Biz Bits - February 2010

Stay connected sans wires with these highly portable bluetooth-enabled gadgets.

PLANON PRINTSTIK PS905ME
Instead of using ink or toner, this printer relies on thermal technology to print full-page documents—web pages, emails, maps, pictures—from laptops, smartphones and PDAs. $300; www.planon.com

TARGUS BLUETOOTH PRESENTER FOR MAC
Nail your next presentation with this double-duty device. In presenter mode, the gadget controls Keynote or PowerPoint files from up to 33 feet away from your computer; switching it to cursor mode transforms it into a mouse. $80; www.targus.com

APPLE MAGIC MOUSE
Forget buttons and tracking balls. You can scroll through long documents, pan across large images and navigate through websites and photos just by swiping your finger anywhere on this aerodynamic controller’s seamless, multi-touch surface. $69; www.apple.com

BT-1 BLUETOOTH WEBCAM FROM ECAMM
Mac users can stream video from up to 30 feet away from this compact camera, which is compatible with iChat, Skype and other video applications. It also comes with a tripod that has extendable legs and a tilt/ pan head. $149; www.bt-1.com

BLUEANT Q1 VOICE-CONTROLLED HEADSET
A truly hands-free headset, the Q1 uses advanced voice-recognition technology that lets you easily make and answer calls and adjust settings with spoken commands. $130; www.myblueant.com

 

THE CLOSING BELL BY JACK GUINAN

 

WORK IT

The traditional 40-hour workweek is a thing of the past. According to a report in Reader’s Digest, we’re toiling harder than ever.

50% of US workers check business emails on the weekends

46% check it on sick days and

34% log on while on vacation

40% of employees typically don’t take a lunch break

55% take a half hour or less

56% of Americans fail to take all of their vacation days

 

THE DISTANT FUTURE

IN THE GROWING VIRTUAL WORKFORCE, EMPLOYEES WHO WORK REMOTELY MAY FEEL DISCONNECTED. HERE’S HOW TO STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING.

With more people working from home, face-to-face meetings with managers rarely occur—if at all. Even colleagues in the same office engage in less in-person communication, relying instead on email and instant messaging to talk to someone who may be sitting just a cubicle away. “It’s a wonder to marvel at the speed with which technology has created a new kind of work life,” says Karen Sobel Lojeski, a professor at Stony Brook University, CEO of Virtual Distance International and a former senior manager at such companies as Mercer Consulting Group and Chase Manhattan Bank. “Email, video conferencing and the like are very effective and enable us to work any time and from almost anywhere.”

However, Lojeski found that the growing dependency on technology leads to what she calls “virtual distance.” Employees not only feel disconnected from coworkers, but they also lose touch with the company’s goals, which can result in decreased productivity, innovation and trust. In her new book (co-authored by Richard R. Reilly), Leading the Virtual Workforce, she offers these solutions on how to avoid virtual distance and unify workers.

CREATE CONTEXT
“Employees need to understand what their roles are and why they matter in the grand scheme of things. Susan Roser, senior vice president of global service support at Western Union, does this by visiting the company’s worldwide call centers and holding meetings to discuss all of the main objectives and what employees have done to meet them. This weaves a whole picture of one’s colleagues and joint missions.”

CULTIVATE COMMUNITY
“Physical and emotional distance become less of an impediment when people work toward common goals and believe they need each other to succeed. For example, IBM’s BlueIQ Ambassadors program asks workers to volunteer their time and educate peers (both virtually and in person) about how to use social media like blogs. Employees subsequently become more knowledgeable and develop stronger relationships with each other.”

CO-ACTIVATE NEW LEADERS
“It’s easy for people in the virtual workforce to feel as if they have passive roles. Today’s leaders need to inspire their employees and allow them to become leaders in their own right. Kathy Burke-Thomas, an associate director in AT&T’s Project Management Center of Excellence, organizes training classes to help project managers build their personal capabilities and become more successful with their employees. The result is a team of more confident and proactive workers.”