The world is crossing over to a new era in which office premises have become portable. Computers that used to sit on desktops have been replaced by fleet-footed hand-held devices. The shackles of “present-teeism” the industrial revolution forged have been replaced by bonds of mutual self-respect between collaborators. The real challenge is getting people to embrace this new way of doing business.
Some managers still count productivity by keystrokes and loyalty by split-second timekeeping. They’re happy to leave their employees burning midnight oil at the office for hours. Ask them if they couldn’t get the same results, and better in the comfort of their homes and the answer can be concerning. I’ll leave you to fill in the dots.
Data has mushroomed in the past ten years. Knowledge enables us to live better lives in modern cities. People are flocking to urban centers in unprecedented numbers in search of well-paid jobs. It is becoming imperative to find ways to reverse this trend, and distribute the people back to where they belong in their communities.
As we achieve this we will finally begin to put to bed the mentality that work and private time are separated by a chasm of mistrust. It’s no longer acceptable to turn the servers off and lock the office for the weekend. Social media can be good, very good for business. But they may cease to be our friends when we forget that they are not as time-bound as we may think we are.
Twenty years ago employees were fired for personalizing office cubicles and taking company documents home with them. Forward thinking firms are recognizing that accommodating employees’ lifestyles boosts productivity considerably. They have discovered that when they let go, let be and trust, the benefits help them outperform their competition. In the process they are discovering ways of managing in this new environment.
The golden key is devising creative methods of measuring productivity, that challenge employees to greater heights while recognizing their individuality. Opening opportunities for enterprise mobile employees to gain control over their lives in the context of employer loyalty, has become a proven way to improve profitability.
This implies a shift from eyeball management to mentorship. Traditional hierarchies collapse in the face of the power of collaboration. Meetings become precious times in which to share new ideas and inspire each other. Performance appraisal reviews become positive moments to look forward to.
REFERENCES
http://allafrica.com/stories/201301181527.html
http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2012/11/remote-working-the-key-to-productivity/
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/77c904b6-51b1-11e1-a99d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2JxClPBCx
http://www.itnewsafrica.com/2012/11/remote-working-the-key-to-productivity/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxR_XYR52wc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGoShvx83LY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9osKHMTO3E
Let us know what you think ….