Welcome to the Island, as they say. We are looking at frightening new Coronavirus statistics and the real possibility that we’ll soon be in much more restrictive conditions as lock-downs and curfews are on the horizon. So time for Five From The Island. This week we explore some interesting perspectives on what changes when you work outside an office, in terms of work … [Read more...] about FIVE FROM THE ISLAND: 4 Dec 20
The WiFi Blues
Getting your home network rig ready for prime time. What tech malady most terrified office workers over the years? In the 1990s it was the BSOD “blue screen of death” in Windows. In the 2000s it was the “spinning wheel of death.” Now it’s “Your internet connection is unstable.” Talk about stressors in the workplace. What if we’re talking to a big customer? A prime … [Read more...] about The WiFi Blues
Five From The Island: 30 Oct 20
This week’s Five From The Island has an overall theme of communication across remote working groups. The first several articles explore the nature of “asynchronous” communication and the related notion of using “bursts” rather than nonstop streams. Closely related to how communications are different in remote teams, we bring an article that discourages leaders from dictating … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 30 Oct 20
Five From The Island: 23 Oct 20
In this week’s Five from the Island we begin by adding Amazon to the growing list of large employers extending work-from-home into mid-2021 and perhaps beyond. Following up on the buzz around workers relocating to less expensive zip codes to work-from-home, we cover the “ZoomTown” boom in the West. Look in the bonus items at the end to explore 10 affordable suburbs … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 23 Oct 20
Five From The Island: 16 Oct 20
This week we continue to cover CEO philosophy and opinions about remote work, including leaders like Slack’s Stewart Butterfield. Trust emerges again as an essential component in remote working, especially in performance management. We follow the impact of workers choosing to relocate, including an article about top tech companies falling into line with pay cuts for … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 16 Oct 20
Five From The Island: 9 Oct 20
This week we cover a lot of ground: from tech giant Microsoft joining big employers in inviting workers to stay home permanently (and with “geopay” comp adjustments if they move), to the ergonomics crisis that is spreading across kitchen tables and spare bedrooms and home offices everywhere. Yes it’s a pain in the neck (and back, and elbow, and eyes). We discover who is … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 9 Oct 20
Five From The Island: 1 Oct 20
This week we explore how video can break down hierarchies at work, and some more tips from a longtime pro about how to excel at working from home. An expert shares the latest thinking and best practices about showcasing yourself for that promotion or next job, and a surprising article about how Gen-Z bucks the trend in preference for working at the office….it’s not what you … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 1 Oct 20
Five From The Island: 25 Sept 20
This week we explore ways to sustain productivity, note two tech giants as they adjust their thinking and policies around remote work, and examine the return of Virtual Desktops (something first done at scale by Sun Microsystem way back in the 1980s, and is having a renaissance of sorts). We also share an article exploring the unexpected “scatter” of data across systems, which … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 25 Sept 20
The “New” Financial Implications of Working From Home
What remote workers need to consider, track, and plan. Be sure to join Matt for his free webinar on October 13th at 11am PT to talk through these considerations and more. You can register here. This is the first of a multi-part blog series on the financial implications of working from home. We will dive more deeply into some of the specific aspects as the series … [Read more...] about The “New” Financial Implications of Working From Home
Five From The Island: 18 Sept 20
This week we explore how we think about offices, sober reminders that a number of leaders in large companies are still resistant to long term remote working, to some good news about how visionary companies are recognizing remote as a permanent pillar and creating new positions to manage and improve. We include an article that has an ominous warning about what we call “zero … [Read more...] about Five From The Island: 18 Sept 20