Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest technology news and information.

What to Tell Your Remote Boss

By Julia King

May 28, 2007 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Fifteen years ago, when management expert and best-selling author Jaclyn Kostner was writing her doctoral dissertation on geographically dispersed work teams, the No. 1 issue affecting remote workers was career implosion. The cause was a woeful lack of communication.

"When you're out of sight, you're out of mind, and your career won't do well," says Kostner, now president of Bridge the Distance, a Denver-based training consultancy specializing in remote management and virtual teams. "Today, despite all of the new technology we have and a global economy that is changing drastically, there's still a ceiling for people who work remotely," she observes.

To help workers break through that ceiling and communicate more effectively with their managers, Kostner came up with CARE, a model that precisely lays out what information remote employees should regularly communicate to their geographically dispersed managers. It includes these four elements:

Changes in project status, working hours, partnership agreements and anything else that affects performance.
Accomplishments, both team and individual.
Requests for tools, personnel and anything else they need to be more effective.
Environmental details that can affect productivity in the remote workplace.

"What you're trying to do with the CARE model is communicate the details that your remote boss can't see," says Kostner. "Write down the key points before you pick up the phone, and send a bulleted e-mail after the call." A big part of managing your career as a remote employee, she says, is "getting smarter about communicating about what you're working on and the results you're getting."

See the main story, The Remote Worker's Survival Guide

See more on telecommuting:

Comment Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Jump to comments

careers

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER

Do You Know the 7 Steps to Successful Data Migration?

Approximately 60 percent of data migration projects overrun time or budget, while some fail completely. Download this white paper, "Enhancing Your Chance for Successful Data Migration," to learn the critical steps you need to take to execute a data migration project with minimum cost and risk to your business.

WHITE PAPER

Total Cost of Ownership of Server Computing Vs. PCs

Read the Gartner research note to learn why the TCO of a server-based computing deployment used to deliver all applications to users is around 50% lower than that of an unmanaged desktop deployment.

WHITE PAPER

IDC White Paper: Linux in a Global Recession

Economic downturns have a tendency to accelerate emerging technologies, boost the adoption of effective solutions, and punish solutions that are not cost competitive or that are out of synch with industry trends. This IDC White Paper presents the results of an IDC survey of 330 companies in Western Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Americas that measures the receptiveness to Linux and takes into consideration changing views driven by the disruptive economic environment that businesses face today.

What People Are Saying

0 comments | Add new

See all comments (0) | Add new

White Papers & Webcasts

Chiquita selects Workday's fresh approach to Human Capital Management
A fresh approach to meet IT and HR objectives.

Usability Is Everything
Download this short video! Provided by Workday.

Supporting Employees Anytime, Anywhere
Download this White Paper Now!

The Value of Real SaaS at Workday
Download this short video! Provided by Workday

Natural User Interface for Enterprise Applications
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.

SaaS at Flextronics, Inc.
Download this short Video! Provided by Workday.

A Truly Global HCM System
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.

Extending Client Refresh - 11 Steps to Maximize Savings
Register Now!

Craft a Strategy to Lower Your Total Cost of Ownership
Download this Complimentary White Paper! Provided by Workday.

Lower the Cost and Complexity of a Mobile Workforce through Automation
Download This Resource Now!

All White Papers | All Webcasts

Computerworld Reports

8 Questions To Ask About Your Intrusion-Security Solution

Computerworld Technology Briefings IT Service Management

Computerworld Briefing - Analytics: The Art and Science of Better

All Computerworld Reports

	CareerMail
	Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
	Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
	The Weekly Top 10
	Cloud Computing

resource center

Newsletter Sign-Up

What to Tell Your Remote Boss

careers

Additional Resources

What People Are Saying

White Papers & Webcasts

Computerworld Reports

White Papers

Sponsored Links