...services to give virtual offices the prestige associated with physical offices, such as an important-sounding address, a professional phone-answering service and even occasional rental of office space and conference rooms. If the business has employees, each employee can work from the location that is most convenient for him or her, and the business is not restricted to hiring employees that live locally. The virtual office arrangement thus expands job options for employees and hiring options for businesses. To illustrate, if you work from your home utilizing a computer, modem, fax machine, email or other electronic means to perform your job and communicate with your place of employment, you work in a virtual office. In other words, you're telecommuting. Even though a virtual employee may use a company email address, mailing address and phone extension, he still works from an outside location. The virtual office worker doesn't necessarily need to be an employee. He can also be someone who owns his own business and works from his home or on the road via laptop and wireless connection. The owner of a virtual office can also be an independent contractor or freelance worker, with no ties to one specific place of business. The benefits of a virtual office are many. For instance, many overhead costs, such as electricity, are cut out or kept to a minimum for...
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...Technology is binding the world of work and the world of home in ways that redefine what is means to be in each. Some changes are dramatic, others are subtle, but the changes are experienced in the mundane activities of everyday life. To begin this presentation I will tell you a story. This story may not reflect your own lives, but I imagine some details will have a familiar ring to them. John is a middle-aged product development manager at a high tech company in Silicon Valley. He bemoans the fact that he no longer has the kind of personnel support he had even 10 years ago. While he shares an administrative assistant with several other managers, he is now expected to handle his own communications, create his own presentations and manage his own time and financial budget. After all, he now has a PC to improve his productivity, and interactive on-line calenders to manage his time. The nature of his work means that he is in constant contact with engineers, the general managers above him, and his counterparts in different sites in his international company. He has more contact, and more in common, with his counterpart in Taiwan than the person in the next cubicle. He tries very hard not to take too much work home with him, preferring to work late on site, but the international nature of his work means he is on the phone at midnight and at dawn. He is grateful for E-mail and voice mail since they can fit his schedule. Realistically, he thinks...
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...Professor: Frank Castanon TABLE OF CONTENTS The Telecommuter 2 Introduction 2 Definition of Telecommuting 2 Overview of Orange Business Services 3 Company Background 3 Operations Background 3 Current Issues 4 Managing Employees Virtually 4 Managing Real Estate Costs 5 Investments in Technology 5 Increase Work Productivity and Family Balance 6 Proposed Solution 6 Voice over IP 7 Laptop Computers 7 Multifunction Devices 8 Video Conferencing 9 Network Security 9 Reccomendations 10 Conclusions 10 Implementation Schedule 12 The Telecommuter Today’s office environment is constantly evolving. Employers are always looking for ways to cut costs as well as at the same time increase employee moral by improving the work life balance. There are many benefits of having employees telecommute; these items include real estate cost savings, improved motivation, increased productivity and skill retention. Along the same lines, there are many advantages for the employee such as flexible hours along with reduced travel time and commuting costs. With any business situation there also disadvantages, for both the employee, and the employer. Some of these disadvantages include, how to manage employee’s virtually, and costly investments in technology. In order for the executive committee to fully understand telecommuting we must define what the concept of telecommuting is. “Telecommuting and telework are terms that are often used interchangeably to describe employees who periodically...
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...Virtual Meetings: Smart Management This is just my opinions—no research as yet. Question 1 This is a yes and no. In the immediate future—no. * Australian bandwidth is not adequate in the majority of country areas which still rely on slow broadband, wireless, satellite, dial-up. By this I am talking about the quality necessary for real face-to-face communication. I think the poor audio and video performance (delays) stated in the case study still exist, making the video conference experience less than ideal. I don’t know if the NBN will improve this, but I believe that this is still the major obstacle to videoconferencing still not taking off. * Cost is prohibitive for the majority of businesses, and possibly outweighing any cost advantage of reduced travel. * If extinct means never, then no, it won’t replace face-to-face meetings. This is still fundamental to business operations. A face-to-face meeting at some stage will still be desirable and probably necessary * Web conferencing, using webcams, still have a place in providing a video contact option, if you are prepared to accept any lower quality that you may experience. * If you can access another companies’ high quality videoconferencing equipment (rent the access time) then this may provide an alternative. There may be an argument for community based videoconferencing equipment. Question 2 Telepresence is videoconferencing technology that makes you feel as though you are actually there...
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...Telework. ACS, A Xerox Company Managerial Applications of Information Technology IS 535 Professor: Anne Peters By: Samira Taghavi June 13, 2012 Table of Contents Proposal Introduction………………………………………………….. 3 Business Problem……………………………………………. 3 Benefits of Solution…………………………………………. 4 Approach……………………………………………… . ..…..5 Target Audience……………………………………………. 5 Milestone 1 Company Background………………………………………. 6 Business Issues……………………………………………… 6 Benefits of Solving Problem………………………………… 7 Proposed Technology Solution……………………………… ..8 Milestone 2 Detailed Technology Solution………………………………. 9 Value of this Approach……………………………………… 11 Business Process Changes…………………………………... 11 Milestone 3 Additional Technology Solutions…………………………… 12 Additional Business Process Changes………………………. 12 Overall Recommendations…………………………………... 13 Implementation Plan………………………………………… 13 Conclusion…………………………………………………... 14 References……………………………………………………………... 14 Proposal Introduction It’s 5:45 in the morning and you are waking up to the annoying sound of your alarm clock going off. You are fighting yourself just to get out of bed to drive to work. You may have to drive 5 days out of the week and sometimes...
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...Organizational Change Plan – Part I The purpose of this paper is to create a plan for an organizational change that will include the examination of the proposed change, organizational, and individual barriers. Along with identification of factors that influence the change. A summary concerning the readiness for change within the organization will be provided and the theoretical model that relates to the change will be discussed. Finally, internal and external resources that are available to make the change a success will be discussed. Examine the need in the organization for change Change is needed as evidenced by three critical steps. First, the decisions made by leadership have affected the behaviors of each employee within the organization in a negative manner. Second, mobilization that shaped the behavior of SC employees internally has been disrupted causing low morale and rebellion. Third, the action made by upper management has a reaction, mobilizing adaptive behavior is gone and unless these three steps are corrected the company is in jeopardy (Spector, 2010). SC is one of the largest hospice providers within the United States. It was founded in Birmingham, Alabama. Today there are more than 75 offices in 15 states and provides care to over 3,000 patients. SC is located in non-Metropolitan areas, which are in need of hospice services (“Southern Care at a Glance, 2012”). SC is an organization of caring for those who curative measures are no longer an option....
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...As a lot of new technological programs and equipments have being developed in our society, and life has become more comfortable, because of them. These days we could see people who are using the technology products around us easily, such as smart phone, lap top, tablet PC. Even though when they walk on the street, their eyes are only pointing at the smart phone in order to doing something. As I already told above it. We couldn’t live and economy & management don’t work now without new equipments. Sometimes we wonder that as we use technology programs and products a lot of times in work, how to be changed our working environment. Also although they have bad effectiveness, why do we keep using them in corporation. When I was 20years old, I worked at a big grocery market. At that time, there were no many new equipments and programs. So whenever I counted and recorded something, I had to count myself and recorded on the papers by mental calculation. Sometimes I could see mistake and every week distributor’s stock was the different. But after 4~5years later PDA and counting program were made for employees. First time we were used to using them, but many employees could count easily by using the technology. Also miscount percentage decreased. And whenever I did something, for example when I got broken objects, products from customer and when customer refunded our products, I had to record about that everything. Because if I don’t record about their complaining or requesting, I...
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...Abstract A day at the office no longer means long commutes, dressing in a suit and tie or a dress, and performing work according to a 9 to 5 schedule with the boss looking over your shoulder. With the Industrial Revolution came change in how and where people work. The changes were seen subtly at first; people slowly moved to the cities to find work in factories, but then the changes started becoming more noticeable. People flocked to the cities because that is where a person could find work. The days of the small farmer who grew food for his own family were gone. Big corporations moved in and people were hired in by the hundreds, usually to perform meaningless, dreary, work. Modern society is seeing a new kind of Industrial Revolution where people are no longer stuck in semi-enclosed cubicles or monotonous, robotic-like work. Society is experiencing a different work era where people do not have to drive miles from home on stress- filled highways, only to arrive at work to put in 8 or 9 hour days performing unfulfilling tasks. A job today can mean waking up to fresh coffee, logging onto the computer, stopping in the middle of something to help their child with lunch, and returning to work right in their own homes. A job today can mean flexibility, freedom, creativity, and increased production. Introduction Working from home is not a new concept. People used to conduct their work from home because their property and home was their work. Farmers farmed their land, and the women...
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...5 Reasons Why a Professional Business Place Is Important Posted on February 10, 2010 by corporateofficecenters With today’s technology options, it is very easy for many to enjoy the telecommuting benefits of working at home. However, even with the latest tools and technology, there are still some important factors to consider if you are lacking a professional workplace. 1. Professional Image - A physical business address versus a home address or Post Office box is important to your customers’ perception in determining if they believe you are a reliable business. It may not be important if you deliver exceptional products and services, however, you may miss the opportunity to show them if you do not present a professional, credible image in the beginning. 2. Distractions – The distractions of a home office (barking dogs, kids, chores, spouses) can throw your concentration and productivity off course quickly, not to mention the reflection on your business if these noises can be heard in the background of an important call. 3. Meetings – A professional place to meet your clients and colleagues improves your image and shows you are serious about your business. It also ensures that the privacy of your negotiations and discussions is protected and eliminates the distractions and interruptions of a meeting in a public venue or a home environment. 4. Privacy – Personal privacy regarding your home address is important so you do not have uninvited visitors showing up at your door...
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...Working Practices Full-Time This type of working practice means an employee will work a specified number of hours depending on their contract of employment. The standard hours for this are Monday to Friday 9-5 but this is very much dependant on the industry you are working in and full time work is usually determined by the total number of hours undertaken each week on a recurrent basis e.g. 35, 37, 39 hours would all be considered full time. Advantages to Employer: the same person is doing the job all of the time and they will therefore be more likely to have a high level of skills and expertise in that job. Advantages to Employee: ability to earn more benefits relating to job. Regular working pattern which can help with things such as child care. Forward planning for holidays etc. Disadvantages to Employer: Lack of flexibility in working hours. Disadvantages to Employee: Also lack of flexibility in terms of needing time of at short notice etc. Less time to spend with family and friend if you are working full time. Part-Time Employees will work an agreed number of hours per week; this could mean a reduced number of hours per day or a reduced number of days per week. This will again be dependent on the environment they are working in. Advantages to Employer: increased flexibility, overheads can be reduced, shared workload amongst staff. Advantages to Employee: increased work/life balance (see additional notes – Work/Life balance), less likely to become stressed,...
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...Telecommuting is one of the fastest growing trends in the U.S and now a day’s organizations realized that and they are giving this privilege to their employees. My current agency is one of the organizations that understand the benefit of telecommuting and provides the preference to employees to work from home. Even though my agency is favor of telework, there are still some obstacles from leaders or supervisors who are still reluctant to offer this opportunity to employees for so many reasons. One of the main reasons is lack of trust and this is one of my organization problems. Mangers worry when their employees under them work from home because of lack of visibilities. Even though supervisors understand that some employees are very productive when they work from home, they feel relaxed when their employees sit in their office. As the result, employees feel lack of trust from their managers and this creates anger, frustration and lack of motivation to the employees. Because of this, the organization turnover is so high and this error could be addressed by focusing on the organization telework policy and by understanding the system as whole. Understanding how the system works is very important to implement a meaningful telework policy or system. The organization should also provide all the necessary training on the telework policy and technology such as web chatting, sharing computer screen, IM (instant messaging) to both the managers and employees “Leaders...
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...Kaytrina Lewis Miller-Motte College Online Kaytrina Lewis Miller-Motte College Online Abstract In this day and age, many companies are allowing people to work from home to expand their business. The people that mange these workers face many challenges. This paper addresses some of the issues and discusses ways to keep remote workers engaged. Abstract In this day and age, many companies are allowing people to work from home to expand their business. The people that mange these workers face many challenges. This paper addresses some of the issues and discusses ways to keep remote workers engaged. Managing Remote Workers Keeping Telecommuters on the Job Managing Remote Workers Keeping Telecommuters on the Job Managing Remote Workers * In today’s world, technology has made it easier to do many things. A business is able to track packages across the country in a matter of seconds. Companies such as banks are able to send documents that can be e-signed by their customers. Virtual meetings are being held instead of traditional meetings. And many businesses are hiring remote workers to do jobs such as answering phones, typing, and implementing data. However, managing a team of people you have never seen can present some challenges. Those challenges can be ensuring your team members log in and do their jobs, inspiring team members to work for you, effective communication, and providing incentives to retain employees. For those very reasons, many organizations...
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...Chanel Carter September 15, 2015 The current technology that I believe will have the most impact on the way work is done is video teleconferencing, which allows two or more to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions. Nowadays businesses are looking to reduce traveling expenses and increase productivity. For instance, during my internship at Widmer Interiors, an interior design firm, I first witnessed and experienced videoconferencing in a business aspect. This specific company was transitioning into modern day technology due to so many designers having to constantly leave the office for meetings with vendors, contractors, or clients. As opposed the typical emails we would send, videoconferences inspired the empathy that business relationships are built on. During my video calls, all of my client’s facets of communication were replicated, from tone of voice to facial cues, creating a stronger and connected relationship. Video teleconferencing can have a dramatic effect on productivity by giving business partners a sense of being in the same room. For example, videoconferences are more effective than staring at a phone during a conference calls or reading countless messages. This real-life like interaction can result in things such as better decision making by information being readily available to all workers involved. This source of technology is also affective for mobile workers and those that telecommute in the sense that you can also participate...
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...Working from Home Working from the home has become a popular option for many people especially women. With the advance in computer technology, it is possible to do work at home and still keep contact with the business world. Most people find this way of working more comfortable. Despite this some argue that a homely working cannot fully replace priorities of working in an office. So now, I would like to talk about the both sides of working from home. One of the obvious advantage is that one is released from the hassles of traveling to work. You do not have to struggle with traffic jams in morning and evening going to and from work. You can clock in at 9 a.m. and clock out at 5 p.m. just like your ex-colleagues but within the comforts of your home. Most people claim that they waste much time on commuting to work. For instance, in a big cities people every day at least twice face with this problem and often get stuck in traffic almost one-two or even more hours. It has emerged that in a city with a traffic density working from home is preferable. Secondly, while working at home, we can take care of the family’s needs. You are your own master and so you are allowed to plan a schedule with a structure breaks. Get into a routine and you can give yourself a pat on the back of efficiency. Some mothers prefer to work from home because they can look after their children at the same time. Therefore, you can spend more time with your family together in order to strengthen the familial...
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...Life-Work Imbalance/ Flexible Work Schedules Barbara Hagan DeVry University Life-Work Imbalance/ Flexible Work Schedules Jessica a married woman with two small children starts her day off with a crying baby and winey demands from a three year old. She continues on with fulfilling their needs as she tries to get dressed for work and maybe spend a few minutes with her husband before he’s out the door and she’s left to get the boys ready for daycare. Everyone’s loaded and ready to go but Jessica forgot she needs to stop and get gas. Now running late she drops the kids off and is finally on her way to a long day in the office. Arriving only a few minutes late has her left with a bit of confidence but that suddenly fades as she catches sight of all the paperwork on her desk. The note on top reads “Must be done TODAY!” Jessica suddenly feels her heart sink and she sits in frustration. There’s no way this can all be done before the daycare closes at six and her husband works in the next town. He wouldn’t be able to pick up the boys either. She has already asked her boss for far too many favors and missed some days when the baby was sick. Her company doesn’t have any flexibility. If she doesn’t fulfill this task her job could be at stake (Hendrickson, 2014). Stories like Jessica’s are all too common and a flexible work schedule just might be the answer to these problems. If Jessica was able to complete work at home or on schedule a bit more flexible then she wouldn’t have to...
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