“Work is something you do, not someplace you go!”
So says Nigel Ballard, Intel’s Director of Federal Marketing, who was awarded the Homeland Defence Journal’s top award in 2006 for his wireless technology and leadership skills during the Hurricane Katrina disaster, and was named one of America’s top 100 technology leaders by Federal Computer Weekly.
This statement is a call to action. For us at RWorks, and many others globally, this statement encapsulates a major shift in how we view the way we work.
Nigel Ballard is a visionary, a remote working advocate, a tireless campaigner for free wireless broadband access for all, ‘be you poor, be you rich’ . Click here
In his white paper on teleworking ‘Embracing Change with Telework’, Ballard states that “In the 21st century, fewer employees will be content driving 60 minutes from one computer screen to another”.
He writes that it is time to rethink the traditional office and take advantage of technologies such as wireless broadband and the latest mobile hardware such as faster, more powerful laptops. By harnessing the latest mobile computing technology, he says that ‘a secure, effective workplace can be created nearly anywhere’.
In listing the advantages of teleworking, Ballard includes an improved work-life balance for employees and also reduced environmental impact, through reduced traffic congestion, reduced emissions and pollution, and a decreased burden on transportation infrastructure. Interestingly, Nigel Ballard highlights a significant reward to the employer of becoming a more competitive employer, in that ‘teleworking helps.. to retain valuable employees.’
To read Nigel Ballard’s white paper on teleworking, click here
