Millions of pages have been written about work and how we engage people in the most productive methods of reaching business goals.
There are so many good articles and theories available that I could spend the rest of my life reading and reading and reading…
However, the time comes when theory must be turned into actions…
We need to radically turn business around and work in a whole new way.
We need to rethink location, time, and status.
Data Bound
I have called these people Data Bound. Employees that work almost exclusively on a computer and telephone. They do not need to be in an office.
An insurance agent that never meets customers in the office can work from almost anywhere.
A programmer working on creating code for an application does not need to be in an office – in fact, an office can be a distraction to the programmer.
An employee taking calls to make appointments for a medical clinic does not need to be in an office.
A customer representative taking calls about orders does not need to be in an office.
These are all data-bound employees and perfect candidates for working remotely.
The problem is that many in management are concerned that the employees will not do their work if they are not sitting in an office. I have discussed this problem in other blog posts.
This mindset needs to change.
The focus of management needs to be on results and not where the work is done.
Once a specific place is removed from the equation, there is a whole new world of candidates available for work. It is downright exciting.
Think about employees that cannot leave their home for health reasons. They will be great workers when they able to work in a location that is convenient for them.
There are people that live in far away cities and towns that won’t move but would be great employees.
Other people just don’t want to leave home each day to face a grinding commute.
Others may have sick children or temporary illnesses that would allow them to work from home but not come into an office.
Taking the risk for remote work is terrifying but will be very rewarding!
For an interesting history of the office, check this article.