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CTA
members tell their stories: Part 11
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Virtual
work a success for Toronto-area company Our company
is largely virtual, with regular team meetings to coordinate
projects, deal with administrative details, etc. Most weekdays
there is only one person in the office, though sometimes there
are interns also "holding down the fort." Because the office is
in central Toronto, and the partners live in Oakville, Oshawa,
and the east end of Toronto, it can be more efficient to
minimize travel time and to use online tools (message
applications and Skype) and the phone to stay in touch during
the day (and often, well into the evening). This has also made
for lower overhead costs.
Gisela McKay, Director, pixcode
Inc. |
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Etobicoke
Ontario worker will try to change resistant employer's view
towards telework "Currently my employer does not
offer or respect the concept of telework, I am putting a
presentation together and having a meeting with the HR Director
to try to have this policy changed. I would like to move away
from the current city of Toronto and move to a smaller nice
community so my wife and I can start a family. (Toronto is just
not our place) Can you offer any advice on where I can go to get
some help or advice for educating the company I work for and to
help me have data to convince them that it's a good thing for me
and also maybe they should look at changing the policy on this
and work with me on this and not against. I really don't want to
leave the company, but the desire to have a family and a home in
a safe community is great and commuting 2 hours daily 1 way is
not an option. Any help would be appreciated. Sincerely Yours,
Jason E. Rand,
Etobicoke, ON |
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Bay of
Fundy resident may be one of the earliest teleworkers:
"..I believe I may be one of the earlier teleworkers. I live on
an island in the Bay of Fundy. The work here is often seasonal
and in response to that, Grand Mananers have become very
versatile workers. The internet was up and running here in 1988.
As an internet liaison here on the island I have been able to
take part in research, with McGill University, Cormern, worked
as distance meeting coordinator for Parks and Monuments Canada,
kept a running web page for reunions and am available to the
Fishermen and Scientist research group as a rep for this area.
My work has mostly been contract to contract but the community I
have built both on and off my island helps better my own and my
community's future.
Sharon Greenlaw, Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick |
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Serene in
Waterloo I worked 4 years in a Virtual office
offering customer support, sales and service. I registered
customers for our free monthly workshops and 6-8 weeks annually
for Classroom training on our product. Product being ERP
Manufacturing Software. I saw my customer base grow from 150 to
375 in 4 years and through my CRM application, I grew from 500
email contacts to over 5000. I would market pro-actively by
phone calls and email alerts on our events/discount sales
offers. My efforts and creativity brought in over One Million in
sales to the Company annually by myself. More sales were made by
our outside sales dept from leads I had generated through our
customer base. Our new sales was generated by our efficient
service and referencability from our customers. Being able to
work in a serene setting, my home office, was very rewarding for
me and therefore productive to the Company I worked for.
Lori Squiers
Waterloo, Ontario |
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Edmonton
company becoming expert at virtual work. Just
starting a new project. Will have 10 workers in main office and
11-20 teleworkers spread across the province of Alberta. We are
planning to open up in the new year (2005) and are working with
vendors to get the technology in place.
Alain Gauthier,
Information Systems Management,
Carpe Diem Global
Solutions |
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Winchester
teleworker eliminates family neglect after starting telework.
Working full time, never being home my family began to suffer
from neglect. Son in trouble at school. I never saw my husband.
So I looked to the internet for extra income. Four years later
and many scams later I finally found a great place to work with
paid clerical assignments with a group called
Cash Junkies.
Wonderful support and training. I developed my own web site that
is really quite different. Focuses on women looking to do the
same as myself. Make extra income while working at home. I truly
love working at home now.
Kathie Maclean, Winchester, Ontario |
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CTA
members sends update Three years ago, CTA member
Linda Symonds sent us her
story about being unemployed and looking for a telework
job. She found one and is now a teleworking manager. She sends
details in this update:
"I posted a note about 3 years ago and it was brought to my
attention just today...I totally forgot I had posted it and I
see I said I would keep you informed. Well, this is what's
happened since then. I did find a few jobs working at
home, on the computer...they really didn't go anywhere, but it
really was great experience knowing what to look for and what
to look OUT for. You really do have to do a lot of "weeding"
through the ads to find a good one.
Well, I found it, I've been
working at home now for the same company for about a year and
a half and LOVING IT! I work the hours I want, the days I
want, I can take whatever time off I want and as of this year,
I was made Manager. Yes, I manage people via the internet,
it's quite the experience and I love every minute of it....I
do have My days I would just like to toss this computer out
the window *smiles* but I wouldn't trade this job for ANY job
working outside the home. I get the things done now that I
just never seemed to have the time for and I am so relaxed and
my stress level is almost at 0 these days.
If only every place of employment
would see the benefits of this kind of work atmosphere... I
think if they really looked into it, they would follow
suit...I realize not every job can be done from home, but the
ones that can, SHOULD BE!
It did take some getting use to,
you really do have to be disciplined and prioritize...I've had
my fair share of "lazy" days but that's ok...I make up for it.
How wonderful it would be if every mother with small children
could work from home and spend every precious moment with
their children while they grow up. In this day and age of
RUSH RUSH RUSH, sometimes our children are missing out on some
of the important things of child rearing....FAMILY....I know I
wish I could turn the clocks back sometimes and do things
different...but, we can't and well, all we can do is move
forward. Linda Symonds,
Oshawa, Ontario"
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Telework
important to this job seeker I have recently become
unemployed and am constantly searching for work. I would prefer
to work from home to care for my mother who is seriously ill.
Although not bed ridden, and quite capable, we, (the family) all
agree that having someone home with her is the best solution for
her care and well being. Telecommuting makes the best sense. I
would still be able to be on hand in case of emergency for my
mother, support my three children, and make a significant
contribution to the business world. I have run a small business
from my home before and would like to work from home again. It
makes economical sense and provides those in need such as
myself, the opportunity to earn, learn and contribute while
caring for loved ones, rather than depend on government funding
and nursing care. Lydia
Smith, Hamilton, ON |
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This
Auroran is sold on telework Knowing from personal
experience that the ability to achieve and actually
“overachieve” can be attained much more easily when one is faced
with less challenges, it is logical to assume that placing one
within an environment of comfort is going to be naturally
conducive to success. That has absolutely been the case for
myself. The ability to restrict circumstances is tremendous. For
instance, being able to avoid everyday occurrences that
typically interfere with productivity is of enormous assistance,
i.e. avoiding spending time in traffic, poor weather conditions,
unnecessary discussions with others, taking time to decide what
to wear to meetings, not having to spend your money on your
business wardrobe, etc. These factors have all been key to
successful teleworking. The bottom line however is that telework
is really a mutually rewarding experience for all parties
involved. The employee/contractor is going to perform to their
highest standard in order to achieve success for their employer
because they do love what they do and are comfortable within
their environment, and the employer can rest assured that they
will be paying for a job well done without additional overhead
expenditures. I am looking forward to many new opportunities and
will do everything I can to find them. Thanks for listening.
Risa Light , Aurora,
Ontario |
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