Jeffrey W. Brown

Employers will need to become increasingly willing to accommodate their employees' desire for flexible scheduling, telecommuting, and job sharing in order to remain competitive in the changing workplace.  Technology has had a tremendous impact on the workplace, and society in general. It will become even greater as computers get smarter, faster, smaller, and so inexpensive that virtually everyone will be able to own one…and use one from their office, home or even the car.   

These days, the workplace has become anyplace.  As technology continues to improve, the lines between work and home will continue to converge.  According to expert predictions, almost a quarter of the American workforce will work form home more often than from a centralized office by the year 2020.  Keeping staff loyalty and cohesiveness strong in a technologically advanced workplace can be a challenge.  With different schedules and fewer personal interactions, office relationships suffer.  A user-friendly intra-office web community (that is accessible from inside the office as well as from home) is one means of keeping everyone informed and involved.  If you choose to telecommute or work flextime, do your part to maintain positive relationships with your coworkers.

The nonstop, technology-driven, global economy is tearing down the traditional concept of time as well. The Internet permits a person to conduct business during the day or night.  If you awake at 4:00 a.m. and want to work, you can.  If you need to make a meeting in Seattle at noon and be back in Atlanta for a dinner meeting by 6:00 p.m., it’s no problem!  The increasing use of the internet, e-mail, video conferencing, and voice mail has solved many of the problems associated with working across time zones.  Portable laptop computers, cell phones, pagers, and wireless Internet connections allow people to work from any place at any time.  Experiment and take advantage of new ways to manage your time.