When I first started working from home, the concept was new to many people. No one got it, especially my boss. However, the company I worked for at the time was small (50 employees) and they didn’t want or need an actual office presence, so I worked from my Dad’s house in suburban Chicagoland.
2 years went by and I decided it was time to move on. It was the year 2000 (or thereabouts) and after being addicted to the work-at-home flexibility, ‘remote capabilities’ became a key criteria in my job search. No longer did I want to be held captive in a cube where I felt (or at least convinced myself) that creativity died. I latched on to a great company and quickly excelled. I spoke to my manager on a daily basis, not because I needed coaching, but because she wanted to keep tabs on the ‘guy that works from home”. Alas, remote capabilities did not mean remote trust.
I recall the day that she asked us to install Microsoft’s consumer-based instant messaging client. I had been using it for a while already but I was excited that she was turning the corner on collaboration, flexibility,etc. Later, I found out that the install had a single purpose: to determine what time her team logged into their PCs. Laughable, yes, but it was part of her evolution. This is indeed a function of presence and the anywhere/anytime mindset. She wasn’t using it to it full capability, but nevertheless, the use of technology helped her manage a remote team.
I stayed with that company for 5 years and left in pursuit of a higher paycheck. Like my last job search, working remote - at will - was a key requirement. After a rather short search (in 2006) I found what I wanted. More money, better sales job, and yes - work where you want!
Today, I speak to my boss perhaps once per week and it’s because I am negotiating a deal or otherwise need his title to advance my cause. I work absolutely anywhere I want and the guy doesn’t care. ‘Get your job done, hit your numbers, and you can work from Mexico if you want”. Quite a leap of faith.
Oddly, my manager today is upwards of 60 years old and he gets it. The boss that tracked my time like a hawk was only 30. Different strokes for different folks I guess, but it’s proof that adoption of this nomad culture is not only for new tech companies, nimble start-ups, or the kid that just graduated. It’s for any person or any company that wants to broaden the candidate pool they search for skilled workers.
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This is absolutely essential for any employer these days — period….
Dell,
I’m not sure I get it. This is a great site. It has not been publicized. I found it totally by chance. You have a ton of potential with this, yet you seem to be letting it completely faze out. there are incredible blogs and interviews — I’d keep coming back, but I need fresh content. And, I’d also like some sort of interactivity with other users. I saw the article about Michael Dell today in the NY Times, well, I was forwarded it. Sort of seems to me that you are missing a big opportunity here that could be ongoing, but better. Partner with cool sites, make this thing blow up.
@Tom G — first, thank you for your comment. While I agree that there always more we can do with this site, I’m pretty proud of where we’ve taken it to date. Is there more that we can do? Absolutely. But as I read in a post somewhere today (too many blogs to remember them all), what makes a community great is allowing the members to shape what it looks like. It was much of that input from our readers that shaped our thinking around the recent modifications and revisions to make the site better to read and navigate. I’m all ears if you’d like to make some specific suggestions. Drop me a note (and anyone else reading this can do the same) at bruce_eric_anderson@dell.com. Again, thanks for your comments, here and on other posts.
Bruceericatdell