just plug in

“Without continual growth and progress,
such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

Where is your office? Do you have a traditional work arrangement in a corporate environment or are you on the road more than a broken yellow line? Is your office in a corner of your home and are you one of the new virtuals? Perhaps your office is in a black bag in the form of a lap top and you don’t leave home without it, ever.

More and more people are working the mobile/virtual way these days. The advantages are many and although “more spare time”  seems to be one of them, it can be merely a sad and unreachable illusion.

Going virtual or in-house (<-your own) solves many economical issues and is also an green or pro-environmental alternative.

Pros
• Less traffic = less pollution = less time lost due to commuting
• Less company overhead = company money saved = more money earned potential
• Less time away from home = cut day care costs for aging parents or smaller children
• Less stress = less friction at home and at work = less illness = less time off from work

And while these all sound great, related and unexpected complications will most likely arise. Those that have the opportunity to clock in when they want tend to do just that.  Anytime, anywhere.  Converse to the advantages, disadvantages loom and can easily cloud an otherwise sunny virtual day.

Cons
• Longer working hours, because you can and it’s there.
• Sleep is disrupted because minds are preoccupied and wander to your in-house, virtual office more easily.
• Requires individuals to be self-driven and enterprising – not everyone is.
• Less commitment to colleagues and employers, as well as to clients or customers due to less developed personal relationships and less face-to-face interaction.

These disadvantages are weighty but with so many clear-cut advantages, there has to be a way to make it work. Given the continuing state of the economy, it would appear that going virtual is becoming more popular and will probably be around for a while, if not forever.

5 Rules for Going Virtual – How to Make it Work

1.  If you are self-employed or work with a small group, clearly define all roles. Written job descriptions and /or contracts with specific duties outlined will distribute the work load evenly while creating and presenting clear expectations for all.

2.  Have defined working hours. Allotting time for email, research, and conference calls will assist in efforts to not overdo it. Rules like, “No computer after 7pm” may seem unreasonable at first but will force you to be more productive during daytime hours.

3.  DO NOT have your computer in your bedroom. How can you possibly rest soundly with a constant work reminder just feet away? When I first started working virtually four years ago, I fell into terrible sleeping habits.  It wasn’t until I moved my computer out of my room that I was able to sleep soundly for 6-7 hours each night.

4.  Make an effort to meet with co-workers/employers and clients or customers regularly, face-to-face, as often as is feasible.  Skype helps considerably, but it isn’t a perfect solution, find the balance of real life and virtual relationship building that works for you.

5.  Create goals that force you to grow and stretch, that are difficult, that improve your work ethic, but it is extremely important to not only make them attainable but also achievable.

With Skype, Twitter, Facebook, G+, ubiquitous wifi, and mobile “everything,” the crazy technologies foreshadowed in a Dick Tracy comic strip are no longer so far-fetched.  Until “Beam me up” is a reality, virtual is surely the wave to catch.

But it doesn’t work without effort and it certainly is not easy.  And it isn’t for everyone.

The author of the quote at the top?  “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” <-Benjamin Franklin said it… OVER 200 years ago.  Pretty smart guy, then and now.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

One of my favorite fellow bloggers is Chris Wilson who is also located in Oklahoma City.  While his blog focuses on digital marketing strategies for businesses, many of his posts are relevant to those in the job hunt as well as the human resource industry.  A recent post of his discusses, a revealing Slide Share presentation by Jeff Brenman of Apollo Ideas discussing  the future of the workplace.

With Chris and Jeff’s posts in mind, it is important for us to understand that how we as the employer and employees view and see the workplace is changing.  And because of this what companies are looking for in candidates is also changing.  How will you as a job seeker and me as a human resource business professional adapt?

• Transparency. Your activities both inside and outside of the office will be tracked. Everything you do and say both online and offline can and will effect your company’s future success.  For businesses, this is certainly scary stuff which is why having a clear vision of who you are, your company is, and what the rules are is especially important.
• Flat. Your work location won’t matter.  Offices for the most part will become the thing of the past.  Skype, Videoconferencing, and streaming video will be the future of the way in which we work.  If your company has an office space, it will most likely be shared, a term called coworking where creative people often outside of your company work in a shared workspace.  Working from home will be the norm.
• ROWE with me. Companies like Best Buy have been using the ROWE for years with great success.  ROWE stands for Results Oriented Work Environment.  Environments like these are ideal for the global world we live in and offer flexible hours, employee satisfaction, and a focus on results.  Imagine taking Wednesday off to attend your child’s school play and spending that evening in the virtual office without having to take a vacation day or feeling guilty if you didn’t.
• On demand. One of the down sides to this new world of work is that because work is flexible and results based it is also always changing.  Employees and businesses will have to learn to quickly make solid business decisions while also understanding that because change is constant so will the work load and hours required to do your job.  Employees will begin to work on a more contract and consultancy basis to allow businesses to better adapt to the changing needs of the business world and marketplace.

Someone referred me to an article in Time Magazine entitled How Skype is Changing the Job Interview. The title gives it away: the article is all about how Skype is seeing a lot more action in the interviewing process for organizations. After all, it’s free to use (so long as both parties have it) and it simulates an actual face-to-face meeting. Seems like a logical step, right?

1. Correspond by e-mail.
2. Talk to HR/a hiring manager by phone.
3. Employ video conferencing, which, despite its imperfections, will actually give the people you’re speaking to an opportunity to see you in action and will allow you to use gestures, facial expressions and body language to assist you as you speak and listen.