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Changing Times No 7

 Number 7                                                                                       March 2003

Newsletter of the Work & Age Trust

• Working from Home/Working Portfolio
• The "full" sign is up
• Ten Deadly Sins
• For Portfolio workers  managers of their lives
• Web sites worth a look
• The Real Seven Deadly Sins???
• Notices
• Reading

Working from Home/Working Portfolio

Passionate portfolio worker and Work & Age Trust worker, Tom Law discusses the problem of being taken seriously when working from home.

I have been working  portfolio now for a number of years. This involves doing much of my work from home.

When we think of someone working from home we can easily garner an image of a woman with her hair in curlers, old t-shirt and worn jeans, or a guy in his robe and slippers, lounging about the house waiting for the phone to ring. This is seldom true. Not all, but many of us dress in business attire!

Obviously there are times when more formal attire is appropriate and this should be taken into consideration. Even the newest home-based kid on the block knows not to network in jeans and sweatshirt!

Seriously, even though our appearance on days we are certain no client will call, can be ... well ... comfortable ..., the quality of the work is what should count. There are home-based people who can put out twice the quality with higher accuracy than an office full of people who are  dressed for the job in professional surroundings.

Those of us who have chucked the corporate lifestyle to run a business from home are as conscientious, quality minded and accurate as we were before becoming home-based. In a way, a home-based entrepreneur is more sensitive to client needs because we are where the buck stops.

A mistake can cost us not only a client but damage our reputation, where a corporate entity usually has the choice of putting someone else on a project and keeping the account.

However, being dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt with hair pulled into a ponytail doesn't affect the quality of the work. Sometimes, because the comfort factor is actually higher, the work can benefit from it much more than when dressed in the formality that the corporate world demands.

(In fact, research on casual dress in offices has found work output IS higher when people dress casually!)

Another fact in dealing with a home-based business is that the client is in direct contact with the owner ... the CEO ... the project manager. Instead of being on hold for 10 minutes while calls are being directed to seven different departments in search of the account representative, the home-based worker is likely to answer the phone personally.

Home-based entrepreneurs are, contrary to popular belief, proficient, quality-minded, project driven professionals. But in some cases we feel it necessary to hide our home-based office from a client, at least until the person is comfortable enough with the work provided.

If you are considering a person (company) for a new project, look at the samples, check out the quality, then make the decision. If you later learn they are home-based ... expect the best quality and service you've met with in a long time. You'll likely get it, and then some!

The "full" sign is up

The Dept of Labour s future of work workshop to be held on 19 March 2003 in Wellington is fully booked.

But there will be more. They aim to provide an opportunity for researchers to share knowledge on important future of work issues and consider possible directions for future research.

To hear about future workshops, email the Future of Work team at info@dol.govt.nz or phone Jonathan Guest on (04) 915-4405.

Ten Deadly Sins

Ten common  trends that are oft newly  discovered and oft  misunderstood . They directly impact on the world of work paradigm that in turn determines much of Government policy, and corporate and community expectations. Further they can help us understand the importance of Nework, and like Nework, remain largely outside mainstream social policy responses.

The 10 deadly sins were modified by Paul Wildman pwildman@optushome.com.au from a presentation at a workshop run by Roger Tweedy in Australia last year.

The authors claim that failure of our New Zealand and Australian societies to change systems in acknowledgement of the following societal changes is deadly.

1. Workforce Ageing Phenomena  known for 20 years
   The baby boom was something we knew would affect the world of work. The world pays little attention to the fully understanding the issue. It affects not only the baby boomers but also the younger generations.
   
   The work adjustment issues that the fifty-somethings experience are now quite similar to those of their 20-something kids
   
   
2. The  Third Age Phenomena  known for 20 years
   This ageing of our workforce comes at a time when life expectancy is markedly increasing. These factors combine with change within organisations (delayering) and technological effects to create the not widely understood notion of  third age . Many people have almost as many years beyond paid work as they had working.
   
   Men, in particular, are retiring earlier, leaving many years of healthy productive life 'beyond the organisation'- their third age.
   
   
3. Feminisation of the work place  known for 10 years
   Many  new jobs are service sector roles characterised by their temporary and bitsy nature - part-time, shift work, low pay, short term contracts etc.
   
   They are increasingly  taken up by women for many reasons. Men are finding they need to change their approach to work, being more flexible, taking more risks, and taking on projects rather than waiting for  good jobs .
   
   
4. Death of the  Organisation Man  known for 30 years
   The grey suited 'OM' that many of us were has almost gone. All that history of learned behaviour to get ahead in one s organisation, to play the politics, to endure and keep quiet are long gone traits  or are they ???
   
   It is almost like having to forget all your parents told you about how to get ahead. Organisations are now much flatter, leaving little room for the Organisation (Wo)Man.
   
   
5. The Death of Work  known for 15 years
   Presently whole classifications of work are being eliminated. Areas such as retail, banking, the public sector, and unskilled work, that provided entry points for youth (especially young males), and management opportunities for middle-aged people, have reduced workforces. Globalisation experts claim we need only 20% of the workforce to generate all the requisite goods and services for our current lifestyle. Yet the taxation and welfare systems stay tied to the long past working patterns.
   
   
6. Training gets better jobs  known for 10 years
   Increasingly young people are fed the line that more training means more pay. But the resulting increased level of qualifications means that employers use qualification levels to ration the ever-decreasing number of jobs. This is a profound betrayal of our youth who now are suiciding in historically high levels as they see a future with little meaning.
   
   
7. Commitment is still about dollars
   Today, in Nework terms, organisational commitment is no longer about conformity, compliance and dedicated hard work. Rather it is about organisational justice, responsible individual agency and  lifestream management. Lifestream refers to collective ways we manage life, home and work. No longer is work the locus of authenticity with other social and even family concerns taking second or third place.
   
   
8. Failure of labour exchange
   The employment agency and other work exchange systems are now failing as tools of marketplace interchange  for both individuals and organisations.
   
   
9. The cult of individualism and subsequent loss of community
   The takeover of the cult of  individualism has brought about a loss of community. One group who suffer particularly from this change are those shed from their organisations (another community).
   
   
10. Community and self-determination - a  spray on solution
    Government solutions seem to revolve around more regulations and controls what may be called  passive liberty . These solutions clash with the emphasis on self-determination - whether it be capability building, social entrepreneurism, or community development.

For Portfolio workers  managers of their lives

One Hundred Tips for Managers

Here are selected tips from the full list of 100. If you want the full list it is in the Business Magazine 1995.

• Treat others the way you want to be treated.
• Return phone calls promptly.
• Don't always look for the one right answer.
• Dress for success.
• Improve your oral communication skills.
• Praise in public. Criticise in private.
• Carefully manage your time. It's your scarcest and least renewable resource.
• Spell and pronounce names and titles correctly.
• Have someone whom you may confide in.
• Don't surround yourself with 'yes' people.
• Remember that success is getting up just one more time than you fall down.
• Know when to advance and when to retreat.
• Maintain an optimistic outlook.
• Network with people outside of your field.
• Be curious and open minded.
• Schedule free or quiet time to think and plan without interruption.
• Be a mentor to someone on the way up.
• Be approachable.
• Keep all promises. Don't promise more than you can deliver.
• Strive for total quality/continuous improvement at all times.
• Look at problems as opportunities.
• Say "I don't know" when you don't.
• Use the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid) whenever possible.
• Lead a healthy lifestyle focused on weight control and exercise.
• Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
• Be confident and comfortable but not complacent.
• Don't become a slave to technology.
• Be on time for appointments others have with you and for those you have with others.
• Start and end meetings on time and use a written agenda.
• Understand your metabolism. Use times of peak productivity to tackle your most important assignments.
• Never think you're infallible.
• Practice what you preach. Walk the talk.
• Don't burn bridges you may have to cross again.
• Disagree without being disagreeable.
• Recognise the importance of sleep to both your health and your profession.
• Allow sufficient time to unwind and 'come down' after being 'up' for major events.
• Work smart - not hard.
• Answer questions. Question answers.
• Never lose sight of the big picture.
• Seek professional assistance when a personal or work-related problem is interfering with your ability to perform.
• Apologise when you are wrong.
• Ensure that planning is both top-down and bottom-up.
• Learn how to say 'no'. Avoid over-commitment.
• Remember that the customer or client is the most important part of any organisation.
• Smile. It is contagious.
• Be proactive. Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to meet it.
• Don't be reticent to toot your own horn but not too loud or too often.
• Have the wisdom to know what you can and cannot change. Act accordingly.
• Don't dwell on the past. Learn from it and move on.
• Learn how to read body language. More than 80% of a message is not conveyed by words.
• Conduct an honest self-evaluation each year.
• Follow through in a timely manner.

Web sites worth a look

The Real Seven Deadly Sins???

Notices

Successful Research Fund applications to the Department of Labour s Future of Work Fund for 2002/03 were:

1.         Business and Economic Research Ltd. - Employment Status Transition and

Small business growth

The aim of BERL's research project is to better understand the breadth and significance of employment status transitions. BERL s report on their findings will be available on the Future of Work website by the end of June 2003.

2.         Business New Zealand - Skill Development and Training Survey

Business New Zealand will conduct a survey of its members.

3.         Infometrics - New Zealand's Labour Supply Function

This study aims to determine the relative factors that affect people's willingness to become involved in paid work in New Zealand. In particular, how the effect of variables such as wage rates, hours worked, overtime opportunities, vary over different segments of the labour force - particularly by ethnicity, sex, and age.

If you are involved in research into the future of work and have any comments on the programme contact the Future of Work team by email at info@dol.govt.nz - type the words "Future of Work" in the subject line.

Reading

To receive the Dept of Labour s Future of Work newsletter, email info@dol.govt.nzThe Jobs Letter is a New Zealand newsletter published by Vivian Hutchison. It is available on www.jobsletter.org.nz/index.html

Workplaces and the Built Environment is an article by Phil Kerslake in the Future Times (Issue 2002/Volume 4) magazine  another New Zealand publication. See www.futurestrust.org.nz. Phil discusses the failure of our world of  space to adjust to changing work patterns, particularly in regards to flexible work practices and portfolio work.

*******************************************************

Changing Times is edited by Elizabeth Clements. If you would like to contribute send your experiences of portfolio work, book reviews, articles on these issues or comments on matters in this edition to portfolio@paradise.net.nz or to PO Box 9826, Wellington.

Work & Age Trust NZ

Level 2/57 Willis St, Wellington

Ph. 04-499-1048 Fax 04-499-3907 Email nework@xtra.co.nz

© 2003 The Nework Centre   |   email neworknz@yahoo.co.nz

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