Sahm.com.au

Brisbane City Council advocates working from home

2009-02-16T14:37:00.000+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh

Brisbane City Council (BCC) generates significant employment in Queensland and established their telecommuting policy in 1997.

The stay at home staff is generally permanent part-time staff and those who job share, according to a BCC spokesperson. These roles are assessed on an individual basis.
“Applications are assessed on a case by case basis – a role must be suitable in relation to the degree of face to face contact required with clients and colleagues as well as the ability to access the necessary technology and equipment required to perform effectively in the role.

“An individual’s characteristics may also be taken into account. For example, they must be able to work autonomously and meet deadlines. In addition, the home office must be assessed as safe and there must be sufficient budget to support any additional office equipment required.”
According to BCC the benefits of allowing staff to work from home include increased productivity; less traffic on the roads which contributes to a cleaner environment through reduced greenhouse gas emissions; reduced office space and associated operating costs where ‘hotdesking’ arrangements are utilised.

It also increases employee retention and is a weather-proof arrangement. Employees are more accessible and it’s an attraction strategy for recruitment said BCC.

The benefits for staff include less commuting time; reduced transport costs; greater flexibility and more ability to combine work with lifestyle responsibilities, increased opportunities to achieve work/life priorities, increased job satisfaction, less distractions from open plan office noise and, possibly, less stressed employees.

Travel agent set to fly

2009-01-29T13:35:00.000+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh

Brisbane mother of one, Katy Dawson has been a travel consultant with a large travel agency for 12 years. Last week Katy resigned. She was fed up with the fact that her workplace wasn’t flexible enough to allow her time to enjoy her three-year-old daughter.

“After 12 years of loyal, dedicated service I decided to take things into my own hands and start working from home,” Katy said.

“I’m going to set up my own travel consultancy business so I can work around my daughter.”

Katy researched several travel agencies that provide people working from home access to a commission-based travel business. Under this arrangement Katy will be provided with a 60 per cent commission – some pay up to 90 per cent. And the travel company will also provide marketing assistance and some administration help.

“Once I get things up and running I should be able to make enough money to pay my bills. But the main thing is that I can spend quality time with my daughter and work in the industry I know and love,” Katy said.

To find out more about travel businesses that franchise out consultancy work you would have to research individual agencies. For starters you could try:

www.Travel.com.au

www.travelworld.com.au

www.EscapeTravel.com.au

www.FlightCentre.com.au

http://www.harveyworld.com.au/AboutUs.aspx

Mystery Shopping isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

2009-01-22T17:21:00.001+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh

One of the many positions you’ll see advertised along the way if you are looking to work from home is mystery shopping. Now before you get excited thinking you can go and shop till you drop and get paid for it, hang on. There are a few things I’d like to tell you about it. Unfortunately it’s not as fantastic as it initially appears.

A few years back I answered an ad to work as a mystery shopper. Imagine my surprise when they told me that I had to go into Bunnings – with my own money – and purchase something under $10. While this sounds easy enough the actual logistics surrounding the event was incredible.

I did as instructed. I visited said shop and purchased whatever it was – a paint brush I think. I was expected to remember all the names of the staff that did and didn’t smile at me along the way. Then I had to answer several additional questions the company required about staff responses. By the time I drove to the shop, bought the product, sussed out the staff and drove home and wrote up my report it was around an hour later.

Needless to say when I received my hourly fee of $15 plus the reimbursement for the money I’d spent, I realised mystery shopping wasn’t the fab job I thought it would be.

It is fun. Don’t get me wrong. But you’d need to complete several assignments a week to make it financially worthwhile. The other thing was that I lived in a very small town and after about three visits to Bunnings the staff realised I was their mystery shopper…

For those of you who are still interested this site provides a comprehensive list of Australian mystery shopping sites http://www.worldwideworkathome.com/australia/mysteryshopping.html

New Year – new opportunities

2009-01-15T09:28:00.000+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh
Happy New Year to all our stay at home mums – and dads, SAHM wish you all the best for your job hunting efforts in 2009.

Several years ago when I initially started working from home I was fortunate enough to secure a position with the local university campus as an online tutor.

This is a terrific option for stay at home mums who have previously taught at schools, colleges or universities. And it is particularly relevant today considering the burgeoning online university environment.

How to secure a position

Make a list of Australian universities that provide online courses. For a start you could visit:
www.open.edu.au
www.seeklearning.com.au
http://handbook.curtin.edu.au/
http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/2009/index.html

There are a plethora of additional online resources like uni handbooks and lists of universities, both public and private that offer online courses.

Locate the relevant faculty within the uni that you’d like to work with and send an email to the co-coordinator with a summary of your teaching experience and skills. It’s wise to send your details out to several universities to widen your chances of success.

Initially I wasn’t successful but a few months into the uni year one of the online tutors dropped out and I secured a position for the rest of that year. The bonus of working for even just one semester is that you are more than likely to secure work the following year once they know you. The difficult part is getting in the door.

Don’t limit yourself to universities either. Try TAFES and high schools. Even if you don’t find work in the online environment you may be offered tutoring work you are able to do from your home. You can work it around your family so that students visit when it suits you.

Good luck. And please send me details of your efforts so we can explore together what works.

The Australian Telework Advisory Committee

2008-12-18T15:52:00.000+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh
It is not just mothers who can benefit substantially from telework. The fact we live in such a large, geographically disparate country is another key reason for promoting telework.

Currently, government departments like Defence, Customs and Centrelink have recognised the advantages of utilising employees who live in remote parts of Australia to contribute to their departmental practices and policies.

In 2006, the Australian Telework Advisory Committee reported to the government in its paper titled: Telework for Australian Employees and Businesses: Maximising the Economic and Social Benefits of Flexible Working Practices.

The committee acknowledged the importance of telework and suggested that
“The existing Sensis survey template could also be built...to measure telework trends and usage behaviours for a range of other important groups, including workers with disabilities, carers, female workers, and workers living in regional, rural and remote areas.”

The committee recognised both the community and social benefits of telework including improving “work–life balance for Australian workers, reducing environmental impacts associated with work-related commuting, and improving prospects for government and business continuity in the advent of terrorism, epidemics and natural disaster.”

To read about Australian case studies examined by this committee visit:http://www.workplace.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/39378CEC-A47E-4981-9DA0-004502E8F433/0/ATACReportTelework.pdf

Telework: the Australian way

2008-12-18T15:51:00.001+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh
Recognising the need for contemporary workplace practice policies, the Australian Government has developed a very useful site for employees and employers. The Telework Australia site is devoted to exploring the various myths and questions surrounding working from home.

Offering guidelines, checklists and templates for organisations on how to implement flexible workplace arrangements as well as occupational health and safety issues and virtual team management advice it is a one-stop shop for those investigating working from home.

The site also provides a handy series of questions and answers relating to the topic. They cover a range of themes including how to start working from home and the technology you will require; policies for flexible working arrangements and a host of additional issues including the tax implications of working from home.

For more details visit: http://www.teleworkaustralia.net.au/

Toshiba manual assists Australian businesses adopt flexible workplace practices

2008-12-11T17:00:00.002+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh
While many small businesses may be slow to embrace the working from home revolution, larger companies are taking advantage of flexible workplaces. Toshiba (Australia) is one such visionary.

One of the issues companies face once they agree to their staff working from home is how to regulate and monitor working conditions. Toshiba has addressed this issue through the development of its manual; A Guide to Creating and Managing a Flexible Workplace.

Following a study conducted in 2004 that found one of the reasons small organisations were reluctant to take up flexible working practices was because of a ‘mistrust of employees’, Toshiba developed this handy guide.

Toshiba identified during the survey that rather than using attendance-based criteria to assess employers, performance-based criteria would be more useful for those who chose to work from home.

Using a cross-section of employers and employees focus groups, including mothers returning to work and managers interested in undertaking flexible working arrangements, Toshiba identified the relevant issues. This led to the development of the manual.

This manual is a “practical manual for organisations and individuals interested in adopting new working practices to improve organisational culture and competitiveness. Its ultimate purpose is to help organisations improve business outcomes, such as greater productivity, through the successful implementation of flexible working; thereby assisting employees achieve greater work/life balance.” http://www.isd.toshiba.com.au/sig/sigguide.html

Benefits for Aussie workplaces
Because it was developed by Toshiba (Australia), this manual has material that can be directly applied in both Australian and New Zealand workplaces.

Toshiba ISD general manager, Australia and New Zealand Mark Whittard said the manual was developed to assist other workplaces change their culture.

“There is a great wave of New Zealanders who are questioning the high-stress urban lifestyle and looking for tangible ways they can improve their lives. Knowledge workers in particular are realising that they have more power in negotiations with employers because their skills are transferable and in demand.

“Fortunately, many Australian and New Zealand organisations are starting to
respond, and looking to solutions like flexible working, which can help them
retain their staff.

“However, flexible working is a complex issue and our intention with the guide is to simplify how flexible working can be successfully introduced and its business benefits measured, by listing the steps companies can take.”

DDI is an organisation that works with companies of all sizes to build engaged, high-performing organisational cultures. DDI general manager Mark Busine said staff retention was a key reason for adopting flexible workplace practices.

“Investigation has shown that work/life balance rates higher than
remuneration in the reasons why people stay with their employer. This is very
important for organisations of all sizes in retaining and attracting high calibre
people,” he said.

Tips from Toshiba’s manual: A Guide to Creating and Managing a Flexible Workplace.
“The guide includes seven chapters addressing the ‘why', ‘what', ‘who', ‘how', ‘where' and ‘when' questions behind flexible working. It includes:

Tips on managing remote workers and building an effective organisational culture with flexible workers, including maintaining team spirit, building trust and communication amongst team mates
Suggestions on how to measure the performance of employees based on productivity and business needs, rather than by ‘presence' or time
Examples on how and why companies have implemented flexible working, including case studies from WMC Resources
Step-by-step guides for setting up flexible working practices
Worksheets, including: a cost/benefit analysis to determine the financial benefits available; employee self assessment to check individual suitability for flexible working; technology assessments; and team building
Guidance on how to secure managerial buy-in for implementing flexible working
Advice on building flexible workplace policies
Information on the practical requirements for successful flexible working, including technology requirements, home office environments.”

For more information visit http://www.isd.toshiba.com.au/sig/sigguide.html

Working from home a lifestyle choice

2008-12-08T17:32:00.000+11:00

Kylie McIntosh

While the reason for many people working from home is to engineer a work/life balance, sometimes it’s just a lifestyle choice. Sunshine Coast author Angela Bueti has worked from home for over 12 years now and says she couldn’t imagine working in a regular office environment.

“I’ve always worked in a non-traditional way; even before I had children. I love the flexibility it allows. I didn’t start working at home for the children but I can see the benefits.

“Some people say they couldn’t do it because they couldn’t separate work from home duties. But I don’t have a problem with this. I find it easy to leave the housework and concentrate on my work.

“I’m good at staying in my office and being productive,” Angela said.

Angela has run two successful workplace training businesses from her home and has recently started freelance writing for a magazine on the Sunshine Coast where she is based.

Last year Angela and her mother co-wrote a book which they subsequently marketed and distributed themselves. The story reveals the trials and tribulations of her mother’s ‘grey nomad’ adventures travelling and working around Australia in her caravan over the past 14 years, http://www.reddirtdiaries.net/

Angela said it was a difficult thing to do from her home.
“Mum and I were in different parts of Australia and it was quite tricky to align our schedules. It took us two years to write but it was worth it,” Angela said.

“I don’t think I could ever handle being an employee. I see people working in offices and they are constrained by their workplaces. I couldn’t do it even if someone paid me.”

Angela says she initially struggled with working from home because she didn’t have anyone to work with but this changed when she met her business partner.

“Clients aren’t like colleagues and in the beginning I missed the adult company and had a bit of separation anxiety. But the positive benefits far outweigh the negatives,” Angela said.

Pre-school versus school dichotomy

2008-12-05T12:51:00.002+11:00

Kylie McIntosh
Stay at home mother and Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network (SCBWN) Executive Coordinator, Chelsea Hunter believes Australians spend too much time focusing on mothers staying at home with their children in the pre-school years. Chelsea believes having flexible workplaces during children’s’ school years is also important.

“We tend to concentrate all our efforts on the early, pre-school years. And while I know this is a crucial time in terms of children’s development I think we need to be there for them when they go to school too.

“It’s time workplaces got their act together and became more flexible. Parents should be able to negotiate, for example, a day off a month to attend their children’s assembly. Or do tuckshop. We need to be part of their school culture as well.

“The old way of separating work and home doesn’t work any more. Society has moved on. There is a real dichotomy here and employers need to start addressing it.

“They need to realise there is no separation between work and life. We need to work to live and our lives impact on our work. We need to breakdown the division between our working and home lives.

“If you look at Gen Y you’ll see what I mean. They check Facebook when they’re at work and if they don’t have the capacity to do this in the workplace they will walk,” Chelsea said.

Australians no different

2008-12-05T12:47:00.001+11:00

Kylie McIntosh
Autonomy is the most important factor for stay at home mother and Sunshine Coast Business Women’s Network (SCBWN) Executive Coordinator, Chelsea Hunter. That and the flexibility it affords.

Chelsea has been co-ordinating the SCBWN for 18 months and loves it. Since she commenced, her working hours have increased from 10 to 25/week. Prior to this, Chelsea worked four days a week in Employment and Training with Mission Australia. But she quit after giving birth to her second son because she wanted to spend more time at home with her children, four-year-old Jack and, now, two-year-old Harry.

“Work wasn’t able to reduce my working hours so I resigned and then got this job about a week later. It was meant to be. I really thought that working four days/week was too much.

“When I started working from home my husband thought it was brilliant. It took a lot of pressure off him. My previous workplace was very rigid and being a salesman he had a bit more flexibility so he used to take Jack to and from daycare.

“Now he’s able to concentrate on his job,” Chelsea said.
“I have the boys in care two days a week so I’m able to really get into my job on these days. The rest of the time I just work around them. They understand. I think it’s good for them to see me working too. It instils a work ethic in them. I enjoy working and I think work is a really good outlet for mothers.”

Chelsea has her work cut out for her as co-ordinator of the network. Her role entails registering new members, co-ordinating events, managing the website and editing the enewsletter.

But the benefits of telecommuting far outweigh the disadvantages she says.

“I love the fact that I have the flexibility to spend time with the children. And I love the fact that I have a lot of autonomy. Since my hours have increased I get to make a lot of work decisions on my own and this really empowers me.

“I really like talking to people too and sometimes I miss the social side of working as part of a team in an office environment. But the benefits vastly outweigh that negative.”

Telecommuting benefits everyone involved

2008-12-05T12:45:00.000+11:00

Kylie McIntosh
In 2006, the Journal of Applied Psychology published the findings of 20 years of research on flexible work arrangements. The psychologists concluded that telecommuting was a win-win for employees and employers, resulting in higher morale and job satisfaction and lower employee stress and turnover. With an increased number of Americans - 45 million – up from 41 million in 2003 working from home.
According to the lead author Ravi S. Gajendran, one of the most significant conclusions was that employees loved the autonomy of working from home.
"Autonomy is a major factor in worker satisfaction and this rings true in our analysis. We found that telecommuters reported more job satisfaction, less motivation to leave the company, less stress, improved work-family balance, and higher performance ratings by supervisors," Mr Gajendran said. http://hr.cch.com/news/hrm/121407a.asp

SAHM on a roll

2008-12-02T15:48:00.000+11:00

By Kylie McIntosh

Telecommuting, teleworking or working from home is not a new concept for Australians. Many of us - read wives, mothers and some fathers - have been doing it for years. However, in the past five years it has grown significantly to the point where the Australian Government has a whole policy and website devoted to it. And there are legal contracts in place to help employers and employees negotiate successful working relationships.

In the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics census data found that 24 per cent (2.2 million) people worked some hours for their main job from home. This figure had increased 4 per cent from June 2000. See www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS. Of these employees 79 per cent were over 35 years old, 55 per cent were women and 40 per cent had children less than 15 years old.

In addition a whole online industry has developed with the aim of providing ideas for home-based businesses and helping employees – particularly women – track down potential employers. Stay at home mums (SAHM) or www.SAHM.com is one such site. Founded by Adrian Cappola in 2007, Adrian developed the site after several of his employees started asking if they could work from home.

The aim of this site is to provide a definitive location for mums – and dads – who choose to work from home and are looking for employers. To further this purpose Adrian has begun building a comprehensive database of people who would like to work from home. He is now in the second phase of his operation – matching people to employers. SAHM’s goal is to connect these two groups.

Adrian is committed to ‘walking the talk’ and employs stay at home mums in both of his businesses. On his books he has graphic designers, journalists, telemarketers, marketing and PR people who all work from home.

Over the coming months this site will grow to include interesting content and sites of interest to people working from home. If you have a working from home experience to share please contact Kylie McIntosh on 0418 490 514 or email her at mcintosh_kylie@sahm.com.au