Are your employees really prepared to work away from the office?

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These days, most knowledge workers already perform plenty of their work away from the office. Even in situations where telework and workplace mobility are not officially sanctioned, it’s pretty routine for most knowledge workers to check email, to host virtual meetings or to finish a presentation from home.

A study shows that “51% of people who work from home said they suffer from work-related injuries, including aches and pains, neck and back problems and sustained injuries.”
Bupa UK.

But how prepared are these individuals for working effectively away from the office? Even if your program has been launched and supported distributed work policies and technology, how well are team members actually prepared for the remote work experience? Are they keeping proprietary data safe and preventing hack attacks?

Preparing team members for remote work can make a huge difference

Working in a distributed team requires unique skills and routines to remain connected, to effectively communicate and collaborate with others, and to maintain a reputation as a contributing member of the team. Essential to their success is earning the trust and reputation as a consistent team contributor no matter where they work.

–You can either prepare the workforce by replacing unwanted workplace behaviors, or you can allow remote work to amplify them.–

If you are developing a distributed work program, you’ve only got one chance to do it right. To be fully successful, every participating distributed worker must be prepared by learning and accepting the program rules, improving their skills as a collaborating mobile member of the team, and knowing what it will take to become an active, contributing member of their distributed work community.

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See the Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series: Technology-enabled workplace change can only be successful if the people change too. The e-work.com Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series modules accelerate workplace change through a deliberate mindshift in individuals, teams and the enterprise to work together in new ways.

Click here to see the Working in Distributed Teams course outline.

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Four essential steps to launching a winning work-from-home program

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Employees working from home, also known as teleworking, is a common workplace option practiced around the world.If you are launching a work-from-home program, you can probably imagine the many ways that individuals will react once they’ve learned they might be able to work from home.

“Research shows that 80 to 90 percent of the U.S. workforce said they would like to telework at least part of the week.”

Global Workplace Analytics

Upon hearing the news, hopeful teleworkers may be thinking:

Great! No more meetings!
How will I keep from being distracted at home?
I can finally cut back on child care expenses.
How will I keep my kids out of the office?
Won’t it be great to sleep in late?
If I’m away from the office, won’t I miss out on opportunities for advancement?

These aren’t exactly the kinds of reactionsyou may haveexpected to hear, but if you don’t provide informationon theprogram purpose, objectives and guidelines, some may jump to their own incorrect conclusions. Program planners must be prepared to provide answers to these and many more questions in advance by following these four program development steps.

1. Establish the rules:

A policy is essential for the success of any home-based work activity. A policy defines who qualifies, how frequently they will work at home, expectations for separating work and family, guidelines on expenses that can be incurred, what equipment and services will be needed, and the conditions under which the telework privilege can be revoked.

2. Set the expectations:

If you don’t establish home-based working environment expectations, they will make likely it up. An individual with a home office should know and acknowledgethey will be responsible to their manager for work accountability, productivity, professionalism, health, safety, & security, avoiding distractions, and separating work from family life.

3. Reduce therisks:

Working from home can introduce risks including injuries, theft, safety, security, overwork, data breaches, low performance, and more. The organization must provide each individual and their manager with the guidance, tools and processesto ensure risk reduction,plusremedies, procedures and reporting requirements for incidents.

4. Maximize home worker performance:

For a variety of reasons, worker performance can improve significantly in a remote work environment. Some managers discover the need to update their management skills, for instance,ensuring thatteam members are more accountable by measuring performance by work output instead of measuring ‘desk time.’Mobile team members- and non-mobile team members – should be asked to track and communicate their work activities, milestones and accomplishments to make sure their manager is regularly up to date.

A work-form-homecan beboth complicated and rewarding

Allowing team members to work from home can be complicated as it has many moving parts. However, in this time of competitive recruiting for top talent, a telework option is known to be one of the first options candidates look for in making their decision to join an organization.

If you are part of the work-from-homeplanning teamdeveloping a new program, you’ve got only one chance to do this right. By setting the rules, establishing expectations, reducing risks and maximizing accountability and performance, the investment in your program will pay off for many years to come.

In fact, you’ll find that once your well designed telework program has been in place for a couple of years, working at home becomes so rewarding that you’ll wonder why you hadn’t launched it years earlier!

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See the Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series: Technology-enabled workplace change can only be successful if the people change too. The e-work.com Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series modules accelerate workplace change through a deliberate mindshift in individuals, teams and the enterprise to work together in new ways.

Register to see the Creating a High-Performing Home Office course outline.

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Four essential steps to flex program success

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So, you’ve made the decision to launch a flexibility program. Congratulations!

You are not alone. Enterprise flexibility has reached a tipping point among employers of all sizes.

“87% of HR leaders believe that workplace flexibility programs lead to employee satisfaction, while nearly 7 out of 10 leaders use workplace flexibility programs as a recruiting tool.”
The 2015 Workplace Flexibility Study

After you’ve invested in your plan, policies, and procedures, and you’ve got the budget and the “GO” sign, what’s your plan for introducing it to the enterprise? How will you gain support for the program? How will you get it to become the new normal?

To maximize your program potential, consider these four program steps for success:

1.Socialize the programwith managers first:
Sequencing the announcement is critical. Since managers will be responsible for selecting and managing flex participants – and ultimately for program results – they’ll need to be the first to know how it works. Each manager will find considerable value in seeing the business case for flexibility, the details of the policy, the program strategy, objectives, and how to select participants. Then, it’s good practice to reinforce the process, neutralize misconceptions, and get all the issues on the table by gathering managers in small groups. Every manager ought to be equipped with the essential knowledge, tools, and confidence before they receive the first flex application.

2. Announce the program and inviteteam membersto apply:
There won’t likely be a shortage of employees interested in flexibility. However, it must be made clear from the beginning that program participation is not automatic. Early messaging could provide general parameters and criteria for participation. Then, provide all those who wish to participate with a program overview, guidelines, a readiness assessment, and tips on discussing flex with their manager and submitting an application.

“What are the biggest concerns for employers who establish flexibility programs?
“¢Potential for the employee to abuse the system: 42%
“¢ Flexibility not being part of their culture: 40%
“¢ Concerns about employee fairness: 34%
The 2015 Workplace Flexibility Study

3. Celebrate post-launch success stories:
After launching any organizational change process, it’s easy for bad news to dominate discussions among the ranks, magnifying isolated issues and complaints. You can head this off early by identifying and publicizing examples of flex success- each work group is bound to have two or three. Humanizing the value and benefits of flexibility will shift the conversation and help others recognize how flex might work for them.

4. Measure program results and make adjustments:
Todetermine whether the program is a success, you will need some evidence. The obvious place to begin is to make a plan to measure the changes in the areas you had intended flexibility to affect. Take a baseline survey before launch, then after the first six months or so, repeat the survey to compare employee stress, productivity, engagement, customer focus, and other criteria with pre-launch baseline data. Over time, changes in wellness, real estate, disaster planning preparedness, sustainability, and other strategic elements will prove this was a good business decision.

There’s no doubt that workplace flexibilitycan be disruptive.

With proper planning and and a thoughtfulstrategy, you have much more control over thetype of disruption your program will generate. With a deliberate plan and effective execution, workplace flexibility can quickly become accepted and adopted as a new normal way to work faster than you think, generating plenty of positive, measurable benefits.

We expect someday you’ll look back and be glad you used these four steps to drive flexibility as the new enterprise norm.We hope you’rereach out and let us know!

Register to see the Flex Fundamentals for Managers course outline or the Flexibille Worker Training course outline.

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Are your managers resisting workplace change?

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Whether you are setting up shared workspaces, initiating flexible work arrangements, or launching a telework program, each have a lot of moving parts and can be challenging. Chances are pretty good you’vediscovered that some managers in your organization are resistive to these changes, and some might even be outright against it.

–Don’t be surprised if you find the ‘people part’ of the new workplace more challenging than the ‘technology part.’–

As you begin mapping out your strategy for workplace change, one of the most important changes you’ll make is turning manager resistance into active support. Consider these ideas for doing that:

Define it:Is it possible that many managers’ideas on how the new workplace will workare based on misconceptions and unfounded opinions? Yes. So, your very first task is to clearly define the new workplace, describe the controls that will be in place, and be clear on the value it will bring to the organization.

Ground it: Recruit an executive champion to become the lightning rod for driving the program forward. When the new workplace has undeniable management support, budget and priority, the path to manager buy-in will be a straight line.

Confine it: A primary fear of the unenlightened manager is the grief they’ll get after advising a marginal employee they’re not going to be working away from the office. Establishing specific participation criteria – such as performance minimums – changes those dynamics. On the positive side, there’s nothing like a telework option to motivate improved performance.

Benign it: Unenlightened managers will conjure up all kinds of reasons this won’t work. Find out what’s on their minds, then address all the issues in a gathering. Very often issues can be neutralized by getting objections on the table and discussing in front of peers.

Design it: Under the direction ofyour workplace program team, provide managers the tools and direction to review their current practices, then provide guidance for updating their team communications planand updating their work and project activity tracking process.

Refine it: Providing managers with tools, tips and process for creating continuous coachable moments will go a long way. Help them build a high-performing team by updating team communication, collaboration and accountability. After launch, use survey and focus group feedback for fine tuning the process.

Combine it: Workplace change affects so many aspects of the workplace, there are likely ample opportunities to combine distributed work with other strategic initiatives. Some might include updating leadership skills, ergonomics reform, technology upgrades, using new collaboration tools, updating virtual meeting skills, etc.

Bottom line it: Show managers how they play an integral role in ensuring a rapid, efficient, and effective transition into the technology-enabled workplace. Provide them with feedback, support and public recognition for positive results.

Resistance to change by managers does not need to be a game-ender

As you begin planning for your program for shared workspaces, flexible work arrangements or telework, focus on bringing the managers on board. Prepare them for the experience by providing them with the tools for success, and showing them the many ways they’ll benefit from the program.

With a concerted effort and a bit of finesse, you might bedelighted to see resistance to change suddenly morph into enthusiastic support!

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Register to see the Managing Distributed Teams course outline.

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Workplace change won’t happen without properly prepared managers

Distributed work programs -which include activity-based work arrangements, remote work centers, coworking, teleworking and home agents – are reaching a tipping point among employers world-wide. It is becoming quite common for organizationsto adopt workplace practices that allow team members the flexibility to work anywhere, any time.

Are your managers a primary source of internal change resistance?

In the planning of a distributed work program, you may find thattoday’s organizational habits, traditions, work patterns and even dailyroutines are incompatible with the new workplace. How will you know? If after you announce your distributed work program,questions from managers like these willoffer ample evidence:

“Howwill I manage people I don’t see?” This signals the need for a management skills upgrade and accountability process overhaul.

“How can I call a meeting if everyone is away?” This suggests there may be a need to re-think current meeting effectiveness, andperhaps even shift some meetingsto virtual.

“If my team is always away from the office, how will they collaborate?” First, the typical teleworker works away once or twice a week. Second, emerging collaboration tools bring teams closer digitally, so collaboration is brought to a whole new level.

“How will I tell a poor performer they cannot participate?” Poor performers should already know they won’t likely participate before they ask. Smart managers use this opportunity to reward improved performance with mobile work.

–You can think of workplace change as disruptive, or you can leverage it to stimulate engagement, productivity, accountability and collaboration. It’s your choice.–

The fact is, managing in a high-performing distributed workplace requires skills, processes and routines that should already be in place. Amanagement skillsmakeovermay become among the many unexpected benefits of your workplace change program, resulting in improved leadership,accountability, team-building, relationships and engagement.

Preparing your managers for change is essential for program success

As the pace of technology-induced workplace change quickens, preparing your managers is essential foran efficient, orderlyenterprise transition to ‘the other side.’ Successful organizationsuse quality training tobring worker and manager skills up to date simultaneously withknowledge, tips and tools designed successfully transition teams to the distributed work environment.

Are you ready toleverage a little disruption?

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Register to see the Managing Distributed Teams course outline.

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Proven best practices for preparing your mobile workforce

If you’ve walked through your office lately and noticed all the empty desks, you’ve started to realize that technology is enabling worker mobility whether it is officially sanctioned it or not. Wi-Fi, instant messaging, social media and mega-collaboration tools on mobile devices are all forcing organizations to catch up with their mobile workforce. If there’s any situation where the ‘herding cats’ metaphor works, this is it. Effective Mobile Workforce Management is difficult for any mobile business to achieve, which is why you should take advantage of any opportunity to get it.

–There’s little sense in waiting for things to get back to normal, because normal is gone forever.–

Mobility is radically beneficial when it’s done correctly. Becoming more mobile can definitely maximize an individual’s potential, but an ill-prepared newbie or a seasoned veteran can both find themselves at a work stand-still with the wrong cord, a missing file, a dead battery, or a hack attack at the airport. As mobility increases in your enterprise, are you thinking about how mobile workers will consistently manage accessibility and connectivity, protecting access to data, and maintaining health, well-being and productivity away from the office? Things like crew scheduling software from ServiceMax can help to coordinate mobile workforces; a crew scheduling app starts by suggesting a best approach to every multi-part task.

Prepared team members keep their work flowing wherever they are

Enterprise-wide adoption of mobility best practices is essential for herding your mobile workforce. It ensures that mobile employees are equipped with essential knowledge, tools and support to work efficiently in a mobile environment. Preparing employees for the many different places, situations, conditions and obstacles they’ll be facing is essential.

As you prepare to launch mobile team members at scale, you’ll need to empower them all to follow the same four essential mobility best practices:

1. Practicing methods for staying connected, organized, efficient and productive
2. Eliminating paper files and mastering digital communication
3. Knowing and practicing information security best practices
4. Learning tips and steps to preventing stress and overwork

The value of enterprise-wide mobility best practices is unmistakable. Engaging in mobility best practices can make a measurable difference in enterprise performance, efficiency, wellness and engagement. When done properly, these best practices will maximize personal accessibility, response time, consistent connectivity, secure access to data, and health & well-being, all essential in today’s changing work environment. Imagine how these benefits could be magnified exponentially if every mobile team member adopted these same practices all at the same time!

So, the next time you walk through the office and notice all those unoccupied desks, it’s not so crazy to imagine that actually being a good thing. Begin making plans right now to further improve efficiency by transforming the workplace to a shared work environment through effective mobility training!

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Register to see the Adopting Mobility Best Practices course outline.

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What makes shared workspaces so difficult for some?

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Are you planning or developing a shared work environment? An activity-based workplace? Congratulations! Thousands of organizations globally are right there with you.

You’ve run the numbers, you’ve secured the budget, and the project is a go…so why do you and your team feel the dull ache of change in the pit of your stomachs? What makes workplace change so difficult?

It’s personal.

The workspace has been an employee’s identity for two generations

In the second half of the last century, Bell Telephone Companies across the nation adopted a hierarchy of office real estate that corresponded with an individual’s position in the organization. The square footage of one’s office, the size of their desk, type of furniture and its amenities were specified for individuals who had reached particular management levels within the organization.

And, whether you were in a central office in Chicago, a business office in Los Angeles, or an engineering office in New York, everyone knew the level of management of the occupier with a quick glance at their office. Imagine the pride of a parent showing off their office on ‘bring your kids to work day.’

–When you takesomeone’s identity away, what do they have left?–

For two generations, the office one occupied with their name on it had become a source of personal pride, value, respect, accomplishment and aspiration. Since the 1950s, visual positional cues to some degree have permeated every enterprise large and small. Organizationswith the history of these traditional visual cues will behardest to change because it’s personal.

Fast forward to today

If you have responsibility for implementing a shared office space, many others feel your pain. With all the technology-induced changes in the workplace, you have disruption coming at you left and right. In orderto ensure the changed office quickly becomes the new normal, the positive benefits of the new workplace must overpower the losses.

Since workplace change is so personal,do you have a plan to handle emotionally charged objections? Consider setting a new tone by redirecting the loss of the “ever-important desk identity” with these ideas:

Post a blog that neutralizes the top 10 workplace objections

Make a good case for the change,whyit’snecessary and what’s in it for them

Reinforce the benefits of the new workplace andstir up some excitement

Build positive momentum by circulating thought-leader support

Showtestimonialsfeaturing key executives giving up their offices

Publicizeexamples of how some team membersare accepting the change

There’s never been a better time to take advantage of emerging technology to transform your workplace. Organizations are making the tough decision to create a shared workplace to stay competitive,or maybe to even survive their ever-changing marketplace. With the right plan and strategy, in acouple ofyears you will look back and conclude that you’ve exceeded your real estate utilization goals, people actually like their new workplace, and all thatshort-term pain was worth the long-term gain!

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Register to see the Making the Case for Workplace Change course outline.

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Three certainties blocking workplace change buy-in

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It seems every week new technology is announced that radically changes our routines, but nowhere has technology been more disruptive than in the workplace. Organizations around the globe are putting technology to work by embracing disruptive workplace strategies such asactivity-based work arrangements,flexible work arrangements, andcoworking.

If you’ve decided to implement theseemerging workplace strategies, you’ve likely recognized the three certainties blocking workplace change buy-in:

1. Technology that disrupts long-time traditions provokes a natural human resistance.
2. Changing the technology is usually much easier than getting the enterprise to adopt it and use it.
3. Ifyour workforce is not properly prepared for change, adoption canbe slow, unpredictable andcostly.

Whether you have 200 or 20,000 employees, properly preparing the workforce for a new workplace is a matter of building a strong “case for change.” You do this by providing everyone with answers to The Five Program What’s:

1. What’s driving the need for this change?
2. What will the future workplace be like?
3. What’s in it for me?
4. What challenges will I need to overcome?
5. What do I need to do to be a part of the change?

These are all legitimate questions that can be answered through a well-designed communication strategy. Fortunately, thesame technology that increases worker efficiency is now available for worker learning. With astrategic set of messages distributed through a robust e-Learning platform, your entire enterprisecan simultaneously receive the same mind-shifting, team-building knowledge, tips and tools inless than two weeks.

Unblock buy-in with a clear case for change

Employers large and small are recognizing that jumping on the change-to-a-digital workplace is notjusta competitive advantage, but it’s matter of survival.Given the relentless advances in technology, there is no room for people who say: “I like things the way they are!”

Overcoming the three certainties blocking workplace changewon’t be easy, but the long journey begins with the first step. Making the case for changeis an ideal firststep in an accelerated change processthat can ensure rapid, deliberate application of knowledge and processes essential to change.

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Register to see the Making the Case for Workplace Change course outline.

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Will rumors highjack your change communication messaging?

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Are you adopting workplace change strategies such asan activity-based workplace, a flexible work program, telework,coworking or free agents?If so, chances are you’ve already realized the importance of enterprise training, acceptance, program buy-in, andovercoming resistance to change

It should come as no surprise that people remain the primary obstacle to enterprise acceptance, adoption and even the survival of disruptive workplace programs. Resistance to change is all about frame of mind.

Will internal rumorshighjack your communication plan?

Before internal rumors have a chance to shape opinions about the changes you’re planning, it is critical that everyone learns the reality of your plan quickly and simultaneously. Whether you have 200 or 20,000 team members, properly preparing the workforce for the new workplace is a matter of buildinga five-step”case for workplace change” by:

1. Explaining what’s driving the need for change: Show everyone thebig picture strategy, howthe program will maximize enterprise potential, improveteam level effectiveness, andsignificant benefits for individuals.
2. Helping everyone picture what will the future workplace be like: Explain how people will work differently and the new work environment and processes that will bein placeto support it all.
3.Describinghow thenew workplace will benefitsindividuals, teams andthe organization: At this point in making the case for change, it becomes personal. What’s in itfor an executive is very different froma manager ora team member, soeach is tailored with benefits fromtheir perspective,each seeing the personal payoff and value proposition for getting on board.
4. Describing theobstacleseach indivisual willneed to overcome: Executives, managers andteam membersare then presented with a reality check.You must acknowledge the many obstacles and challengesto getting to the ‘other side,’along withclear pathsand support forgetting there.
5.Explaining howeveryone can be a part of the change: This is where the rubber meets the road.Executives and managers are guided to make a commitment, map out a change plan, develop a strategy to communicate it, empower their direct reports, and measure success.Team membersare reminded they are key to program success, are encouraged to discuss what’s working and what’s not, and to work with their manager to make this the best workplace it can be.

–Given the accelerating technological advances, there is no room for people who say “I like things the way they are!”–

It’s easy for people to jump to their own conclusion about change when they don’t know the facts.To make the necessary cultural shift, every individual in the organization needs to know the plan and buy into the vision, they mustlearn their role in its success, andshould expect toreceive recognition and rewards for being a part of implementing it. Making the case for change is one of several steps inan accelerated change process that providesrapid application of essential knowledge,new skillsand re-invented processes.

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Once you’vereceived approval for the new workplace and developed a great buildout plan,your attention should now focus on gaining enterprise buy-in.

Register to see the Making the Case for Workplace Change course outline.

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Preparing mobile workers can make a huge difference

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These days, most knowledge workers already perform plenty of their work away from the office. Even in situations where teleworkers, workplace mobility, and flexible work arrangements (also known as distributed work) are not sanctioned or formalized, checking email after hours, hosting virtual meetings from a hotel room, are all pretty routine.

But without the establishment of mobile work policies and preparation of participants for the remote work experience, unsanctioned distributed workers are nowhere near as productive, efficient, reliable and consistent as they could be.

Properly preparing distributed workers will make a huge difference

Working in a distributed team requires unique skills and routines to remain connected, effectively communicating and collaborating with others. Essential to their success is earning the trust and reputation as a consistent team contributor no matter where they work.

So, for each individual to become a high effective, successful distributed team member, they must:

Get on board: Each must learn and accept the program strategy and objectives, then visualize how their habits and routineswill differ from the way things are now.

Learn to participate in a distributed community: Successful distributed workers learn to create trusted, contributing, engaged relationships with their teammates, becoming a viable member of the team.

Become an advanced communicator and collaborator: To maximize team interaction, each individual must learncommon communication processes, protocols and practices so that information is communicated effectively across the organization.

Maintain visibility while working away: The ideal teammate is considerate and consistent, never goes dark, anticipates others’ needs, and masters mobile technology to stay visible and connected.

Remain an accountable team contributor: Practicing consistent, reliable, measurable personal performance is essential for earning the trust and confidenceof the team.

To be fully successful, every participating distributed worker must be prepared by learning and accepting the program rules, improving their skills as a collaborating mobile member of the team, and knowing what it will take to become an active, contributingmember of their distributed work community.

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See the Evolving Workplace e-Learning Series:Technology-enabled workplace change can only be successful if the people change too. The e-work.comEvolving Workplacee-Learning Seriesmodulesaccelerate workplace changethrough a deliberate mindshift in individuals, teams and theenterprise to work together in new ways. course outline.

Register to see the Working in Distributed Teams course outline.

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