A panelist at the NICSA convention discussing the changing workplace and virtual teams

I arrived at the beautiful Doral Resort in Miami today (only a few hours South on the Florida Turnpike for me). It was a beautiful day in the mid 60’s and the sun was shining, so I really enjoyed the drive. I felt guilty guilty for a second getting ready this morning and watching the weather channel when I saw that it was -10 degrees with the wind chill in Boston today (the place I called home before moving to Florida). But only for a second . . . 😉

I’m speaking on a panel tomorrow at the annual NICSA convention. Our session is called Looking Forward/Looking Back: Changing Demographics in the Workplace of the 21st Century.

Our panel (which lasts an hour) will be discussing:

• How to get the best candidates
• How to integrate part-time and remote employees into the culture
• How do alternative work arrangements impact the bottom line in terms of cost savings and increased productivity?

I’m looking forward to an interesting discussion. I’ll post more on Wednesday with more info on how the panel went and a summary of best practices and lessons learned.

No more eyeball management – Best Buy’s shift in perspective about work

One of the main principles of working in The Anywhere Office™ and having the flexibility to work where and when you want is a shift in perspective about what defines “work”. As the saying goes “work is something you do, not someplace you go”.

For managers of remote workers or virtual teams the shift away from eyeball management (knowing someone is working because you see them working) and learning to gauge employee productivity by measurable goals and objectives is often one of the most difficult parts of the transition. However the more fully you can embrace this philosophy, the greater the benefit you stand to derive from a flexible workplace.

For those who think “but how could we do this in our organization” take a look at what Best Buy is doing with their new program called ROWE.

The endeavor, called ROWE, for “results-only work environment,” seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.

This is an excellent case study of this shift in perspective. I applaud their efforts and look forward to following this story as they expand this philosophy throughout their organization.

Best Buy smashes the clock – BusinessWeek Online – MSNBC.com

Finding Work Life Balance in the New Year

I’d like to start my first post of 2007 by wishing you a very joyful and prosperous new year! The last few months of 2006 were busy ones for me with moving into a new house, setting up our home office, and spending time with family and friends during the holidays. But don’t fret . . . Jason and I are looking forward to getting back on the microphone soon to continue our podcast and discussions about The Anywhere Office.

In reflecting on how I handled this bevy of activity at the end of the year and my plans for the new year it struck me that some thoughts about work-life balance were in order.

At this time of year I often find myself thinking that I didn’t spend as much time with my family and friends as I would have liked. It’s just so easy to get caught up in the day to day hustle of things that need to be done. You may be feeling the same way: you were so busy with meetings, email, voice mail, and reports that some of the more important things in life got put on the back burner – often with a promise that you would get to it tomorrow, or next week.

Well now is your chance, as you’re setting your goals for the upcoming year, to bring focus to developing greater balance in your life. Smart Phones, laptops, and PDAs are getting more affordable; Fast internet access is pervasive, along with great tools and online services that make it easier then ever to work productively from anywhere.

Avoiding a daily commute and gaining more control over your work schedule can not only make you more productive, it can help you achieve the balance you have been longing for in your life.

If you currently work remotely, and it has been working well for you and your organization, try to increase the amount of time you spend working from home or outside the office.

If you don’t work remotely, then consider approaching your organization about the possibility. In light of many things that happened this past year, including a sluggish economy and political tumult, many organizations are reconsidering some of their earlier fears about distributed work and realizing it makes sound business sense.

Distributed work provides a win-win situation for both an organization and its employees. Companies can save money on real estate, improve employee morale and efficiency, and be better prepared to handle disasters and interruptions; employees can work when they work best, without common office distractions, and gain both time and more control over their schedules.

In fact, depending on where you live, some new bills being passed may provide tax credits and incentives for you and your organization, making a telework plan even more attractive.

We all waste precious time sitting in traffic, commuting back and forth to the office and traveling around for meetings that often could just as easily have been held on the phone or online.

So as you spend time with family and friends, reflect on how valuable and enjoyable this time is and how it enhances everything you do.

Make a commitment to do the things necessary to achieve more work/life balance. Whether it is finding a way to work outside the office, learning new time management and technology skills, or exploring ways to improve your meetings, striving for balance can improve every aspect of your life.

Speaking at the 2006 Document and Training Conference in Boston

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Management Summit of the 2006 Documentation and Training conference in Boston. The conference centers around knowledge management, repurposing content, and the best ways to centralize and share information among knowledge workers, customers, and clients.

My presentation was on how to create Effective Virtual Teams. I shared many of the concepts and tools of The Anywhere Office we discuss in this blog and on the radio show regarding information, communcation, and collaboration.

I met some really nice people and got a peak at some new digital document technology coming out from a variety of vendors. Very interesting.

Many advantages to a virtual office and company

I came across a great article in last Sunday’s Boston Globe called “Virtual Office is what you make it” talking about the trend of working in a virtual office and how for many entrepreneurs and startups they grow their businesses this way from the ground up.

“The future is likely to be the age of virtual businesses,” writes Anita Campbell, founder of Small Business Trends. “Forget three guys in a garage — that was your father’s startup. Today it’s three people spread out across the country or even across continents, each in their home offices or back porches with laptops, mobile phones, and WiFi.”

Check out the article for some interesting insight on virtual companies.

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