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Broadband: Teleworking

Contents

Introduction

When 'the office' is where you are, when the workplace is many locations, or when what you do matters more than where you do it, the possibilities are today only limited by your imagination and the practicalities of getting the job done.

This is the promise of teleworking. It brings work to employees via technology rather than delivering employees to work via travel.

Teleworking is how people overcome distance - between where we live and where we work, or between what we have and what we need.

Advances in telecommunications now allow millions of people to perform their jobs without actually going to a traditional place of work. Instead of commuting to an office, they work from home, at a nearby 'satellite' centre or from a virtual office on the road that comprises a laptop with an Internet connection. Some do this full-time, some a few days per week. And the idea is growing.

According to leading international IT research firm, Gartner Group, by the end of 2003 more than 137 million people around the world will telework. Many Australians already do. They include architects, bookkeepers, editors, financial planners, graphic designers, illustrators, lawyers, management consultants, occupational therapists, photographers, radiologists, share traders, typists, urban planners and valuers. Yet none of these people see themselves as 'teleworkers'. They simply use technology to do their work.

This booklet can help you to find out if teleworking might be appropriate for you or your employees. Some of the potential benefits of teleworking are explained. This is followed by case studies, through which you can see how teleworking has helped a range of people from different walks of life, people with disabilities, people with family commitments, people who need to be on the road and those who simply want to save time and money.

Why telework?

Telework increases access to information for remote communities, creates jobs in regional areas, enhances opportunities for the self-employed, allows people to find a better work-life balance and provides new hope for those with disabilities. The benefits of teleworking are evident on a micro and macro level, for governments, businesses, institutions, communities and individuals.

Governments now realise that telework helps build sustainable economies with many environmental and social benefits. It reduces energy consumption, traffic congestion and infrastructure costs. It provides opportunities for marginalised sections of society and can allow governments to find new efficiencies in the delivery of their services to the public. For many businesses, it can simply enable smarter - and more profitable - ways to structure their operations. With people teleworking it is possible for even a small company to have representatives in distant locations serving local markets, without enormous office overheads, but with access to all the same information and instant communication necessary to be effective.

Business benefits

Organisations involved in telework report major productivity improvements, based on the adage 'a happy worker is a productive worker'. Teleworkers often do more in less time. American Express teleworkers in the United States, for example, produce 43% more business than their colleagues who work in an office.

Offering staff flexible work practices or a work-lifestyle balance increases an organisation's chances of attracting and keeping high calibre employees and alleviating the costs of staff turnover. Estimated at between 150-400% of salary(1), this is a major saving for larger organisations.

The Canadian Telework Association says telework can save millions of dollars in real estate costs. Space can be rationalised so organisations save one office for every three teleworkers. A medium-sized organisation with 100 teleworkers can recoup about $200,000 each year. With 1,000 teleworkers, the saving might reach $2 million per year. At computer giant IBM, about 25% of the company's 320,000 workers worldwide telework from home offices, saving the company around one billion dollars in real estate costs.(2)
The other savings - in parking, lighting and air-conditioning - start small but accumulate. Absenteeism can be reduced, morale improved and service enhanced because staff members save commuting time. They are 'at work' earlier, remain later or work outside hours when circumstances demand.

This means organisations can be more flexible to client needs and make themselves more competitive. For example, Mike Reece from Infomedia uses a laptop and a broadband connection to demonstrate software to car dealers throughout Australia, using applications running in Infomedia's metropolitan offices (for more details see the case studies below). Teleworking also allows an organisation to promote itself as environmentally friendly, since it is helping to remove smog-generating traffic from the roads.

Quality of life

Individuals are perhaps the biggest teleworking winners. Their major saving is time, a precious resource in today's frantic world. The time saved by not travelling to and from work can be better spent with family or on personal development. According to the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC), a 40-minute commute totals eight working weeks every year. Cheryl Hardy is a teleworker two days a week and saves a 90-minute commute each way, giving her more time with her two young children on her farm outside Melbourne (see the case studies below for more details).

The money saved from not having to travel, purchase meals or buy clothes can be redirected. The stresses of commuting and office politics are reduced, resulting in less illness and absenteeism- an enormous cost to the economy.

The feeling of empowerment that teleworking provides means people can enjoy more control over their lives. Take the case of researcher, Malcolm Murray (see the case study below). His employer recognised not his physical disability but his considerable intellect. Malcolm says his quality of life comes from the freedom he has to make his own choices about his work. He demonstrates on a daily basis that teleworking is a powerful tool for equality.

The situation today

The most recent figures about teleworking in Australia come from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). In the three months to October 2001, an estimated 244,700 people, or 8%, of those employed in NSW teleworked.

According to the Federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, a growing number of Australian organisations provide teleworking arrangements for employees. These include Alcoa, American Express, AMP, CSIRO, Esso, Lend Lease, National Australia Bank, Queensland Rail, Rothmans Australia, Sydney Water, Telstra, University of Western Australia and Westpac, to name just some.

The NSW Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) is regarded as a teleworking pioneer. Following a review of an original 1993 program, teleworking was expanded to include the practice of 'hot desking' from a telecentre, using the West Gosford RTA office 80km north of Sydney. The RTA telecentre now operates as a virtual office for teleworkers, provided their work can be completed productively and customer service delivery is maintained. A new RTA telecentre has also been established at Penrith, in Sydney's west.

Jason Gregg(3) is a passionate advocate for teleworking. "Why do businesses squander precious capital on flash buildings, parking spaces, amenities and utilities for employees who waste valuable hours each day travelling to a centralised office where, in many cases, they sit at a desk doing work that could be performed just as efficiently from home?" he asks.

According to Gregg, rural Australia has a huge untapped pool of highly skilled 'escapees' from the corporate world, the sciences, engineering, teaching and the arts who have chosen to relocate for quality of life purposes. Yet employment is still based on geography rather than attracting the best person for the position. Being there is still placed above doing the job.

"Often, the only obstacle to employment is attitude," says Gregg. "We need a general change of attitude from employers to recognise that employees do not have to be seated in the office next door to do the job.

"Trust me, teleworking is inevitable. It is a low risk, high return way to improve business and enrich workforces by hiring the best people, no matter where they reside," he concludes.

Broadband for Teleworking

Broadband, that is a high speed Internet or network connection, makes teleworking a realistic option for a range of people. With a high speed connection it is possible to transfer large files, including images, audio or video, quickly over the Internet. Broadband connectivity also makes it possible to run real time interactive applications such as videoconferencing to keep in touch with clients and colleagues no matter where you are working.

A recent survey published in the Australian Personal Computer magazine shows that teleworking is one of the leading reasons individuals get broadband connections. Broadband can be provided through a range of technology, with at least one option available to all Australians. Connections can be through existing phone infrastructure with a form of Digital Subscriber Line technology (usually ADSL), through the cable network which is usually used to deliver pay TV, through wireless solutions, private company networks or via satellite. For more information on what broadband connectivity can provide and the range of options available see the NOIE booklets Broadband for Small Business or Broadband in the Home.

Links to more information

Notes

1 Source: Recruitment & Consulting Services Association (Australia)

2 Source: IBM

3 Author of Tell Your Staff To Go Home, a book on telecommuting published earlier this year in Australia by Allen & Unwin

Cheryl Hardy (Project Manager, Flowerdale)

One of the many things Cheryl Hardy does as a project manager for the Victorian State Government is produce two Web sites that provide government services to the public over the Internet. She has been doing this for the past four years from a farm 80km north of Melbourne.

With sheep, goats, horses, chooks, one Tamworth pig and her two daughters for company - aged four and two - Cheryl spends two of her five working days at her home in the wilds of Flowerdale, population 500. Few of the people who use the eGovernment Resource Centre or the Multi-service Express would realise that they are managed from a part of central Victoria known as "The Valley of a Thousand Hills".

Cheryl's job with Multimedia Victoria, the government agency responsible for implementing information technology policy, also requires her to administer the government's Internet domain name - www.vic.gov.au. In between work matters that involve Internet accessibility, new applications for Web addresses and search engine optimisation, Cheryl enjoys the peace of the bush and the wonders of her daughters' childhoods.

From her home office 350 metres above sea level Cheryl uses a laptop computer and the Victorian government's VicOne telecommunications network to communicate with her colleagues 10 floors above Collins Street. The high-speed network, one of the most sophisticated in the world, links more than 3,000 government offices, schools, courts, police stations and hospitals throughout Victoria. The laptop is essential because the Hardys are on solar power and desktop computers use too much electricity.

" They had to upgrade the line from the main road through a neighbour's farm to my property to install upgraded fibre for the ISDN connection," Cheryl says. "This was a bonus for the local farms as the existing cable was so old that when it rained, the phones went out for four days until the line dried. Now we have pretty good telecommunications."

Cheryl's teleworking career started when she and her husband moved to their farm in 1998. She describes the area as "mountain goat country".

After having her first child Cheryl wanted to save the 90-minute commute each way to Melbourne to spend more time with her family. She has continued teleworking ever since, with a short break when her second child was born.

Cheryl has a written teleworking agreement with Multimedia Victoria to work from home two days per week - usually Fridays and Mondays. Sometimes it is more. She once did 10 days straight when she hit a kangaroo and her car was off the road for repairs. With no public transport nearby and the Mansfield bus a 7km walk from her door, Cheryl was stranded.

And how's this for a typical workday?

Cheryl rises about 7am "depending on whether the girls are awake". She lets out the five dogs - two Maremmas, two Kelpies and a Border Collie - and gets breakfast for her daughters. Once dressed, they settle down for some kids' TV programs. Cheryl starts work about 8.30am and goes through until lunchtime. After everyone has eaten the children take a nap. The younger one stays down for up to four hours. The older one wakes before then, usually to play with her dolls.

" This is my quiet time when I get the thinking stuff done," Cheryl says. "When they are both awake, I'm usually scanning for material for my Web sites, answering email and updating the sites. I've become the ultimate multi-tasker! The kids keep themselves busy with play and videos. We've got a great Disney collection."

Cheryl usually finishes work about 5pm to feed the animals. This is more onerous in the middle of a drought because it must be done by hand. She then cooks dinner, gets the girls to bed and often works in the evening to finish what she couldn't during the day.

" I have a deadline to get updates on the e-Government Web site published by the end of the week in time to distribute a newsletter first thing Monday morning," Cheryl says.

Asked about the benefits of teleworking Cheryl barely draws a breath.

" More sleep, less travelling time, less wear and tear on the car, more time with my girls, less money spent on work clothes ... and I'm more relaxed about things. I suffer less stress and take less sick time.

I like the balance between working from home and going to work. It's the best of both worlds. I get the intellectual contact I need at work and the quiet work time I need at home. And I'm more productive.

I actually get more done at home with two kids than I do at work, where there are too many interruptions."

Cheryl says teleworkers still have to be wary of distractions. For example, when home is where you work, it's easy to find things that need doing around the house. She advises keeping a dedicated work area, staying focussed on work tasks and treating certain hours of the day as time for work and work alone.

" And you need the support of your co-workers," she says.

" Often you can become the office joke - that is, being paid to stay home! So you need to be able to prove your output and contribute in a real way. You need to be responsive and available. And you need to enjoy your own company!"

Julie-Ann O'Hagan (Freelance journalist)

When the publishing company that employed her folded in May 2001, Julie-Anne O'Hagan decided she would never again be made redundant. So she took the plunge to telework from home as a freelance journalist.

" Initially I spent four days working and Friday at the beach with three other freelance journalists," she says, "but as my business grew I couldn't afford that time out and now I have a full-time job at home."

O'Hagan writes on a permanent freelance basis for The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia's leading medical weekly newspaper Australian Doctor, and for various trade magazines. She also produces corporate education material. Busier now than she ever was in a staff position, O'Hagan nonetheless welcomes the variety and flexibility of teleworking.

" The diversity that freelancing allows means I can immerse myself in a wide array of topics. And apart from being able to offer them a flexible workforce, my editors also appreciate that I can provide fresh ideas and different perspectives that come with having a wider network."

O'Hagan's teleworking tools include a broadband Internet connection, a PC with a 17-inch monitor, a well-worn printer, a fax-phone that was a hand-me-down from a colleague and a separate phone line. It all sits on an old desk, a pre-loved pine table and a chest-of-drawers salvaged from the street.

Her filing cabinet is a stack of plastic boxes from K-mart.

" You don't need the best filing cabinet or the best desk but you do need the best technology you can afford," she says.

" The broadband connection is invaluable. Running a business with a dial-up service is inappropriate because you need an accessible phone line at all times. Broadband lets me work like any other professional."

A "typical day" for O'Hagan starts with a walk about 6.30am. She's at her desk "in comfortable clothes as if I'm going somewhere" by 8.30am. She conducts phone interviews, emails her editors, develops story ideas and researches on the internet for her articles. She takes a break at about 1.30pm to leave the house and clear her head.

With the ABC's Radio National for company, the rest of the day is spent much like the morning, until she leaves to attend the courses she has undertaken- a tactic to force herself away from her desk at a certain time. Tuesdays bring singing lessons and Wednesdays the University of Technology Sydney for post-graduate study in professional writing.

Email provides a solid record of her business conversations with editors and it is also the means by which she bounces ideas and submits her finished work. The Internet is a resource that provides not just facts and figures - the oxygen of a journalist's world - but also a wide array of contacts.

" For example, I did a story on indigenous health recently and I wasn't sure where to start. I searched the Net and found an obscure reference to a man at the University of Sydney. I called him and after some discussion I gained open access to an indigenous community I would never have found otherwise.

The Internet gives me access to sources like these and it's a wonderful way to broaden my network."

O'Hagan says the advantages of teleworking include saving time otherwise spent on public transport; not having to "fuss around" getting ready for work; and saving money on lunches, rail tickets, impulse buys and corporate clothes she could only wear to work.

" Another big bonus is that I am a calmer person because I don't have to deal with the stresses of office politics. The amount of time wasted on nothing situations can make for a very unproductive workplace. Teleworking allows me to focus on my work. The only distractions are the ones I create."

Fully aware that it is her editors and their deadlines that actually manage her time, O'Hagan can still accommodate certain activities like chores, exercise or personal development. When a sister she had not seen for two years recently visited from Ireland O'Hagan was able to adjust her work schedule so they could spend time together.

" I question whether I'd actually take a full-time job again," she says.

" I understand why the concept of teleworking for yourself concerns people but it is working well for me."

O'Hagan's advice for potential teleworkers?

" Get your communications sorted out: mobile phone and email forwarding to other accounts if needed. You need to be available and let people know where they can find you. Don't accept work you can't do and don't take on too much. One of my rules is that I don't work weekends, nor do I creep into the office and turn the computer on. Watch your expenses for things like printers and faxes. Don't waste money on software or stuff you don't need. Try to understand the technology you are using and always buy the best you can afford."

There is one other indulgence O'Hagan permits herself in the dedicated area of her apartment that she keeps as an office.

" I always have fresh flowers," she says.

Julie Kite (Travel agency manager, Adelaide)

Travel is a business that doesn't respect normal business hours. Some things just have to be done when they have to be done, such as changing a flight or an accommodation booking due to unforseen circumstances. This is the type of chore that would demand Julie Kite travel into her office at odd hours to access computer systems for customers.

Not any more.

Thanks to a broadband Internet connection and a laptop computer, Julie can now perform as the travel agent extraordinaire from home at any time. She can do everything from her kitchen that she can do in her office. And she does, often.

Julie is one of about 100 travel agents who telework on a regular basis for Harvey World Travel. She and Sharon Evans, both working mothers, are co-managers and part owners of a Harvey World Travel franchise in Adelaide. It has seven staff and an annual turnover of about $5 million, making it one of the company's biggest franchise operations. Sharon is so enamoured with the flexible work practices Julie enjoys that she is also about to start teleworking.

Harvey World Travel staff can connect through home computers to the company's central office to access Galileo, the global distribution system that provides the travel industry with access to inventory, schedule and pricing information. They can also use Galileo through the Internet. For Harvey World Travel's point of sale accounting system, staff link directly to the office where each of the company's 360 franchises has its own computer server on a virtual private network using the Internet.

Matthew Harris, the IT manager at Harvey World Travel, says the company runs a simple teleworking operation that requires little more than a robust and secure Internet connection.

" This is where our Internet provider did something really nice for us by bundling a home and office DSL package," he says.

" So we have high-speed, high-quality DSL for the retail travel agency and a cheaper connection for homes. Using the same DSL provider for the home and office gives us great advantages in speed. And teleworking is popular. I have more people asking for it than I have technicians to install it. At some sites we already have two telecommuters. When you consider that some of those offices have only four people, that means 50 per cent of the office is telecommuting."

Travel is an industry populated with many working mothers of young children. Teleworking is helping them to defeat the conflicts that arise from having to dedicate the time and energy that both a career and a family demand. This was Julie Kite's dilemma.

She explains that she first heard about teleworking from Matthew Harris when he spoke at a Harvey World Travel conference about future work practices.

" I chased Matthew until he made it happen for me," Julie says.

" At the time he explained he didn't have anybody doing it but I was happy to be the test because I could see how fantastic it would be for me. We're so seasonal in travel that when it's busy I sometimes work until 10.30pm. I found that with two small kids I couldn't do that anymore. I had to get involved in teleworking.

" My laptop is in my kitchen so sometimes I'm getting breakfast for the children when I start work. My three year-old imitates me. She sets up her papers around me and asks not to be disturbed.

" But most of the time I work at night when the children have gone to bed. Teleworking means I can leave work at a decent hour, get the children from day care, have dinner, do the bath and bed thing and then get on my laptop. With no interruptions I can read and respond properly to emails. People will often comment how they get emails from me at midnight but sometimes that's when it's convenient to respond. It's a bit of a joke amongst the HWT people because they often get back to me straight away since they're online at the same time."

Julie's daughter was 18 months old when she started teleworking. Her son is now a year old.

She remembers many times past of ringing airlines at two in the morning to check tickets or having to drive back into the office because of a client emergency.

" I've been in travel for 16 years and I never thought I'd be working like this," she says.

" The first place I worked at didn't even have computers. We did everything manually. Even before I started using a laptop I used to handwrite stuff at home and then double up at the office. Now I can dial-in at any time and do everything. I can look at the accounts or at my own client files. I can prioritise a lot better knowing I have the ability of doing things at home. We don't have to frantically get everything done before we leave the office. I can keep watch on what is happening in the business at any time.

" I still don't know what half of the technology stuff means but I don't have to. I do know it gives me much more flexibility with my time and that's all that matters."

Malcolm Murray (Database manager, Mt Gambier)

For most people, teleworking conjures ideas of productivity, convenience or lifestyle. For Malcolm Murray it means much more.

Malcolm's life was turned upside down eight years ago when, at age 45, he suffered a series of massive strokes. A maths and science teacher with 30 years' experience, Malcolm survived the ordeal but the strokes took their toll. He now describes himself as a "functional quadriplegic" since he does not have the use of his arms or legs and only little movement remains in his right hand.

But it is this right hand, combined with technology and his considerable intellect and experience that allow Malcolm to maintain and manage GrantSearch, an online database of Australian scholarships, fellowships and grants. The main customers of GrantSearch are universities, schools, governments and individuals who subscribe to the service. A hard copy is also printed each year.

GrantSearch is Australia's most extensive funding database, with more than 3,000 sources of financial support for study, travel, research, business, professional development, the arts, sport, community projects and more. It details about $8 billion worth of assistance granted to more than 18,000 recipients each year.

Malcolm maintains the database from his home in Mt Gambier, South Australia, and from a rented office nearby, even though the GrantSearch headquarters is in Perth. The Internet and email are the lifeblood of his teleworking operation. Both offices run with a full complement of Microsoft accessibility software. Malcolm also uses trackballs with his computers and the usual office tools, such as a CD burner, a Zip Drive, printer and scanner. While his home office only has a dial-up modem, the office in town is blessed with an ADSL Internet connection and a more modern Pentium II computer with 17-inch screen.

Says Malcolm: "It has plenty of memory sticks and other twiddly bits added to increase its capacity and to speed it up. The trackball is palm size and it cost heaps. The specialised keyboard is about the size of a QWERTY keyboard without the extra keys. It has many shortcut key combinations. I have a swivel rest for my forearm bolted to the desk, which I need for accuracy and to combat tiredness."

After two years in rehabilitation following his strokes, Malcolm returned home. His students, their parents and his colleagues bought him a computer with specialised hardware and software. The Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service paid for his training and for some extra equipment.

Malcolm then took part in a research project conducted by the University of Adelaide on the development of work opportunities for people with disabilities in rural areas. He gained further experience in data entry and a taste to get back into the workforce. He was registered with a teleworking agency called TeleTask when Dr Julie Summers from GrantSearch came calling for a Web researcher with a scientific background and data entry experience. Malcolm Murray, B.Sc.Spec.Ed., Dip.Ed., Grad.Dip.Educ.Couns, was just the person Dr Summers needed.

" When I got home I quickly tired of sitting around doing bugger all," Malcolm says.

" I needed to be productive again. Now, my work gives me a few extra shekels to spend and something other than bowel movements to talk about. It helps to fill my day, but more than that, it gives me a sense of doing something useful. I also have access to the world and the range of characters that go with it, a real sense of achievement and a self esteem that sometimes gets me into trouble."

Malcolm has teleworked for GrantSearch for almost six years as an independent contractor. It has cost about $3,800 over the years to get established at home, which includes a specially-made desk and an extra phone line. The rented office, which he's had for about 10 months, is still a work in progress.

It has so far cost about $2,500, with weekly costs averaging about $100.

For Malcolm, each day brings rewards.

" By the time my nurse has done her thing I head to work about 10.30am," he says.

" I go online as soon as I get to work to check email and to do any updates. Lunch and a chinwag are at noon. Resuming at 1pm, my afternoon is spent gathering new entries from the newspaper or from the universities. I head off at 5pm after logging about 4.5 hours of actual work time. That's about all I can cope with.

" And because I had absolutely no expectations of anyone other than myself I've never been let down. Andrew Hunter at TeleTask and Julie have been delightful and supportive as employers. They both treated me as normal, insisting that I achieve the same standards as others. Like me, their focus stresses the quality of working relationships to enhance trust and empowerment."

Having chosen teleworking because of his needs, Malcolm says it isn't a lifestyle suited to everyone.

" Maybe starting small with a minimum outlay until you're absolutely sure it's for you is the best cautionary note I can offer," he says.

" In my case, having a job means that I, and others, perceive me in a more positive light. We look beyond my disability and see a worker. Somebody who can pay taxes and make a financial contribution to his family and to his community."

Mike Reece (Business development manager, Melbourne)

Imagine lugging a full desktop computer around Australia in the boot of your car and stopping every 300kms or so to drag it out to run a presentation for which it would not always work. Imagine using a mobile phone the size of a house brick to keep in touch with your office in between such hit and miss engagements.

If you can picture this scenario then you will appreciate how much technology has transformed the working life of Mike Reece. And you will understand why a slim line laptop and a wireless or cable broadband connection to the Internet are his new best friends.

Mike is the business development manager for the business systems division of Infomedia, an award-winning Australian software company. He is responsible for sales of Infomedia's dealer management software, called Autoledgers, to car dealers around Australia. This means he spends about three days of every other week on the road.

" If you're even slightly aspirational about what you do you want to do it as best you can," Mike says.

" So for me, effective communications is an absolute must. I have to be able to plug in my laptop and send and receive information at any hour of the day. Having that full office portability has transformed my life.

" I can use my laptop anywhere - at one of our offices, a client's premises or in a hotel room. I have wireless connectivity in my office in Melbourne and in our other offices we have cable. I just dial into our intranet and off I go."

Infomedia uses Nortel Networks Voice over IP (VoIP) technology to carry its voice and data traffic over the Internet and to interconnect its five Australian sites.

Using his laptop and a broadband connection, Mike can access one of Infomedia's servers in Perth or Sydney so he can give prospective clients a live, on-the-spot demo of the company's dealer management system. It is vital for Mike that the demo is foolproof because the dealer principals of car businesses are a tough sell at the best of times. They have no patience for technical hitches and they are not dazzled by technology.

Mike describes such reliable and instant high-speed connectivity as "stunning" and says he couldn't work without it today.

" My effectiveness depends on it," he says.

" Our business has multiple office locations in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. I interact with people every day in all of those locations and without high-speed email life would be very difficult. A lot of our work involves the transmission of documents - Word, spreadsheets, PDF, power point presentations, etc. Email means we can work far more efficiently."

While Mike says he is more metro-based now, he remembers many hours spent in remote locations prior to having technology tools like broadband. These were the days when even mobile phones were still a novelty.

" I remember people looking at the brick hanging over my shoulder and saying 'strewth, what's that?'

It was the only connectivity you had to your office.

I suppose the convergence of technology has made connectivity so much easier. The truly portable laptops, mobile phones and broadband have changed how I do business. You can do so much more and do it so much more efficiently. And the advantages far outweigh any downside there might be, such as always being contactable."

Mike's advice for today's road warriors starts with a practical suggestion: "Make sure the accommodation you've got for the night has connectivity.

" Only recently I was talking to a motel owner and she was asking my advice on how to put connectivity into all her rooms because she said more and more people tell her they need to keep in touch with their colleagues or families. One of the pleasant things you can do is zap your family an email. And with digital cameras you can even send pictures home to show your family where Dad has been today. I send my wife and son emails just to keep in touch."

Mike has used technology tools for years, teaching himself on the job. He recalls two occasions when the technology penny dropped for him. Just after the bad old days of lugging a desktop to presentations Mike was given his first laptop computer.

" I used to go into car dealerships and demonstrate the benefits of an electronic catalogue system for parts," he says.

" That was with a desktop. Those were dreadful times and yet I was at the vanguard of technology. The day I moved to a laptop was a huge leap forward for me. In those days I was one of the very few people on the plane with a laptop. It was a revelation for me, and for the people I work with, that life was not meant to be difficult if technology could make it easier for you."

Mike's other moment of technology enlightenment was when he first received an email on his own computer at work.

" It was fantastic," he says. "We used to have all our emails sent to a central server. When an email came in, someone would print it off and bring it down to your desk and say 'you've just got an email'. What a laugh that seems now."

More information

About NOIE

NOIE is the Australian Government agency aimed at helping Australians create a world-class online economy and society through its work developing, overseeing, and coordinating Australian Government policy on e-commerce, online services, broadband and the Internet.

Burns Centre, 28 National Circuit, Forrest ACT 2603
GPO Box 390, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: [+61] 02 6271 1666
Fax: [+61] 02 6271 1563
Email: broadband@noie.gov.au
Website: This link sends you off DCITA's websitewww.noie.gov.au

Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts

38 Sydney Avenue, Forrest ACT 2603
GPO Box 2154, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: [+61] 02 6271 1000
Fax: [+61] 02 6271 1901
Email: dcita.mail@dcita.gov.au
Website: www.dcita.gov.au

Disclaimer

This brochure has been prepared by the National Office for the Information Economy (NOIE) and Editor Group Pty Ltd. While due care has been exercised by NOIE to ensure the accuracy and currency of the material contained in this publication, it is recommended that users undertake their own analysis of information and obtain appropriate advice about their own circumstances. In particular, information about specific broadband services (including the nature and availability of services, price etc) should be confirmed with the service provider concerned.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2003

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights in this publication should be addressed to:

Manager, Public Affairs, National Office for the Information Economy, GPO Box 390, Canberra ACT 2601

 
Document ID: 18090 | Last modified: 6 February 2008, 10:24am