Telework Research Network: Keeping the Worker Home

Although telework may not be the future of working, it is a future of working. Teleworking is when an employee works out of his or her home via the internet or other wired or wireless communication between the worker and the office.

Teleworking is more widespread than you may realize: that person right on the other side of your cubicle’s patrician could be a part-time teleworker.

I’ve got to be honest with you, I’m a part-time teleworker. I’ve got my full-time gig with all the benefits along with the opportunity to wear a tie forty hours a week in downtown Sacramento. But in the evenings and on the weekend I put in close to twenty hours a week writing freelance assignments.

Since I work for a number of different employers, I am by no means stuck at twenty hours a week. I can cut back when I wish to and ramp back up at other times. The twenty hours is my upper limit and something I can do rather easily while my daughter is busy with homework.

There are also some employees who do all of their full-time work, or at least the bulk of it, as telework. The worker enjoys it because working from home gets rid of ten commutes a week and also reduces clothing and lunch costs. The employer enjoys it too, because telework cuts down on office costs and also improves employee morale.

There is an organization dedicated to spreading the positive word about teleworking: the Telework Research Network. If you are interested in learning more about teleworking for yourself or your organization, I strongly recommend that you contact this organization since they can help you form a pro-telework argument that just might turn the heads you need to turn.

oDesk: Bringing the World Together One Freelancer at a Time

The workforce is changing, and jobs are moving and shifting around. To survive, workers and employers alike have got to be able to adapt and take advantage of this ever-changing environment. oDesk is one of the most effective ways for employers to match up with employees that possess the exact skill sets they are looking for.

oDesk is an online platform that is home to a global job marketplace. It works simply by providing a place for employers to post help-wanted type ads online, which thus simultaneously offers a way for prospective employees to apply for these jobs. Once a contract has been assigned, oDesk tracks an employee's hours worked and takes screen shots of the work being done, giving the employer an effective means to monitor the work as it is being done. oDesk also handles the payment process, and it guarantees that hourly workers get paid. For this, oDesk receives 10% of the payment. There are no other fees.

Created in 2003 by Greek entrepreneurs Odysseas Tsatalos and Stratis Karamanlakis, the Redwood City, CA company – according to CEO Gary Swart in this article – has at least 1.5 million freelancers working for 250,000 employers. Most of oDesk's employers are small companies and its employees come from all around the world. Employers can find work writing, translating, developing software, statistical analysis and virtual personal assisting.  

People can decry the shifting landscape of employment, of the moving of jobs around the world. People can also celebrate it and take advantage of it. However, what people must not do, is deny it.

To learn more about Odesk, visit:
Interview with Odesk CEO Gary Swart
CNN Odesk Article