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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:The Digital way of working
Moderator:QUARK::LIONELON
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5321
Total number of notes:139771

1281.0. ""virtual office"" by BOSACT::CHERSON (concurrently engineered) Sun Nov 25 1990 16:53

I was wondering had heard anything official about the concept of the "virtual
office", i.e., working out of one's home.  I spoke to an individual in 
Richmond the other day who is doing this.  He did observe that you lose the 
benefit of informal office communications.  

Is anybody else out there doing this?  Opinions?  What does one get for 
computing resources?  Is a DTN installed in your house?

Thanks,
David
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1281.1more of it all the timeCVG::THOMPSONSun Nov 25 1990 17:149
    Have you looked in the TELEWORK conference? There is a lot of talk
    about this sort of thing there. It's at RUMOR::TELEWORK.
    
    There are a number of more or less official pilot efforts underway.
    They vary from full time at home to mostly in the office and every
    thing in between. There is also a lot of less formal working from
    home. Especially in engineering groups.
    
    		Alfred
1281.2LESLIE::LESLIEAndy LeslieSun Nov 25 1990 17:232
    Only drawback in the UK is that homes used partially for business get
    taxed more than residential-use only homes.
1281.3:-)XANADU::FLEISCHERwithout vision the people perish (381-0899 ZKO3-2/T63)Mon Nov 26 1990 11:4513
re Note 1281.0 by BOSACT::CHERSON:

> I was wondering had heard anything official about the concept of the "virtual
> office", i.e., working out of one's home.  

        I believe that the term "virtual office" was used in a recent
        Jack Smith memo (since rescinded) not to mean "working in the
        home" but to mean "if you work anywhere in the greater
        Maynard area, your office is considered to be virtually
        everywhere, and thus you cannot get reimbursed for
        inter-plant travel."

        Bob
1281.4Been ten years for me now.ALOSWS::MULLERFred MullerSun Dec 09 1990 13:5427
    I have been working in a Digital "virtual office" for ten years as a
    "PSS/EIS" Software Specialist. I guess it is now called the new
    "Customer Services" organization headed by Russ Gullotti (Friday's
    VOGON news).  I have been predicting that move for five years now.
    Makes big sense to me.
    
    Digital Virtual Office:  No Digital office space, a mailbox, two file
    cabinet drawers, little company contact, last in line to touch or
    possess new stuff.  Working for a minimum of two different bosses,
    sometimes with differing goals (gosh, that sounds a little like a
    virtual office at home when the wife asks you to raise your feet so she
    can vacumm around you).  I used to resent it, but I could never deny
    the business sense of it.
    
    The real problem was/is related to the following.  In the old days when
    Software Services was one organization, it was the folks that were "out
    of a job" that got all the new goodies or enjoyed the office scuttlebut
    because they happened to be around the office daily. Now it is the
    Sales Support folks and that is one of the fundamental reasons for the
    big migration to that job title.
    
    Current benefit though:  The customer is paying green dollars for me
    for the next year and that = fewer worries about the recession and
    obvious consequences thereof.
    
    Fred
    
1281.5transparent FS guy?CSC32::K_BOUCHARDKen Bouchard CXO3-2Fri Dec 21 1990 15:086
    re:-1
    
    Are you sure you haven't been working for field service and didn't know
    it? One way to tell is if you have a tool bag and a green cart.
    
    Ken