Did your best office worker recently have a baby and she wants to stay home with the new one? Or, does she have three children and can't afford day care? This can be a real dilemma for a small business.
Good dependable employees are sometimes hard to find and keep, especially if they are already productive.
Maybe you can figure out how to keep that special employee by allowing them to work from home.
I once had this very thing happen to me and we worked it out so she was able to manage her family needs and give our company the expertise she had developed over the years.
I really think it worked out well.
I won't say that it was perfect, but we were able to get the work done and she was able to make the extra money she needed and be home with her young family.
Today's technology has come a long way with video conferencing, networking and wireless this and that, which allows for an employee to work from almost anywhere that has wifi.
When I figured out how my employee could work from home, it was sometime during 2001.
The technology was very limited, which made it difficult to connect to the main computer.
Through trial and error we made it happen.
Now days, it is much easier, cleaner and more cost effective.
Many businesses have virtual offices and save money by not having to pay rent on an office, however some businesses still need to have a location to house their employees and other assets.
One problem that we ran into then and that is still a concern now, is the relationship with the employee and coworkers by not having them in the office and having daily contact and interaction.
This can be overcome in different ways, depending on the circumstances.
In our case, in 2001, we would have Bonnie come into the office every week for a few hours to pick up work or supplies or just to interact with the "regulars".
Be creative in this regard.
Different things will work for different people under different conditions.
Maybe it is a lunch or a staff meeting that can happen weekly, bi-weekly or maybe just monthly.
Or maybe it is video conferencing that works for your situation.
Some employees are worth the time and effort to keep, no matter what it takes.
Be creative and willing to alter the way you do things.
It may pay off in the long run.
Good Luck.
Good dependable employees are sometimes hard to find and keep, especially if they are already productive.
Maybe you can figure out how to keep that special employee by allowing them to work from home.
I once had this very thing happen to me and we worked it out so she was able to manage her family needs and give our company the expertise she had developed over the years.
I really think it worked out well.
I won't say that it was perfect, but we were able to get the work done and she was able to make the extra money she needed and be home with her young family.
Today's technology has come a long way with video conferencing, networking and wireless this and that, which allows for an employee to work from almost anywhere that has wifi.
When I figured out how my employee could work from home, it was sometime during 2001.
The technology was very limited, which made it difficult to connect to the main computer.
Through trial and error we made it happen.
Now days, it is much easier, cleaner and more cost effective.
Many businesses have virtual offices and save money by not having to pay rent on an office, however some businesses still need to have a location to house their employees and other assets.
One problem that we ran into then and that is still a concern now, is the relationship with the employee and coworkers by not having them in the office and having daily contact and interaction.
This can be overcome in different ways, depending on the circumstances.
In our case, in 2001, we would have Bonnie come into the office every week for a few hours to pick up work or supplies or just to interact with the "regulars".
Be creative in this regard.
Different things will work for different people under different conditions.
Maybe it is a lunch or a staff meeting that can happen weekly, bi-weekly or maybe just monthly.
Or maybe it is video conferencing that works for your situation.
Some employees are worth the time and effort to keep, no matter what it takes.
Be creative and willing to alter the way you do things.
It may pay off in the long run.
Good Luck.
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