Hello, my name is Sandra and I am proud to be a Professional Virtual Assistant! I have worked in the Virtual Assisting Industry as an independent VA and through a Virtual Staffing Agency (VSA). I have done Sales and Customer Service for a VSA and I have been a client with a VA Team of my own. I've seen it from every angle! I have developed a passion not only for this industry but also for mentoring and training women who want to have successful VA Businesses.
Telecommuting – Maybe society just isn’t ready?
This Article about Telecommuting in the September 7 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle is an excellent overview of the issues surrounding telecommuting not only from a management perspective but from an employee perspective. It demonstrates the fact that society has not quite caught up with technology at least on a corporate level.
Attitudes on both sides are evolving and I think they will eventually catch up with technology. There are many variables involved however, from economic issues to social ones. So, at least, for now, if you truly want to work from home, working as an independent contractor may be your best course of action.
Working as a Virtual Assistant allows you the freedom to work with like-minded individuals. Many former employees are allowing their inner entrepreneur to emerge because they are ready to embrace the technology and the benefits it brings to their life style. Those entrepreneurs are very skilled at the work they do but they aren’t skilled at the general administrative work that must be done. That’s were Virtual Assistants become a vital part of their business.
When you bring current technology and the current economic climate together with a society no longer willing to play by traditional corporate rules, you get an environment ripe for virtual business solutions. If you are ready to move forward and create the lifestyle you want, then Virtual Assisting may be for you. By the time telecommuting becomes mainstream, you might already be retired!
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Sandra:
Telecommuting may not be mainstream yet, but it’s not really all that new. I was already doing it back in 1997, running all of the support functions (accounting, shipping, toll-free tech support, and much more) for an educational software company out of my living room and garage. This wasn’t a little-guy operation, either. I’m talking about a highly respected (though not mainstream) educational software company that had several very strong products in public schools and private learning centers in over 10 states. I was living in the US at the time. We don’t have as many opportunities like this in Italy, but I definitely think a lot of people, especially women, will be taking a closer look at this idea in the future. I believe that many employers would be interested in having their staff work from home if they only knew how much money it could save them!
I’d be happy to share my ideas and experiences, so please feel free to call on me if you or your subscribers have questions. I’m so glad you’re sharing your knowledge and expertise with others!
Marcy Coate
Italy
http://accelerateyourenglish.blogspot.com
Hi Marcy,
I have been telecommuting since the mid - 90’s too and I am still surprised tht it isn’t yet mainstream. The financial savings aren’t the only issue though, I think that we are such “social animals” that it is difficult sometimes to envision a productive, not to mention enjoyable work environment without the traditional “face time.” New virtual workflow technology plus economic issues will give society a big push to take a closer look. Then maybe they will listen to us!
Take care,
Sandra