Archive for the ‘Remote Work’ Category

Vetting Freelance Talent in 2023

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023

The use of freelancers and contractors is on the rise, and this trend is likely to continue as hordes of workers are laid off or decide they simply aren’t willing to give up the freedom and flexibility of remote and hybrid work to return full-time to physical workplaces. Freelancers can offer great benefits to employers who know what to look for, what to look out for, and how to effectively evaluate talent before bringing them on board. (more…)

Creating Your Zoom (aka Elevator) Pitch

Monday, March 21st, 2022
Elevator pitches have been a mainstay of business networking for decades. Initially named because they were likely to be delivered while riding in an elevator, requiring a short, pitchy and impactful statement for that brief span of time, today’s elevator pitches are just, if not more, likely to be delivered via Zoom.

(more…)

Motivating Today’s Employees: When the Carrot Can’t Always Be Cash

Thursday, March 17th, 2022

I have been interested in remote work for a number of years. Working in corporate communications while also doing freelance writing for a number of years when a company I was working for was going through a merger and planning to relocate its headquarters I thought: “why couldn’t I work for them—or some other company—remotely?”

(more…)

Best Practices for Managing Remotely (You Already Know These…)

Tuesday, September 28th, 2021

Man Working From Home Having Online Group Videoconference On Laptop

Over the past several months I’ve been very interested, even excited, to see how well the forced experiment with remote work has evolved. Since 2008 I’ve been working remotely. Even prior to that, I had several writing clients that I worked remotely for; most I’ve never met. (more…)

Best Practices for Finding Freelancers: Top Go-To Sources of Talent

Monday, August 2nd, 2021

video marketingContent is king, as the saying goes, and that’s certainly true in a digital world. Consumer appetite for content is at an all-time high and continuing to grow. That’s great for organizations that have well-oiled content creation teams in place to meet the demand. For others, though, developing content on a regular basis that is high-quality and focused on issues and topics that resonate with their audiences can be a challenge. The gig economy can help. A wide range of freelancers and contract content creators are available to organizations to help produce content for any format. (more…)

Capitalizing on the Big Benefits of a Growing Gig Economy

Friday, July 9th, 2021
video marketingWho could have predicted the rapid expansion of remote work and the “gig economy”? While the gig economy had already been making the news due to the emergence of companies like Uber and Lyft prior to the pandemic, the pandemic had had a significant impact on how companies are using and will continue to use remote workers in the future.

(more…)

Tips for Remote Selling During and After COVID-19

Thursday, June 17th, 2021

COVID-19 has upended a number of industries and jobs. Among the professions that have been hardest hit are sales and business development, which have traditionally relied on face-to-face interactions to build networks and relationships. People who ply those trades have had to pivot to remote selling with mixed success. (more…)

How Will Your “New Normal” Impact Your Desired Corporate Culture?

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021
Every organization has a culture whether it has worked hard to establish one or not. Just like brands, cultures exist whether we are deliberate about defining, nurturing, and managing culture or not. In fact, organizations often have multiple cultures just as they may have multiple brands. The process, far simplified, for managing both is the same:

(more…)

Tips for Hiring Freelancers and Contractors

Friday, May 28th, 2021

While Uber and Lyft have popularized the concept of the gig economy, the truth is that gig, freelance, or contract workers have been around for a long time. In fact, I’ve been a contract worker or freelancer since 1981, when I first started writing business articles for a wide range of trade and business publications. I’ve worked remotely with publishers and editors for years — most of them I’ve never physically met. My interest in the gig economy, which traditionally had been referred to as telecommuting, led me to research and write a book on the topic some years ago. Last year I updated that book as the concept of remote work, or telecommuting, really took off during the pandemic. Suddenly employers realize that yes, they can effectively manage remote workers. It’s a trend that is likely to continue long past the pandemic.

(more…)

Managing Remote Staff: The Two Most Important Things You Need to Know

Monday, December 28th, 2020

I’ve been interested in telecommuting – or what is more commonly these days referred to as remote work – for many years now. My interest prompted me to research and write a book on telecommuting in 1991. Having worked as a freelance business journalist for a long time, while also employed full-time as director of corporate communications in the education, energy, and healthcare industries, I had worked remotely with a variety of editors for many years. Why couldn’t I also work remotely as a corporate communications director for companies in other locations? (more…)