporate bosom. They can be aided by frequent video chats and the occasional visits. I've seen both sides; those that make the trainisition immediately, and those that need a bit of hand holding. Respect the differences of each because the transition period is emotionally challenging, and by acknowledging this through word and action, the employee and the company will form a stronger bond.

What are your thoughts on hybrid workshifting?

Photo Credit: AJ Leon

Today's post is from Jennifer Marcus Newton, a freelance writer located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She routinely works from all the usual workshifting haunts--cafes, park benches, airports--and also maintains a tidy writing studio and messy home office. Her most remote work location was among the yaks in Shangri-La. Work/life balance for her means using both a Mac and fountain pen. Contact her at fidhlear@gmail.com.

On April 3, iPad will hit the streets. And airports. And coffee shops. And all the other places people live, work and play. With just a few days away from the official release, everyone's buzzing about iPad. We have to admit that here at Citrix Online, we're eagerly anticipating the release, too. (And not just because we love innovative technology, but you'll have to wait until Saturday to get any more details out of us.)

iPad is already stimulating people's imaginations and piquing curiosity. One of the biggest questions people seem to have is who will be buying iPads? But folks are also wondering about how iPad will ultimately be used. Will it serve primarily as a media consumption device for surfing the Web, reading e-books and browsing photos? Or, is there a more serious side to iPad that will make it an indispensible business productivity tool? In other words, will it be all work or all play or something in between, like casual Friday?

So far, opinions vary widely. But from what we've read, many organizations have already announced plans to purchase iPads for company business. And we personally know a number of folks here at Citrix Online (without naming names) who simply can't wait to take iPad for a spin, professionally speaking.

We, of course, are keenly interested in how iPad can be used for business. Obviously the ability to check email and work from the road are key attributes of any self-respecting business tool. And you know us--tools that help facilitate remote work and productivity are right up our alley. We're also big fans of collaboration, and that's what is especially compelling about iPad for business use. iPad's exceptional visual capabilities are a perfect match for every flavor of collaboration--from presentations and demos to reviewing design specs and more. That, combined with iPad's mobility, is why we believe iPad is set to become a favorite in the collaboration toolkit. And with the right business app, iPad's mobility lays the foundation for enabling people to easily and effortlessly collaborate with anyone, from anywhere.

Let's be honest. We love our laptops. We might even love our laptops a little too much (hey, who doesn't?), but a laptop is not always the most efficient tool to use in every situation. Imagine, for example, that you're about to board a plane but need to quickly access a file, document or app. Guess what? iPad is "instant on," just like a phone. Turn it on. Access file. Take your seat. Using iPad will be as instant, efficient and simple as that. And should you need to access a file, document or application on the company server before boarding that plane, we're optimistic that there will be numerous apps, particularly in the software-as-a-service category, making an appearance that will enable remote access, among other things.

Before going completely gaga over iPad for business, however, be prepared to face a little resistance from the IT department. Remember IT's initial resistance to the iPhone? We all know how that little dance turned out. IT managers, realizing that they could do little to stem the tide of iPhones being used to access corporate email, astutely decided to go with the flow. The same is likely to happen with iPad. And perhaps there will be less resistance this time around since iPad is not replacing existing devices, but rather complementing them.

iPad's success as a business tool will largely be determined by the availability and quality of business productivity apps. Judging by what we've seen so far (and it's not even launch day yet), things look very promising. In fact, we think there will be no shortage of business-focused apps for the business-ready iPad. We'll even go out on a limb and predict that half of all iPads out and about in the world will be used for business purposes in some way.

April 3 will soon be here. We'll do our best to contain our excitement until then. You certainly won't want to miss it. And if you're stuck on what to wear, business casual is always a safe bet.

What do you think?

Photo Credit: S. Robbin

Today's post is from Kristin Taylor who works in corporate communications for Citrix Systems and is part of a global virtual team.