Web Worker Daily |
| What makes web working more difficult? Posted: 20 Aug 2008 03:00 PM CDT There are many things that make web working sound like a dream come true - flexible hours, lower transportation costs, and the ability to work anywhere we want. However, as web workers we know that there are things that make our work more challenging. If at least 40% of the American workforce have jobs that can be done from home, what exactly prevents them all from becoming teleworkers? Worker evaluation based on time and presence. For most knowledge workers, their workplace still tends to be time and presence oriented, rather than results oriented. This means that employees are required - or simply preferred, whether intentionally or not - to show up at the office even if they don’t necessarily have to. Even the employees themselves are aware of this, and 62% employees in one survey actually believe that their respective companies prefer that they physically show up for work. Lack of lay understanding. Not everyone understands teleworking, and some people don’t even recognize it as “real work”, whatever that means. It’s a small hindrance, but it has its consequences - especially if those who misunderstand teleworking are your colleagues and clients. There are several myths surrounding teleworkers, often making them sound as if they were lazy, require a lot of ‘babysitting’ from supervisors, or are less loyal to the company. If the people you work with believe these myths, even slightly, their perception of you and your work changes. The sad thing is that in business, perception is important - no matter how flawed or misinformed the onlooker’s perspective may be. Few mass-market telepresence products. While email and instant messaging serve their purpose, we can communicate even better with our clients and companies if affordable, high quality teleconferencing products were the norm. Affordability is important, otherwise corporations would be more hesitant to allow employees to telework if doing so would cost more. With reliable teleconferencing systems, we can still be teleworkers without losing “face time” with supervisors, colleagues, and other business contacts - perhaps allowing teleworking to appeal even to those who crave the social nature of traditional offices. Data security needs improvement. Although organizations are now being open-minded about web working, there are still several things that are being overlooked, especially when it comes to data security, according to a recent survey:
As the survey shows, apart from the equipment itself, company standards, department accountability, and data security training would make web working a safer option for both the employee and the company. The fewer security vulnerabilities occur, the safer everyone will feel about the option to telework. These obstacles might make web working more difficult, but with its increasing popularity comes the development of best practices, revisions of company policies, and the rise of innovative products. The numbers seem to be on our side, so we only have a few years to wait before this list of difficulties will be crossed out - and replaced with new ones.           |
| Good News for Flying Web Workers Posted: 20 Aug 2008 02:00 PM CDT As reported on our parent blog GigaOm, this is a good day for web workers who are forced to travel by air: American Airlines has become the first domestic carrier to offer full in-flight broadband internet access. This won’t necessarily make up for all the rising costs, security tightening, and general hassles of flying these days, but at least you’ll be able to be more easily productive in the air. The service is launching on nonstop flights between New York and San Francisco, New York and LA, and New York and Miami. Like everything else about air travel, it’s not free - but the $12.95 per flight charge should be easier to swallow than $15 to check another bag.           |
| Posted: 20 Aug 2008 01:00 PM CDT When we looked at last year’s Telework Report from CDW, the federal government stood out as a leader in encouraging telecommuting. This year’s report, which should be available on the CDW site shortly, paints a different picture. Thanks to strong growth in support from corporate IT departments, as well as price pressure at the gas pump, private sector telework has surged. The simplest bottom-line numbers: 17% of Federal employees telework on a regular basis, as do 14% of private-sector employees. There’s been a marked change in the reasons employees offer for being interested in telework as well. Compared to last year, the number of people who are motivated by lowered expenses - primarily commuting expenses - has jumped from 31% to 67%. (This data correlates well with an IBM study from earlier this year that found $4.50 per gallon gas would be the breaking point for many commuters). There are other points of interest in the CDW report as well. I was struck by the divergence in how often people telework. At the Federal level, only 6% of teleworkers do so for five days per week; that number is 30% in the private sector. Private workers also lead at 3 and 4 days per week, while 30% of Federal teleworkers do so less than one day per week. Overall, it seems clear that telecommuting is not the all-or-nothing option that it’s sometimes portrayed as; many web workers are only enabled by the web part-time, and in a traditional office setting the rest of the time. 68% of private sector employees, and 57% of federal ones, say the would telework if they had the option. The overwhelming reason for doing so: “more flexibility” (though “high gas prices” was not far behind). As for those who would skip it, the leading concern was isolation from fellow employees, followed by not wanting to work from home and reduced productivity. The bottom line is simple: telework is here to stay, and given the current economic picture, it continues to make gains as a mainstream option. Those of us who work on the web full-time, though, are still the exception rather than the rule, even in the teleworking ranks.           |
| Zapproved: Streamline Decisions Posted: 20 Aug 2008 10:00 AM CDT
Zapproved also lets you attach files to documents, as well as setting due dates, priorities, and project names. Although you need an account to use the service, the others on your team do no. If your team is distributed and you spend an inordinate amount of time chasing down consensus on routine matters, it’s worth a look. Zapproved is free while in beta, though they do say there will be a charge at launch.           |
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