Managing All-in-One For Dummies

Chapter 3

Managing Vir tual Employees

In This Chapter

Managing a new flavor of employee

Leveraging the Internet to manage virtual employees

Leading different shifts

A major shift has occurred in the attitudes of companies toward a more worker-friendly workplace. Today's managers are much more flexible and willing to work with the unique needs of their employees than ever. Why? Because savvy managers realize that they can get more from employees with a little consideration (and employees increasingly expect this). So whether employees need to drop off their kids at school in the morning, work only on certain days of the week, or take an extended leave of absence to care for an ill relative, managers are more likely to do whatever they can to accommodate workers’ needs.

This shift in attitudes (as well as changes in the nature of work, the improvement of technology, and reduced levels of management in many organizations) has led to its eventual conclusion: virtual employees who spend most of their work hours away from established company offices and worksites, employees managed from a distance, employees who work a variety of shifts or have differing starting and ending times, and ...