Clunky, arbitrary and impersonal, the performance review as traditionally structured seems a particularly poor fit for web work. Feedback and performance evaluations are essential in business, but when it comes to web workers, is there a better way to accomplish this than the traditional review? Read more »
The flexibility and autonomy of web working can boost productivity and morale, but letting company information out of the secure perimeter of corporate headquarters also opens organizations up to a whole host of security concerns, according to a recent article from MIT’s Technology Review. Read more »
Recently we asked if web workers are particularly susceptible to workaholism. Opinions certainly differ on the question, but what if the hypothesis is true and, as some experts fear, there’s an epidemic of work addiction in the web worker community? Read more »
There’s a tension at the heart of web working. Technology allows us to do our jobs anywhere, and there’s plenty of appetite for the flexibility of location-independence. But while workers want autonomy, they also want social connection. How will this tension be resolved in the future? Read more »
In May, Microsoft released its annual “Work Without Walls” survey, which ranks the best cities for telecommuting. Microsoft is hardly the only organizations to draw up such as list. Forbes and Money magazine have also crowned top telecommuting cities. But are these lists useful? Read more »
Web work has many benefits, but less discussed are the downsides. Several experts feel that there is at least one serious one: increased workaholism. Does being on the cutting edge of connectivity and evolving workstyles make web workers more vulnerable to becoming workaholics? Read more »
In a recent article that will be of interest to any manager of a team with members telecommuting across state lines, the WSJ warned that having an office in, say, Connecticut, and a web worker in your employ based in New York, can cause tax headaches. Read more »
If you work on your own and get creatively blocked, you’re equally on your own to try and unstick yourself and get productive again. Programmer, designer, copywriter — whatever your field of work, it’s the same dilemma: How do you prod your unresponsive brain to deliver the goods? Read more »
As I noted in my post about the amnesty offered by the IRS for those with hidden overseas assets, the flexibility of web work can encourage cross-border collaborations and contracts and allow location-independent workers to live abroad for a period of time. Taxes, predictably, get complicated. Read more »
With technology advancing, there are fewer practical restrictions to act as a barrier to increased uptake of virtual working. So what is holding organizations back from broader adoption of the practice? Perhaps, in part, middle managers and their lack of training. Read more »
The dot-com bust proved a bumpy ride for Shane Pearlman. After working at five companies in two years, he decided that he’d actually have more security as a freelancer. Eventually, he joined with a frequent collaborator, and software consultancy Shane & Peter was born. Read more »
Working remotely sometimes means getting hired remotely – which often means nailing a video interview. Whether it’s over Skype or some other tech, communicating qualifications and reading the interviewer’s body language through the barrier of a lens can be a challenge. So how can you ensure success? Read more »
We’re in the business of exploring and advocating the mobile future of work, but no matter how strongly we push the latest in remote collaboration tools and techniques, we still acknowledge that many people feel some things are better done in person. Read more »
How exactly did the recession affect remote work – were employers spoiled for choice and reluctant to allow flexibility? Did lean economic times increase the number of workers looking for remote gigs? WebWorkerDaily spoke to Sara Sutton Fell, the founder and CEO of FlexJobs, to find out: Read more »
For plugged-in workers, the web offers the ability to work from anywhere – including other countries. For web workers who’ve worked while abroad and maybe weren’t entirely honest with Uncle Sam about the money they made there, the IRS is currently offering an amnesty. Read more »
Everyone knows what an intranet is: a website that’s internal to an organization and helps workers be more productive. But though well understood, the term “intranet” isn’t exactly sexy. Is it time to replace it with “digital workplace,” as some are arguing? Read more »
Here on WebWorkerDaily we regularly cover new collaboration tech, from virtual phone systems to multiuser video chat apps. All of these offer incremental improvements on the tech available to web workers, but what radical new tech tools might be in the distant future of remote collaboration? Read more »
For several years at least, experts have predicted that so-called “YouTube for the Enterprise” will be the next big thing in corporate communications. There are plenty of offerings in the space, but what do actual workers think of the idea? Read more »
Not long after starting an online marketing company with his partner, California-based David Chan realized that his growing business demanded more manpower and set about engaging a team of remote workers. WebWorkerDaily spoke to Chan to find out what’s worked for him and what hasn’t. Read more »
The Telework Enhancement Act is designed to increase telework opportunities for federal employees. Agencies are now winding up the process of complying with its requirements. What lessons do their efforts hold for businesses interested in starting their own web work programs? Read more »
Most of us have social networking profiles these days, and though survey results differ on the exact percentage, a whole lot of hiring managers and recruiters can’t resist taking a peek at them. But do people get an accurate picture of others’ personalities from their profiles? Read more »
Social networking may be an omnipresent trend these days in the consumer sphere, but not every boss is thrilled when someone suggests bringing it into the enterprise. Yammer Co-Founder and CTO Adam Pisoni has an argument to convince any skeptic. Read more »
Spending plenty of time in your chair at your home office doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that is good for your health, but there is one aspect of the web worker lifestyle that may make it healthier than life at a traditional office: autonomy. Read more »
like the dinosaurs, which scientists tell us live on as chickens, the office building of the past is unlikely to become completely extinct, but rather to evolve to meet the demands of new kinds of workers. So what will this new paradigm look like? Read more »
It’s not only work that goes on at work. A portion of the office day in is taken up with complimenting new hairstyles, joking about a colleague’s sports team and the like. Web workers tend to miss out on these quick doses of human connection. Read more »
You’re an experienced manager and have been shepherding your in-office team effectively for years. And then things shift, you change roles, or a new project comes along, and suddenly the people you work with are scattered across the continent. Does all your old management wisdom apply? Read more »
When it comes to remote work, is the point cost savings or employee motivation? Maybe it depends on the continent, suggests a ZDNet Asia article. It notes that while telecommuting is frequently used for cost saving in the U.S., in Asia it’s used for employee morale. Read more »
Sitting on the beach and sipping an umbrella drink doesn’t sound like the kind of task that requires an instruction manual, but it’s hard for web workers know when work ends and vacation begins. How can you switch off without appearing to slack off? Read more »
Organizations often opt to hire web workers from far away locales in order to tap into specific skills. But this focus on skills could be causing managers to miss a fundamental fact: Hiring remote workers with the right personality is even more crucial. Read more »
Good managers foresee costs and budget for them, but according to one researcher out of George Mason University, there is a whole class of costs managers of internationally distributed teams may be ignoring: the price of subtle miscommunication and cultural miscues. Read more »
There’s an array of technology that can help keep a remote team connected. But once you’ve got all the tech channels in place to share information seamlessly, you still may be missing one key ingredient for the smooth flow of ideas: the lubricating effects of gossip. Read more »
In the networked, geographically dispersed workplace of the future, the mental traits of World of Warcraft (WoW) enthusiasts — being bottom-line oriented, tolerant of diversity, comfortable with constant change, happy to learn, and intensely interested in innovation — may be hugely beneficial. Read more »
Independent online workers appear to be doing relatively well, according to a report from Elance, which shows earnings increasing for online workers in 40 out of 50 states. And that’s true even for those workers are located in places where other job hunters seeking are struggling. Read more »
No one is arguing with the reality that part-timers and contractors are making up a larger slice of the total employment pie, and that they save businesses money. But when it comes to the longer-term effects of more contingent workers, consensus is harder to find. Read more »
A lot has been written about how to overcome the communication challenges faced by virtual teams who work together but are physically distant. What has been covered less often is the topic of the communication advantages of being distant. Experts tell us there are a few. Read more »
Between the continuing economic recovery and the political unrest throughout the Middle East, 2011 has seen oil prices continue to rise. It’s obvious raising the cost of commuting increases the appeal of web working, but have we already seen an increase in home-based work? Read more »
The public at large could be forgiven for assuming that most CEOs are against greater government involvement in healthcare, but at least one chief executive is speaking up for it. Mike Paolucci, CEO of Solvate, predicted that universal healthcare is “coming down the pike for sure.” Read more »
You’ve decided to add another web worker to your team to speed up a project or provide key skills. Great! Now all you have to do is find and hire the perfect candidate for the job, but hiring remote workers presents some unique challenges. Read more »
Managers establishing virtual teams may dream of attracting the best and brightest in New York, San Francisco and Shanghai. The workers of rural places and smaller cities probably feature less often. Now the proponents of a movement known as “rural sourcing” are trying to change that. Read more »
