Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Articles & Books From Tara Powers
Your essential guide to working from home and staying connectedIn today's networked global economy, working from home is no longer a novelty. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies and organizations everywhere are embracing the game-changing benefits of allowing employees to work outside the office, and the results are profound: managers benefit by saving money and resources and by having access to talent outside their zip codes, while employees enjoy greater job opportunities, productivity, independence, and satisfaction—in part from the time saved not commuting.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
If you’ve ever searched for a job with a flexible work schedule, you know that there are a lot of too-good-to-be true listings and just plain scams. Sorting through all the junk postings makes it hard for anyone to find the truly great flex jobs that are available.Ten years ago, FlexJobs was created to solve this problem.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
The onboarding process is a time when employees need to feel welcomed to the team and have everything clearly explained to them so that they can hit the ground running in their new role. Here are some important steps you can take to develop a strong onboarding process for your remote employees: 1. Have tools and technology ready.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
Virtual team members who succeed at their job tend to be self-directed and take more individual responsibility to meet their goals and deadlines. High-performing remote employees are usually supported by a leader who sets clear goals and expectations, gives the team the freedom to make choices about how to design and take ownership for how the work gets done, and trusts them to make it happen.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
Choosing a structure for your team is vital. It outlines the way people relate to one another, how your team is organized, how roles are assigned, and how people communicate and make decisions.Selecting a team structure involves a variety of frameworks that are flexible to shift and change in order to support changing team goals and priorities.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
Defining your team members’ roles, the function they will perform, and the way they need to interact with other team members can help you hire the right people for the job and create a sense of clarity and calmness for your virtual team. With clearly defined roles for your team, you’ll quickly be able to identify the type of people you need and use that information to attract and hire the most qualified candidates.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
If you’ve ever tried to create a quality product without a defined, proven process in place, you most likely failed. That’s because quality doesn’t happen on accident. Quality happens when the outcome is intentional, habitual, consistently reliable, and repeatable.Selecting a team framework is a quality process that is important for team success and helps build team culture, consistency, and trust.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
Having a clear purpose for your virtual team and every team member role impacts how you interview, who you hire, how you work with other teams in the company, and what your goals, priorities, decisions, problem-solving methods, workflow, processes, and more are.
The steps to defining purpose is much deeper than simply stating your team exists to “find new business”, “make the company money”, “hire great employees”, “handle customer service”, or “build widgets”.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
Your virtual work environment can look different depending on the project you’re working on, your role, your remote working agreement, your company policies, and your living situation. You have several options when working virtually (at home, in a coffee shop, hoteling with your employer, and more).Every environment offers pros and cons and can influence what you’ll consider, what you’ll propose to your boss, or what the next type of virtual opportunity you’ll pursue.
Article / Updated 10-31-2018
If you’re in a traditional 8–5 job and you’ve decided to pursue virtual work, you can start with your current employer and put together a proposal for your boss and teammates that highlights the benefits of working virtually and addresses all of their probable concerns. Be prepared to answer tough questions and work through issues to convince your boss and your colleagues that you working virtually will be a good move for the company and your team.