Employers Spending More To Move Workers (Why?)
Consequences of the Bad Housing Market

Not surprising given that some are calling this the worse slump in the housing market since the Great Depression, many employees are reluctant to relocate for work. They are afraid they will have to take the proverbial bath if they are forced to sell their homes now.

In order to attract talent, and soften the blows to employees they want to move, more companies are paying for assistance with housing, reports USA Today. Fourteen percent of employers say they're more willing to pay to relocate new employees to their company's location this year compared with last year, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com and Apartments.com, conducted by Harris Interactive.

About 40% of employers claimed they'd be willing to offer more than $1,000; one-third said more than $2,500; and one in 10 said more than $10,000. Employers are also extending temporary housing allowances, allowing more telecommuting, or even buying employee homes as a last resort in some cases.

The bit about telecommuting is definitely a plus for the environment, since that means much less carbon emissions from transportation and maintenance of larger work environments. The troubles in the housing market underscore how important it is to save money with energy efficiency, as well as try to make your property stand out (by going green) if you are in the troubled market.

VA Bill Sends State Employees Home

03:11PM Sunday Jan 20 2008 by KathrynV
tags: business · alternatives · Politics

The Virginia State Assembly is currently considering the passage of a series of bills designed to encourage telecommuting by state employees. With increased access to high speed Internet, more and more people are telecommuting to work at least some of the time. The state of Virginia has recognized that this decreases traffic congestion and provides other benefits to the state (plus it’s good for employees).
“Lawmakers have also suggested that a state office be created to promote telework and improve broadband coverage, and any agency that successfully sets up a plan to be allowed to keep the saved money for projects.”
If passed, the new bills would require that state agencies have twenty percent of their employees teleworking by 2010.

10 excuses why 19th Century workers refuse to evolve.

#1: They fall prey to external distractions

One common lure of a telecommuting arrangement is the misguided notion that staying home will make it easier to juggle caregiver demands and work demands. Whether it’s kids, an elderly relative, or anyone else who happens to inhabit your home-now-office and requires some of your attention, the distractions are likely to take a sizable bite out of your focus and productivity.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to find a balance. I’m sure many of you out there have. (And please share your comments and tell us what works for you.) But make sure you take a good hard look at what’s really going to happen if you try to manage domestic and professional responsibilities in the same space-time continuum.

#2: They’re a sitting duck for internal distractions

If you can immerse yourself in a project and resist the little devil on your shoulder that urges you to raid the fridge, do the laundry, call your brother, pay some bills, weed the garden, bathe the dog, finish that Stephen King book so you can return it to the library, pop over to the library to return that Stephen King book, hook up the new DVD player, look for that missing cell phone, cut the grass, watch a few minutes of SportsCenter, check your eBay bids… well good for you. It’s not that office employees aren’t doing a workplace version of some of these activities (some more than others). But at home, there are likely to be more tempting distractions (WAY more), with nobody but you to keep yourself in line.

Of course, you need to give yourself some latitude here. But if you’re going to succeed, you have to do a little self-policing. Or bribery. That can work. One time-honored trick is to promise yourself a break or reward at a certain time or after you accomplish a particular task. Sure, it has a kindergarten flavor. But if the devil on your shoulder is around five years old, as mine is, you might give it a try.

#3: They can’t put together the necessary equipment, services, or infrastructure to do your job

One of my ongoing frustrations as a telecommuter has been the lack of anything resembling a high-speed Internet connection out here in the valley where I live. I came within a few nanoseconds of inking a deal with a satellite broadband service, only to have the installer double-check the elevation and azimuth and discover the trees had grown enough to block the signal in the weeks I’d been waiting for him to show up. Seriously.

Decent connectivity is essential for the work I do, and odds are, it will be important for you, too. But even if you have a screaming connection, you might face other equipment or infrastructure shortcomings that could make your work difficult or impossible to perform from home. Think carefully about what you need to create the optimum working environment. Your organization may be able to help you fill in the gaps, just as it supplies employees with what they need in the office — but you don’t want to have to function with sub-par services or inadequate facilities day in and day out.

#4: They can’t sustain enough (or any) proactive contact with the office

If your goal in telecommuting is to get the hell away from everybody in the office and have little or nothing to do with them, you probably need a new job. And possibly some counseling. It’s true that I like solitude, which is a plus in a remote working situation. But I spend a large portion of each day in contact with co-workers, bosses, and TechRepublic contributors. I pester people with instant messages all day long, sometimes just to touch base, to say, “How’s it going,” or to get a read on the mood in the office from my trusted confidants. Other times, I need a quick answer, a simple debriefing, or the latest on a go/no-go decision. If you’re an isolationist or you’re reluctant to take the steps needed to keep communications flowing freely, telecommuting probably isn’t a good arrangement for you.

#5: They don’t function well without a lot of structure

Some people really need to have someone else impose a work routine on them. They need help lining up tasks, setting priorities, scheduling their days, staying motivated, and deciding how to tackle a project or assignment. If that’s your working style, you might find yourself adrift with nobody around to help you stay on track.

If you can’t seem to get organized or get started on things you know you should be working on (or you don’t know what you should be working on), telecommuting is going to be tough for you.

#6: They have a manager who can’t or won’t manage remotely

My first opportunity to telecommute got torpedoed by my manager. The company president and CFO were all excited about the idea. In fact, they’d come to me with it, to see if I’d be the telecommuting guinea pig for the organization. But my manager wasn’t included in the initial conversations and when she heard what was afoot, she threatened a hunger strike.

Some managers simply can’t imagine trying to oversee the performance of a staff member who isn’t in the office with them. Could be management style, could be insecurity, could be an unwillingness to make the types of accommodations needed to keep telecommuting staff productive and integrated with the team. Whatever the reason, I can tell you first hand, you need your manager’s buy-in for this type of arrangement to work. And the more you can take on your own shoulders (keeping your data backed up, your antivirus updated on the laptop, your online meeting software properly configured, your maintenance requirements low, and your participation levels high), the easier it will be to hang on to that buy-in.

#7: They can’t establish boundaries with friends, family, or neighbors

Telecommuters cite the boundary problem as one of the biggest challenges they face. For whatever reason, not everyone gets the fact that yeah, you’re in the house, but you’re working. Your proximity is an irresistible invitation to some folks — even those who should know better — to see if you can tell why their car engine is making that noise, help move a refrigerator, fix a pot of coffee and talk about spring training prospects, read The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, or explain what you really meant when you said that thing you said last night.

Of course, co-workers and bosses interrupt each other all the time in the office, and not always for any useful (or even discernable) purpose. But those boundaries are generally easier to establish and maintain, especially if you have a door (or a Mafia death stare). Trying to get family members and friends to understand that you need uninterrupted work time can be a lot more difficult and frustrating — and feelings may get hurt. If you think this could be a problem for you, or you just don’t want to have to be the bad guy and enforce some limits, you might be better off in the office.

#8: They can’t bring yourself to quit for the day

Some people hit the door the instant their workday is over. Others have a tendency to hang around until they wrap things up. If you’re a hang-arounder, be wary of letting your work life encroach on your home life. Maybe you just want to test one more thing, try one more approach, knock out two or three lingering tasks, or get a head start on tomorrow. But before you know it, it’s 8:00 o’clock, it’s 10:00 o’clock, it’s midnight. Occasionally, this may not be a bad thing. It may not even be avoidable, depending on your job role. But if it becomes a habit, you could be in trouble.

If you’re not careful, your job will begin to infiltrate your personal life — with potentially destructive consequences. Here are a few recommendations for combating this “pervasive workplace” syndrome:

Set up a dedicated area for working (so you can leave when the day is done).
Establish a work schedule and stick to it.
Take breaks just as you would in an office environment.
When it’s quitting time, quit.

#9: They can’t work independently

This is a little bit like #5. Being able to establish your own work structure, schedule, and priorities is an essential part of working independently. But there’s more to it than that. Working independently also means being able to create and pursue ideas and solutions without constant feedback or approval. It means that you’re innovative and proactive, you spot opportunities, and you don’t always need to be told what to do or have everything spelled out for you. It means that you’re experienced enough to fly solo and make good decisions without too much hand-holding.

If you’re new at a particular job or constantly under the gun to learn new processes or technologies, working independently can be next to impossible. Take a realistic look at how much your work requires you to lean on co-workers and supervisors to accomplish tasks.

#10: They hate missing out on collaborative opportunities

Brainstorming, tag-teaming, and sharing project planning, development, and execution aren’t out of your reach if you telecommute — but you have to make a concerted effort to keep yourself in the game. That may mean IM-ing and e-mailing incessantly, speaking up during phone conferences even though there’s that funky delay and awkward interruption factor, forcing yourself to use online collaboration software, or making extra in-person visits to the office. It can be done. But it’s not the same as being there every day.

If you thrive on the ongoing interaction of working in the trenches with your colleagues, being able to look over their shoulders and hang around the break room or someone’s cube arguing spontaneously and face to face instead of via your keyboard or cell phone, telecommuting is probably going to disappoint you.

Study Calls Telecommuting a Mixed Bag

Sunday, January 13, 2008 3:00 PM PST
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Telecommuting may boost morale, and cut stress, but it can have the opposite effect on those left behind in the office, according to a new study.

When a number of their coworkers toil away from the office by using computers, cell phones or other electronic equipment, those who do not telecommute are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job and leave the company, said Timothy Golden, a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Telecommuting has been a growing trend in the United States since about 2000. About 37 percent of U.S.-based and international companies now offer flexible work arrangements, with the number of those programs growing at a rate of 11 percent per year, according to the Society of Human Resource Management.

Several studies have touted the health and morale benefits for flexible workers, but Golden's research suggests that their coworkers tend to find the workplace less enjoyable, have fewer emotional ties to coworkers and generally feel less obligated to the organization.

"While reasons for the adverse impact on nonteleworkers are varied, it possibly is due to coworkers' perceptions that they have decreased flexibility and a higher workload and the greater frustration that comes with coordinating in an environment with more extensive telework," Golden said. He added that with a greater prevalence of telecommuters in a work unit, nontelecommuters find it less personally fulfilling to do their work.

But by ensuring greater face-to-face contact between coworkers when all employees are in the office and granting greater job autonomy, employers may be able to counter these problems, according to the study published in the journal Human Relations.

"There's little doubt that work life impacts one's role in the family. However, organizational decision makers need to take into account the broader impact of telework on others in the office," Golden said.

He studied a sample of 240 professional employees from a medium-sized company.

Telecommuting could harm workers back in the office

A recent study shows that telecommuting may be a boon for workers at home, but a less-than-perfect-arrangement for colleagues left back in the cubicle farm. The study of 240 employees from a medium-sized company revealed that more teleworkers in an office equated to less job satisfaction among those who continued to toil away in the office. Timothy Golden, associate professor at the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, performed the study, which also showed that employees who work with more teleworkers are less likely to remain with a company. Research from the study suggests that non-teleworkers might feel less loyal or obligated to an organization and have fewer and weaker emotional ties to colleagues in workplaces where telecommuting is more common. According to the Society of Human Resource Management, about 37 percent of U.S. and foreign companies offer flexible work arrangements such as telework and telecommuting. Findings also show that these flexible work arrangements are growing about 11 percent every year. To read more about the study, click here. Written by Jenny Cromie, certified human resources specialist (CHRS)

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Study Says Telecommuting May Harm Workers Left Behind in the Office
First-of-its-kind research addresses impact of virtual work on non-teleworkers

Troy, N.Y. — As telecommuting and other forms of virtual work become increasingly popular, what happens to the workers who are left behind in the office? A new study by a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute suggests that the prevalence of telecommuters in an office can adversely impact coworkers who do not telecommute in terms of their job satisfaction and likelihood that they will leave the company.

Telework, also known as telecommuting, is a form of virtual work that entails working some portion of the week away from the conventional workplace — typically from home — and communicating via computer-based technology. Today, about 37 percent of U.S.-based and foreign companies offer flexible work arrangements such as telework and telecommuting, and the programs are growing at 11 percent per year, according to a report by the Society of Human Resource Management.

“The complex interplay between work and family life has been a topic of immense research, both in the private and academic communities,” said Timothy Golden, associate professor in the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer. “As a result, interest and research in telework as a work modality to ease conflicts between work and family domains has grown tremendously. Studies to date however, have investigated telework’s impacts on the teleworker’s themselves, rather than on those who work with teleworkers but remain in the office. This study shifts the research lens to investigate the impacts of telework on non-teleworkers in the office.”

Golden studied a sample of 240 professional employees from a medium size company. He found that the greater the prevalence of teleworkers in an office, the less others in the office are apt to be satisfied with their jobs, with a corresponding decrease in the probability that they will remain with the company. (Why aren't the 240 telecommuting?)

Golden cautions, however, that while these results are scientifically measurable, they may be influenced by a variety of other important factors. For instance, Golden’s study indicates that other influential factors may come into play to increase or decrease the impact on job satisfaction and intentions to leave the company, such as the amount of time co-workers telework, the extent of face-to-face interactions, and the amount of job autonomy given to employees. The findings were published in a recent issue of the journal Human Relations.

So why does this happen? The research suggests several reasons. Non-teleworkers who are less satisfied with co-workers may tend to find the workplace less enjoyable, have fewer and weaker emotional ties to co-workers, and generally feel less obligated to the organization.

“While reasons for the adverse impact on non-teleworker’s satisfaction are varied, it potentially could be due to coworker’s perceptions that they have decreased flexibility and a higher workload, and the ensuing greater frustration that comes with coordinating in an environment with more extensive co-worker telework,” suggests Golden.

“In addition, it may be that with a greater prevalence of teleworkers in a work unit, non-teleworkers may find it less personally fulfilling to conduct their work due to the increased obstacles to building and maintaining effective and rewarding co-worker relationships,” added Golden.

The results of the study suggest that managers may be able to help mitigate some of the adverse impact by ensuring greater face-to-face contact between co-workers when employees are in the office, and granting greater job autonomy to accomplish work activities as employees see fit.

“In terms of managing the human resources within an organization, there is little doubt that one’s role in work life impacts one’s role in the family. However, organizational decision makers need to take into account the broader impact of telework on others in the office, particularly within team-based work environments, and exercise caution when implementing or expanding this work mode based purely on individual desires to telework,” Golden said.

Golden has been researching the impacts of flexible work arrangements for nearly a decade. His research examines the implications of the rapidly expanding availability and use of technology within business organizations. Golden also investigates the behavioral, relational, and attitudinal implications of technology-driven organizational innovations in the way individuals work. He teaches courses in the areas of talent management, team life-cycle dynamics, organizational change, and employee motivation

The Convergence: Where the Future Knows No Bounds

The Future of the Future: Boundary-less living, working and learning

By Art Murray - Posted Dec 28, 2007

Competing in a billion-mind economy means totally rethinking how you live, work and learn. That applies to you as an individual as well as to the organizations to which you belong. In the enterprise of the future, living, working and learning environments are converging in an unprecedented way.

Where we’ve been

In the last century, those environments were intentionally kept apart. Family issues were left at home and almost never discussed at work, at least not outside the lunchroom. The work environment was designed in linear, assembly-line fashion. You worked your way up the ladder. You watched your vesting and your leave balances accumulate, just like frequent-flyer miles. Not much changed as we moved from the industrial age to the information age. The same factory production mentality was applied to software, healthcare, legislation, litigation and just about anything that could be boxed and packaged into a system.

Learning took place in a classroom, sitting in desks that made an economy class window seat on today’s airlines look like the back of a stretch limo. You would read Chapter 1 the first week and answer the odd-numbered questions. Then on to Chapter 2. At the end of week 3, you would have a unit test on the first three chapters, and so on. Everything was arranged in sequence. You took biology one year, chemistry the next and then physics, because that’s how they were arranged, in alphabetical order. When you completed enough courses, you graduated.

Where we are

Fast-forward to the knowledge age. More of your work takes place at home. More of your learning takes place at work. For those who still commute, family life is becoming more closely integrated with work life. That shows up in benefits ranging from on-site dependent care, to health and wellness programs, to counseling services, to scholarships for employees and their dependents.

Universities are helping to change the office into a learning environment, by offering evening classes in the same conference room as the morning staff meeting. Or on the same desktop, laptop or PDA as your virtual staff meeting. There is growing demand for courses on learning how to learn, dealing with novelty and creative problem solving.

Today’s knowledge workers have a boundary-less mindset. Bosses with an assembly line mentality will not get their phone calls returned. The growth of "e-lancing" and other trends show that work is migrating to the worker, rather than vice versa. And knowledge workers are much more discriminating about what they do, and for whom they do it.

You can live, work and learn virtually anywhere: at the office, coffee shop, airport lounge or beach house. For me, it’s my car. The same goes for my friend Chris, who drives a Pontiac Vibe. His front passenger seat folds down into a table, and a 110-volt electrical outlet is built into the dashboard.

The bottom line: Organizations can no longer focus strictly on working, while ignoring living and learning. Neither can you, as a knowledge professional. The enterprise of the future must bring all three of those areas into balance.

Living means loving what you do and finding fulfillment in it. Working means doing what you love, in a way that is both challenging and rewarding. Learning means continually making new discoveries and putting those discoveries to work, both personally and professionally.

In essence, you and your organization, and your extended network, are now co-dependent. Your ability to grow is limited if your organization and network aren’t growing. Likewise, if you aren’t growing, you are inhibiting the growth of the organizations to which you belong. Think brain trust, as opposed to assembly line.

Where we’re going

Meeting the intellectual and creative challenges of the 21st century demands using every ounce of creativity available. That means building and sustaining a creative environment for yourself, your employees and your family. As a knowledge worker, you need time to think. To innovate. To experience. To create. And you can’t do it in offices designed for a bygone era, loaded with stress, distractions and interruptions. The same goes for neighborhoods. That’s why environment is more important than ever, on all fronts.

Here’s a quick exercise. Start putting together a list of old, worn-out industrial-age baggage you can shed. Albatrosses that are dragging you down, holding you back, stressing you out. Draining not only your productivity, but your creativity as well. Hint: Look around for any junk food, both physical and mental.

Now ask yourself this question: Has the growth in your well being kept pace with the growth in your paycheck? You will always need money, but maybe not as much as you thought. In a knowledge economy, there are many different forms of capital, including relationships, knowledge and your own personal brand. In the final analysis, it all boils down to this: What does your work-life balance sheet look like?

Based on the answers to those questions, look at how your living, working and learning environments need to change. Then start whittling away. Better yet, go ahead and put an axe to your cubicle (figuratively speaking, of course)!

After doing so, you may pick up your boarding pass to the enterprise of the future. Welcome to World 3.0.

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Who needs face time?

Monday, December 31, 2007

By MARILYN GARDNER
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

Bosses come in two types: those who want their employees to be present every day, and those who trust them to work anywhere.

Amanda Farmer knows which kind she prefers. During 18 months at a public-relations agency in New York, she says, "Our desks were set up so that our bosses literally looked over our shoulders all day. This constant vigilance made me less productive."

Now, as an account manager for a public-relations firm in Waco, Texas, Farmer telecommutes from her home in Austin. Although she sees her boss, Elizabeth Anderson, only once every three months, both find that the long-distance arrangement works well.

"It's a nonissue," Anderson says.

Yet "face time" -- in-person contact with bosses and co-workers -- is an issue in many businesses. More than 28 million Americans work at least one day a month from home, according to WorldatWork, a national organization of human-resource professionals. That figure could reach 100 million by 2010.

How much is necessary?

As the numbers swell, questions arise about how much face time is necessary. Despite lingering resistance on the part of many bosses, attitudes are changing, and some firms are devising inventive ways to maintain connections.

For Farmer and Anderson, that includes keeping in touch by instant message. "We all exchange to-do lists every week, so they can see what I'm working on," Farmer says. "They let me set my own schedule, and they trust me to accomplish my objectives." The result? "I am significantly more productive, as I do not have as many interruptions."

Richard Laermer, a marketing consultant in New York and author of the forthcoming book "2011," sees radical change ahead as more workers follow Farmer's lead. The high cost of commercial real estate in major cities, soaring gas prices, long commutes, and environmental concerns are altering work patterns.

"It is all going to be about telecommuting in two to three years," Laermer says. "It's going to be a huge change in the way things get done. Working at home is not only possible, it's going to end up being better for the employee and the employer."

When a friend of his who owns an executive staffing firm was priced out of his Madison Avenue office, he let his five employees work at home. Now they meet weekly in a rented conference room.

Many forms of communication

Others also see face time becoming less essential: "Maintaining connections with colleagues is not all that difficult," says Richard Coughlan, an associate dean at the University of Richmond's business school in Virginia. "In plenty of offices these days, folks are communicating via e-mail with those just down the hall. Moving some of those offices into employees' homes may not have much of an effect."

Even so, face time remains important, says Jose Astorga of Marlton, N.J., a warehouse manager and author of "A Bull in a Glass House." "Face time is the human interaction that we require in order to bond more effectively and complete the trust and camaraderie-building that is essential to success."

Astorga finds generational differences. "Young managers or entrepreneurs are more inclined to understand the pros of working from home because they have been raised in an Internet society. Older managers often have to be retrained to let go of restrictive management styles."

Telecommuter productivity

Bosses who keep workers on a short leash often express concern that remote employees won't log enough hours, or that they'll watch YouTube. But Debra Dinnocenzo, president of VirtualWorks! in Pittsburgh, cautions managers not to assume that just because workers are in the office that they're being productive. She says most studies show an average increase in productivity of 30 percent for telecommuters.

Juan Londono, marketing director for a roofing company in Bradenton, Fla., lives in Orlando. In the beginning, he recalls, his boss was skeptical of telecommuting. To compensate for face time, Londono keeps a time sheet and a detailed planner. "For the month, I try to make it easy for him to know that today I'm working on this, and I have a meeting with an agency to discuss such and such," he says. "We meet once a week and go over the time sheet or priority list. He's become very receptive to that. I don't get questioned as often."

Telecommuting is usually less successful in the executive suite. "Face time is needed to navigate the politics associated with a six-figure salary," says Erin Peterson, a partner at Lantern Partners, senior-executive search firm in Chicago. "You have to see the people who report to you as well as those to whom you report in order to have credibility. There's a very real factor around 'out of sight, out of mind.' "

At every level, good communication can overcome some of the lost personal contact.

"Clearly knowing what the job is, having conversations about how they're going to work at home, and having a commitment to manage performance in a proactive way" all help, says Dinnocenzo. "A manager could ask, 'Jim, what are the 10 things you think it's important to accomplish this year? Give me a plan of how you think you're going to get through the year.' "

Some managers connect with far-flung workers via video conferencing. Others simulate face time using online services. Drew Gerber, CEO of Wasabi Publicity in Atlanta, manages a staff in seven time zones. "One of the challenges for virtual companies is, how does a manager get face time without being a pest or micromanaging people?" he says.

Service tracks the work

His solution is to track their work with an online service that monitors e-mail and phone activity. "I don't have to be on the phone with them continuously saying, 'Is this done, is that done?' " Gerber asks. Employees use the program, too. Christine Hohlbaum, who works for Gerber from Munich, adds, "It gives us an overview that regular e-mail cannot."

Gerber offers a caveat: "As great as it is to be virtual, you're never going to replace that human connectedness with technology."

Despite the limitations, Anderson, herself a former telecommuter and now head of E.H. Anderson Public Relations, says, "I know it can work. You want to make your employees as happy as you make your customers. My business is not going to grow if my employees are not happy."

Laermer sums up the changes this way: "The new workplace mentality is, 'You get your work done, I'll get my work done, and eventually we'll meet.' "

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Trend 2008: Telecommuting and Managing a Virtual Staff.

By Randy Gilbert
Tuesday, 1st January 2008

Advances in technology and cultural responses to it mean that more people want to work from home and more companies want to outsource.

Here are just a few examples of opportunities for companies in taking advantage of virtual workers: reduced overhead costs, higher quality workers not available locally, often higher productivity per hour.

Opportunities for the telecommuter: comfortable work setting, more flexible schedule, less watercooler distractions, and no travel time or stress.

"If you're a virtual team leader, a telecommuter, or anyone who works with someone from a distance, you need special tools to be successful. You can either stumble along and hope for the best, or you can take steps to insure success, says Debra Dinnocenzo, virtual workplace expert, author, speaker and educator.

What are the challenges when working from a distance, and how can you be successful?

Dinnocenzo takes the mystery out of the managing a highly productive virtual workplace by providing three important keys for success:

Trust: Establishing trust provides a special set of challenges for people working from a distance. When people are dispersed, we often don't have the opportunity to get to know each other the way we do in the traditional workplace. We need to make a special effort to schedule time to develop three important qualities: Reliability, Integrity and Familiarity. With these qualities in place, worker and employer can build trust. If possible, schedule face-to-face time to get to know each other at the beginning of a project.

Communication: When communication breaks down, trust erodes and productivity suffers. Despite the plethora of cutting-edge communication tools at our disposal, the lack of visual cues from our co-workers presents special challenges in the virtual workplace. You have to be more assertive about reaching out. Dont rely solely on email. Pick up the phone and send thank you notes. Insure good communication by checking in, asking questions and soliciting input from your team members.

Performance: The bottom-line is: at the end of the day, we need to deliver results. Be proactive about managing productivity by defining expectations and establishing check-in milestones at the very start of the project. The skills for managing performance in the virtual workplace are the same as the ones you would use in a traditional office. They just need to be applied differently.

There are unique challenges for the telecommuter who works from home. While everyone agrees that telecommuting offers more freedom and flexibility, it also presents a special challenge by blurring the line between our work and our personal lives.

Dinnocenzo recommends being vigilant about setting boundaries. Are you going to answer a work-related phone call at eight o'clock at night? It might be appropriate to be on-call in certain situations, but it can seriously erode your private life if you're not careful. Establish expectations and boundaries at the beginning of a project or work-relationship to avoid conflict.

When aked what they truly want in their lives, most people say they wish they had an extra hour in their day.

While that's not possible on earth, it is possible to reclaim many hours. Decide what is truly important in your life and eliminate time-wasting, yet addictive things that aren't important.

Published with permission of www.bestmanagementarticles.com