Managers Need to Learn to Embrace Flexible Work
June 3, 2010 by Phil Montero · 1 Comment
In consulting with companies off all different sizes in a variety of industries I’ve found one of the biggest challenges they need to overcome in order to embrace flexible work is management resistance.
Despite the long list of benefits to virtual work or telecommuting many managers are simply uncomfortable with the thought of managing remote employees. That’s why a recent article by Fast Company really caught my eye. It describes 3 recent scenarios where managers didn’t want to provide workplace flexibility and the unfortunate results:
Managers, sticking your fingers in your ears, closing your eyes and saying “La, la, la, la” when a valuable, competent current or prospective employee presents a plan for flexibility doesn’t make it go away.
The article shares some excellent suggestion for what managers can do when approached by employees proposing a flexible work agreement and also what employees can do if a managers shrugs off the request with the “that doesn’t work for me” rebuttal. Read more
iPhone OS 4.0: Big Productivity Benefits
May 26, 2010 by Phil Montero · 1 Comment
I love my iPod Touch! I got it over a year and a half ago and it is still my favorite piece of technology (along with my Flip video camera).
In fact, it’s probably one of the main reasons for me planning to switch from a PC to a Mac soon. I don’t have to troubleshoot it, almost never reboot it, it doesn’t get hung up or give me dll errors – the damn thing just works – and it’s FUN!
When they released the 3.0 OS upgrade for it last year I was really stoked for a few of the features – but mostly for the copy and paste. That was a huge productivity booster. Well this summer I have OS 4.0 to look forward too and once again there will be some big time savers. Here is a look at some of the main new features:
iPhone OS 4.0: The Web Working Benefits
This time around I think it’s the folders to group my apps into that will bring me the biggest boost. I download lots of apps to test (which I’ll be reviewing soon here on the blog) and tons of games for my son. The quick search they introduced in 3.0 made finding things a lot easier – but being able to group related apps together will be sweet! Also the new multitasking looks great but I will have to see how it’s implemented.
Are you an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad user? What are you most looking forward to in the new OS or what features/functions do you wish Apple would add? Post a comment below and let me know.
Mobile Web Will Rule by 2015 (maybe sooner)
May 24, 2010 by Phil Montero · 3 Comments
It’s no surprise with all the ads you see for iPhones, iPads, Blackberry’s, and Android phones that accessing the web on mobile devices is a growing trend. I probably spend a good 1/3 or more of my time on the internet using my iPod Touch rather than my laptop to search Google, view websites, and connect with people on Twitter.
This article shares some eye-opening stats and graphs from Morgan Stanley analysts showing the most important online trends:
Here are a few highlights:
- Video accounts for 69% of mobile data traffic.
- Facebook is the single largest repository for user-generated content such as pics, videos, links and comments.
- Apple and Android platforms are gaining in the mobile OS market, while Windows Mobile, RIM and Palm decline. Read more
Virtual Work Has Big Advantages for Solo-Professionals and Entrepreneurs
May 21, 2010 by Phil Montero · 6 Comments
There is no shortage of stories about people being laid-off from corporate jobs and having to try and make it on their own. Maybe you are one of them. Well sometimes things that on the surface appear to be hardships turn out to be a blessing in disquise – it’s all a matter of time and perspective. I was reading a great article today about two women who wound up starting their own PR firm in Detroit – Entrepreneurs find community, networking and refuge, not to mention free workspaces
They have embraced their mobility and found it has not only saved them lots of money but also provided many networking opportunities with other similar entrepreneurs and solo-professionals.
Now, Ferraro and Marsik Friess, partners in their newly minted public relations firm Volare, have no formal office and no equipment other than their laptops and smart phones. They network like crazy, bartering for a new business logo, say, and taking advantage of coffee shops, a tearoom and other public spaces for meetings instead of renting traditional real estate. They even used Ferraro’s Bluetooth-enabled SUV for their first conference call with a client.
Work Unchained: Free Webinar Replay, Whitepaper, and Blog Post
May 13, 2010 by Phil Montero · 80 Comments
Work happens everywhere – virtual offices, client sites, home offices, coffee shops, airports, hotels, and any number of remote workplaces. However, despite all the advantages of flexible work – most companies struggle when making this shift.
The biggest problem is that most organizations take an ad-hoc approach to workshifing, which has been thrust upon them. The business landscape began to change; they increasingly found themselves working across time and distance with team mates, remote offices, clients, vendors, and other outsourced professionals. And they mostly left individual employees, project teams, and offices to decide for themselves how best to conduct business. Virtual teamwork was not deliberate, and not undertaken with any real strategy.
If you’re in this boat – what are you to do? You can’t just stop the flow of business and start over with a brand new plan. But you also can’t just lumber forward and say to your people, ‘Work virtually better.’ What you CAN do is take a step back to get a perspective on your process and workflow in order to isolate and highlight areas for improvement and adjustment. One way to accomplish this is by conducting my ICC Workflow Audit™ which helps you take a look at your needs for Information, Communication, and Collaboration in order to guide you in choosing and throughtfully apply the right technology and guidelines for your organization or team.
I recently partnered with Citrix Online to discuss this topic in a free webinar – Work Unchained: The Competitive Edge of the Anywhere Office®. We had a great turnout for the event and some interesting discussions. If you missed it you can watch it on-demand.
For more information on how to implement the ICC Workflow Audit™, read my white paper or my guest post on their blog Workshifting.com
I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you or your organization have adopted to virtual teamwork. Please post a comment below and share your stories and feedback!
