Virtual-employees - Now I'm just making stuff up!

Employed, un-employed, under-employed, over-employed, self-employed - these statuses have been about the "what" of employment and who is considered in these classifications. What about the "where" of employment?

Many years ago and certainly before it was named or vogue, I was a virtual-employee and also managed virtual-employees. I guess a common colloquialism might be employees that "wore fuzzy slippers" - connoting a person who needs only roll-out-of-bed to their home office/desk. I can honestly say that with very minor exception I was usually dressed in some form of "business casual or casual" every day I worked from home.

With this "fuzzy slipper" connotation often came ideas that employees working from home, watched TV, did laundry, ate bon-bons, etc. The thought was that there couldn't be real productivity or accountability from this scenario. But entrepreneurial folks will tell you that the ability to save on the overhead of an office might be the key to getting a business started and back in the 90s companies like IBM were exploring this model as a means to save on overhead, but also to avoid the constraints of geography.

Maynard Webb, CEO of LiveOps, a call-center services company http://www.liveops.com/ has built an entire profit model on the idea that creating a workforce that is completely flexible to the needs of its clients is key to growth and success. LiveOps employs more than 20,000 operators nationwide - these operators (call-center agents) are contractors that work from home, selecting their clients and work slots in blocks as small as 30 minutes. Now this may be more plausible in the call-center occupation as it is materially a job that can be done from anywhere as long as the skills of service match the needs of the clients. That said, there are any number of other occupations that this model might serve.

My own experience was a little different than the LiveOps example - I was an executive at a very large Fortune 500 company and also managed virtual (at home) employees across the country. We were all employees (W-2) and not contractors, but the premise of the way we worked was much the same. It didn't matter where we were, we were servicing clients everywhere and they didn't much care where we reported everyday as long as we were with them when they needed us.

Some similar companies that use a virtual service model - mostly in the IT space and often using freelancers are ODesk http://www.odesk.com/ and Elance http://www.elance.com/p/landing/buyerA5.html. These and LiveOps along with other models are based on a "supply-chain" model - a "just-in-time" concept of sorts. It makes sense.

So here's my question. Naysayers would probably suggest that there might be risks associated with the virtual-employee model - how do you ensure productivity, quality and such? The fact of the matter is that these are tangible/measurable aspects of work. It simply takes managing performance by results rather than by attendance and effort. What's the fear and is the world (and by world here I mean the U.S.) ready for a full-on virtual-employee model (where the work supports it)?

Give it some thought - what do you already think about virtual-employees and does what you've read here shift that thinking in some way?

I personally loved being a virtual-employee! It was hard at times to stay motivated and focused. There was an aspect of isolation I dealt with at times. Much to the contrary of the typical connotation of bon-bon eating, I often didn't stop for lunch and there were countless times that I lost complete track of time - ending my Fridays after 7:00pm. There were two true draw-backs for me: 1.) my work was ALWAYS there and it felt like I was being a slacker if I didn't attend to things immediately. (Maybe that's an over-responsibility factor of wanting others to KNOW I was "really” working) 2.) my family and friends often thought I had all the time in the world on my hands - wasn't I free to do as I pleased, when I pleased? Couldn't I just stop anytime to finish the chores, pick up the dry-cleaning and generally meet the needs of others?

If you are un or under-employed or maybe if you feel over-employed and are looking for an alternative way to do good work in the future, consider the "where" of your employment situation!

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

Your job and your work - are they the same thing?

Several summers ago I was just starting a new job at a new company. I was discussing how excited I was with my uncle and he asked me about the “work” I would be doing. I responded by telling him my job title and rattling of the list of responsibilities I would have. He asked me a very simple but powerful question: "How do you define “work"”? I started to re-purpose some of what I had just said and he stopped me and asked "Does “work” have to result in compensation – what about all of the other valuable things you do"?

I eventually stopped talking and started listening. My uncle had been in Corporate America for his entire career. In later years he also bought and ran a farm and much later still, he taught classes in organic farming to weary farmers from all over the state – they had come to join him for a pasture walk on his 100 acre farm just south of La Cross, WI in a small town called Coon Valley, WI - population 200. That day he talked to me about work in a new way - a way I'd not conceived of before. This stuck with me and has become part of how I define "what I do for a living", today.

The distinction that I'm attempting here is between the value often assigned to where we go to work or our title and responsibilities, compared to the actual contribution or difference we make to people and organizations. The first I would define as a "job" and the second I would define as "work". This distinction is important because it's often how we self-identify, self-actualize and certainly how we derive value. If we see "job" and "work" as synonymous terms then we might be missing a way to encompass more in how we define and value ourselves and what we bring to society.

I'm not intending to pass judgment in any way, merely establish a more thorough way of defining the broad range of activities we all engage in as part of how we thing about, talk about and value "work". If I go to work each day at ACME Company and doing my job gives me what I need, then there's no need to read any further. A good day’s wages for a good days work is a respectable perspective to have about one's "work". I would define this as more the notion of having a "job".

If like many of us, we define our worth by not only the wages we make, but also the value we transcribe in doing the "work" we do, then "job" is an insufficient concept and term. And what about the "work" we do outside the walls of our employer? We teach our children how to be adults, we teach our fellows how to be better spiritual beings, and we teach our aging parents how to use the Internet or an ATM machine. We volunteer time in schools, organizations and places of worship. We take care of our homes, we help our neighbors’ plant trees or build additions, and we give of our time, our minds and our might in an effort to be valued citizens. Is this all not part of the concept of "work"?

If we identify ourselves by the "work" we do rather than the "job" we have it seems possible to more aptly derive the kind of robust value that is reciprocal to the effort we contribute. This speaks to the idea that "everything counts" (paid positions, internships, temporary positions, volunteer roles, mentoring roles, etc.) rather than defining the "work" we do by the constrained walls and hours of a place of business or set of responsibilities.

From an employer’s perspective it’s important to me to know all of the experiences, talents and skills a prospective employee will contribute to my organization. Some of those might have been the result of non-job related activities that are no less valuable to the talent acquisition equation.

From a job seeker’s perspective it’s fair to include everything on your resume, your online profile or while discussing a potential position with an employer. That’s why outplacement experts coach job seekers to take a thorough inventory of ALL experiences, talents and skills they possess before they start writing a resume, networking or marketing themselves to potential employers.

What do you think? How do you define "work" and do you count every activity you engage in as part of that equation, whether you are compensated monetarily or not?

For those of you still looking for “work”, this might be a good exercise to embark on – you may discover things about yourself that you wouldn’t have considered relevant and valuable to an employer before.

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!

p.s. Two past blog posts you might also find useful when exploring this subject: "Non-Profit Jobs" http://bit.ly/9sxhXS and "Will you do what it takes to get the job you want?" http://bit.ly/aRxBxa

Will you do what it takes to get the job you want?

This post will cover three really important concepts. 1.) Being open to non-traditional employment options, 2.) Commit, but don't get too dug in, and 3.) Money isn't anything if you can't get yourself some.

First I want to say that while helping others to conduct job searches; I've been conducting my own since December 2008. Seems like a lifetime ago and just yesterday all at once. Today I am happy to report that I have landed a fantastic position at a dynamic company with smart, funny and creative people. How did I get here? That is the question of the day...

I have to go way back for this little story...back to 2003 in fact. In mid-2003 I was downsized from a company where I had worked for 17 years. I had been fortunate to grow-up with the company and along the way completed my Bachelors Degree, got married a couple of times and survived a diagnosis of Breast Cancer at the age of 34 (TMI - maybe, but the context of our lives is important, so here it is). There were many other events that took place over those 17 years, but it's accurate to say that I worked hard, took risks, changed the lives of those I worked with and was changed by those same people too. It would be an understatement to say that I was "dug in"!

After many months of search I was asked by an acquaintance if I would be open to "contract or temp work". After about six months into a grueling search (grueling because I wasn't very well networked in my community so I was literally starting from scratch...and remember this is pre-LinkedIn), I contacted a good friend of mine who happens to work for one of the largest global staffing firms. She was kind enough to point me in the direction of two of their branch offices and make those important introductions. One thing led to another and about a month later I was offered a three month contract position at this same staffing firm's headquarters. The assignment, as I would learn to call it, lasted four months.

In those four months I learned their industry, their culture, and their customers and met as many people as possible everyday! This is important concept #1 - It's an advantage to look for a job from within the walls of an employer. After my assignment ended there wasn't a permanent position suited for me, but a couple months later the Director of the department I had worked in called to say that she had a new role opening up and thought of me - she felt I would be a great fit. This role wasn't an exact match to what I was looking for and I had a few other options in my pipeline by this time, but I felt that I'd be able to leverage my prior four months of experience and that would let me get a quick start at success.

I held a number of progressive positions at this firm and in late 2008 was part of the third wave of a reduction in force (RIF), on the heels of the economic downturn of 2008. There were many waves of RIFs to follow at this employer and many others in our community, across the country and the globe. If you're reading this you or someone you know understandings this all too well. While at this last firm I filled my drawers with things, put books and photos on my selves, I was even part of staring in a company branding video - yep, that's me "dug in again". It made leaving the place and the many friends I had made over those five years quite difficult. Ironically a month after my RIF I was contacted my one of their branch offices with an offer to return to another part of the firm's global team on a contract assignment for three months. While I made some efforts to parley that into another longer stint, the economy wasn't on my side this time. I was offered outplacement as part of my severance package and took full advantage of those services.

Just like at my prior employer, I worked hard, carried work home and made myself available nearly anytime for those that needed me. This is important concept #2 - In both cases, I don't regret my commitment, but what I wouldn't recommend to anyone is this. I became the place. Too much of me was invested. Too much of whom I was came from where I worked and what I did while I was there. There's a better way.

So I'll fast-forward a bit here...from the end of 2008 to present I took a contract role for three months, went through outplacement services, started my own consulting company, went through job/education services at the DWD, enrolled in a graduate certificate program with stimulus grant money, took two classes, got a 3.5 GPA, took a part-time job with a local non-profit, took small consulting gigs, networked, networked, networked, met and met with tons of people (all of whom were willing to help me if I could articulate what I needed and all of whom contributed in some way to my employment today), volunteered, did things I didn't think I could do and said "yes" to as much as possible, believing that all of this activity would pay off. It eventually did, just maybe in a side-ways sort of fashion. This is concept #3.

Concept #3 is possibly a little hard to swallow, but hear me out. During my roughly 19 months of under or un-employment I, like so many, had to do a little down-sizing of my own. I share this for the sole purpose of perspective. Others had it worse and still others had it better...no shame, no remorse, and no regrets. I eventually moved in with a friend rent-free. I sold my 2006 fancy-pants car and bought a reliable 1999 car for cash. I worked out payment plans with nearly all of my creditors; I went back to my cash-flow thinking of my early 20s. I asked my family for money. I let people buy me lunch or coffee. All of this was a lesson in humility!!! To say I'm grateful for those willing to help me and for what I have in my life just doesn't cover it! I also evaluated for the first time in a long time what I "NEEDED" to make in terms of a salary.

Now I want to be clear here - It's important to know and value one's self-worth. I certainly had moments when I doubted that. What allowed me to really see and understand, for possibly the first time in my life was this! Did I want to be right (right in that I have a real market value) or could I agree (with myself) that I wanted to be happy?? I chose happy. I am employed at a really small company so what I do means something everyday - lots of visibility and transparency! I get to be the best-version of myself (my whole self) everyday and feel valued. I feel a part of something and my efforts are palpable in our results. Oh yeah...I stated here as a contract employee before I was hired as a permanent employee (back to concept #1). I carry my purse in with me every day and I leave with it every night. I'm committed, I work hard, I get passionate about the work when I'm here and the only thing left on my desk at the end of the night is a phone and a laptop that belong to the company. It's a love affair when I'm here but when I'm not it's not. I'm happy, they're happy, there's mutual respect. The likelihood that my time here will be short is quite high - as start-ups go...we'll be acquired sometime in the next few years and anything could change. What won't change is how I view the concept of "work" for the rest of my years doing it!

People want to help you, but you have to tell them how! Like the Yellow Brick Road, job search is scary, uncertain and long, but there are people along the way who can help!

You can do this!