Welcome to Part 13 – the final part of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

Today, in part 13 (the final part) of our telework podcast series our panel of experts answer any remaining questions from those who attended the teleseminar on how to start an effective telework program.

So listen in to Part 13: Q&A

Armed with the ideas, tips, and best practices we shared over the 13 sessions you can develop a telework plan that will dynamically change where and how you and your people work. We wish you the utmost success in embracing telework in your organization and enjoying all the benefits it has to offer!

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

Welcome to Part 12 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

After discussing some of the various issues over the past 12 parts of this podcast today we will be discussing how to take the important “next steps” to get the ball rolling and implement telecommuting in your organization.

In part 12 of our podcast we look at the “next steps” to moving forward with you telework plan.

So listen in to Part 12: Next Steps

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

Welcome to Part 11 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

When approaching telework it’s important to look at some of the key business issues and consult the right professionals before jumping in. Today we will be discussing some of the Legal, HR, and Tax implication regarding telework.

In part 11 of our podcast we look at some of the considerations and planning involved for the business side of telecommuting.

So listen in to Part 11: Legal, HR, and Tax Issues

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

Welcome to Part 10 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

When implementing telework many managers and HR departments are concerned about how to ensure workers health and safety are protected adequately, outside of the normal office environment. When working from a home office it is really a shared obligation. While companies have a responsibility for their employees safety while “at work” employees are also responsible for maintaining a safe home environment.

In part 10 of our podcast we look at some of the considerations and planning involved to ensure safety and reduce risk for your telecommuters.

So listen in to Part 10: Keeping at home workers safe

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day in sunny Florida so I decided to work from the back patio rather than my home office as I usually do.  It got me to thinking about how this is another example of what Jason and I are always talking about with regards to changing your workstyle – small adjustments that lead to big results.  I recorded this short video to talk about it and encourage you to work from somewhere other than your usual workplace.

Please excuse the shaky camera work – I was holding the Flip camera instead of using a tripod as I wanted to be able to show you some of the surroundings.  I’m still learning how to hold it steady when shooting myself (either that or maybe I should have had a little less coffee!)

So what is your favorite alternative place to work? Post a comment below and let us know!

Welcome to Part 9 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

One common concern when allowing people to work from home, or anywhere outside the office, is the security of company data.  With more people using laptops, smartphones, and other portable computing devices company data is often used and accessed from multiple locations. While security should certainly be a concern when setting up a telework program – don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of all the flexibility this way of working has to offer.  With proper planning and forethought you can have the technology and policies in place to ensure your people can work from anywhere while still keeping your company data secure.

In part 9 of our podcast we’ll be discussing security and confidentiality while looking at how to keep your data safe when people are working from remote locations.

So listen in to Part 9: Security and Confidentiality

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

During this past holiday season I spent about 18 days in Syracuse NY visiting family and friends.  I decided for the first time ever to travel for an extended holiday vacation without my laptop – having to walk through several airports lugging heave luggage I figured the less tech gear I had to take with me the better!  Thanks to two small pieces of technology (that fit in my pocket) and one service I use I was able to stay connected, entertained, and when needed – productive.

Watch this short video to learn more about how I took The Anywhere Office with me and was able to work from anywhere while traveling lighter than ever before!

Two things I forgot to mention in the video . . . The reason I have an iPod Touch and not an iPhone is because I refuse to switch from Verizon to AT&T as my cellphone provider.  I have been a loyal Verizon customer for years for two main reasons – excellent signal (I can make and receive calls from just about anywhere and almost never have a dropped call) and great customer service (sadly almost unheard of today).  The minute Apple gets smart and moves away from their exclusive deal with AT&T and brings the iPhone (or some variation of it) to Verizon I will be the first one in line to get one!

Also one additional app I use on my iPod Touch that really helped me stay in touch was Yahoo Messenger.  Yahoo is the main IM service I use and I was able to seamlessly stay connected using my iPod Touch so I didn’t miss any messages from my family, friends, and colleagues – simply awesome.

BTW – I shot this video using my new Flip UltraHD camcorder and the Gorilla Tripod – 2 more great portable pieces of technology I have!

Comment below and let me know what is the key technology you use to stay connected when on the road.

I recently entered a fun video contest sponsored by HotHardware.com and Viddler where they asked you to upload a short video telling them about your personal hardware or tech gear and why it enhances your world. The prize was a Flip UltraHD Camcorder.  These amazing video cameras shoot in HD and are small enough to fit in your pocket (a perfect addition to The Anywhere Office).  I’ve been wanting one for a while so when I saw the contest I just had to enter!  After some brainstorming with Jason we came up with a fun idea that not only highlighted some great tech but also explained the productivity boost I get from using it.  There were some very creative entries to the contest but happily about a week ago they announced me as the winner (waaahoo)!  Here is my winning entry:

If you’re not familiar with their website, HotHardware.com features computing/hardware news and reviews f0r technology enthusiasts and IT professionals. They have a wonderful active community and I highly recommend you sign up for free and join in the discussions.

In a recent post I talked about the importance of “sandbox time” and play when learning new technology. This contest entry is a perfect example.  I’ve been wanting to learn more about editing video with Sony Vegas for some time.  Instead of diving into a work project where I would be under a deadline and worried about making mistakes, I used this contest entry as a way to do something light and fun. I learned a lot of great editing tricks in order to quad myself and get the timing right on the various shots.

Well, I got my Flip camera in the mail yesterday (I was very excited when the UPS guy came to my door – I love getting my hands on new technology) so I thought I would post one of my first videos with it here so you can see how it plays!

Viddler.com still has uploading HD video in beta and my account hasn’t been granted that feature yet – so what you are seeing above doesn’t do the Flip it’s full justice – once they enable HD on my account I’ll repost this video in full 720 HD glory!

You can look forward to a lot more videos coming soon – the Flip makes it fun and easy – the way technology is supposed to be!

Welcome to Part 8 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

In rolling out a telework program it’s critical to have realistic expectations for involvement and output.  You need to have a clear idea of what success looks like so you will know when you have achieved it and have proper feedback channels in place so you can determine what areas might need more work or attention to fine tune your program. Don’t overlook the importance of training to help your people adjust to this shift in work and management style. You also want to make sure managers and teleworkers understand what is expected of them.

In part 8 of our podcast we  will be discussing how to manage expectations and the importance of having clear measurable objectives, getting feedback, and providing training.

So listen in to Part 8: Managing Expectation

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!

Welcome to Part 7 of our 13 part audio series on Flexible Work and Telecommuting -  Telecommuting in the 21st Century: How to Implement or Improve Virtual Teams and Flexible Work in Your Organization“.

When looking to roll out  telework or flexwork in your organization it often helps to start with a pilot program.  This can help you gather important feedback, make sure you have the right technology in place, and help you recognize any speed bumps that might arise when expanding your program throughout the rest of your company. The size of your company will dictate how formal and involved this process needs to be. However having some type of trial period is always a good way to start.

In part 7 of our podcast we look at steps for successful telework implementation and how to get started.

So listen in to Part 7: Where Do We Start?

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OUR PANEL OF EXPERTS:

Jeff Zbar : Founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com (and faciliator for our discussion on telecommuting).

Rachel Hastings: Vice President of WFC Resources Inc.

Phil Montero: CEO of Montero Consulting and Founder of YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com and TheAnywhereOffice.com.

Want the whole story?
Listen to all 13 parts of Telecommuting in the 21st Century.

We hope you find this audio series useful – please take a moment to post a comment and share your thoughts and feedback with us below!

Subscribe (in the right hand column) to be sure you don’t miss anything!