Presented by: Andrea Carlson, Wanda Fahey,
                         Andrew Harold, &Julie Simmons

By 2009, according to Gartner Dataquest, nearly 14 million American workers will telework more than 8 hours per week, up from around six million in 2000. Telecommuting, or “teleworking” as some are now calling it, is not a new trend. Yet the reality of working from home or from other virtual locations has been spurred on by the ever-expanding capabilities of information technology.
 
For this month’s eSIG meeting, we’ll take a look at many of the benefits, and some of the pitfalls, of telecommuting, from the perspective of individuals who telecommute as well as those who manage them. We’ll hear from local professionals who have been involved with telecommuting, have managed individual or teams of distance workers, and who have real-world perspectives on some of the best practices for managing virtual employees in today’s workplace. What tools and processes have been most effective? How best to deal with teams where some workers are virtual and others are onsite? What other benefits or pitfalls should be considered when considering a move to telecommuting?

Program Panelists

Andrea Carlson ~ AVP, Instructional Designer, Bank of America. At Bank of America, Andrea is responsible for the design of training/learning solutions across the deposit and small business lines of business.

Wanda Fahey ~ Independent Consultant – partnering with clients on key initiatives to provide a distinctive blend of project management, strategic planning and training services  Wanda has worked both at a strategic corporate level and a tactical project level with Fortune 500 companies and with entrepreneurs at small firms.

Andrew E. Harold, Jr. ~ President, A. Harold and Associates, LLC. AHA is an 8(a)/(SDB) certified – veteran-owned, technology, education, training and management services firm serving the public and private sector.

Julie Simmons, CPLP ~ Training Consultant, Fidelity National Information Services. At Fidelity, Julie specializes in employee training both in the classroom and via the web with telecommuters. She is presently focused on technical training for the Oracle application.

Join us for networking, complimentary coffee and bagels, and an informative start to your day.