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I believe that off-site management can be effective, but only if the staff
and senior management of the company support it. For example, at a
previous job where I supervised three others, I worked at home two - three
days per week. I was available by e-mail, ICQ, phone, and cell phone. It
was almost sabotaged at one point, when one person who reported to me used
the fact that I was not onsite as an excuse for missing a deadline, and
complained to senior management that "I was never there when she needed
me". Management's response was to back me up and point out that a simple
phone call or email would have gotten my attention, and that the onus was
on her to let me know "when she needed me". Other than that experience,
working offisite was never much of an issue.
Suzette Seveny
Technical Writer
Pet Valu Canada Inc.
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny -at- petvalu -dot- com or suzette -at- yesic -dot- com
