Finding Balance in a Virtual World: One Company’s Story

guest post by Kim Shepherd, CEO of Decision Toolbox

(www.bizchicksrule.com) — Finding "work-life balance" is a hot button for so many people simply because "work" and "life" are constantly at war with each other and there’s only so much time to go around. But what if you could integrate the two more closely, become more efficient, and leverage technology to make it happen — from home?

In Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes, Mark Penn reports that 4.2 million Americans now work exclusively from home (a nearly 100% increase from 1990), while some 20 million do it part time.

We’re moving into a place where the separation of personal and professional is going to go away. Gen X’ers and Gen Y’ers are doing this a lot. They think of themselves as a whole body. They’re not saying, "I don’t want to go to work." They’re saying, "I want work to be incorporated into my life."

Decision Toolbox is a virtual company with no "sticks & brick" offices and where all of its team members work from home offices. The company abandoned its traditional office space out of necessity, but now considers being virtual a competitive advantage.

My team is exponentially happier and more productive now that we are a virtual company. And when you’re more productive, that leaves extra time for life, whether it’s the dentist or kindergarten graduation.

The trick is number one, to trust your people and second, to build the glue so that they aren’t working in silos. My company employs almost 50 people from New Hampshire to New Zealand. Besides all the technology "glue" — a collaborative software platform, VOIP phones, email, and IM and video chat tools — we also hold three All-Staff meetings a year to bring the team together to bond face-to-face.

Plus, rather than a traditional management hierarchy,our structure is more of a "circularchy," with the team in the middle, supported by management on all side with whatever tools and support they need to make them happier, jump higher, and run faster.

Decision Toolbox’s employees still juggle work and life demands, but being able to call into work from anywhere and having a management team that supports balance goes a long way to making this daily battle that much easier.

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As CEO, Kim Shepherd leads the company’s growth strategy, primarily through developing partnerships, alliances and as an active member of the Los Angeles and Orange County human resources community. A recognized "Thought Leader" by HR organizations nationwide including the Human Capital Institute, Kim is a regular speaker at national and regional events on the topic of recruitment best practices, recruitment process outsourcing, and the "virtual" business. Drawing on her many years of hands-on recruitment experience, Kim also plays a strong role in company operations.

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