With a Canadian summer that puts the Caribbean to shame, are you and your employees taking advantage of the ability to work anywhere?

A recent Harris/Decima study showed that a flexible work option is the second most important factor (after money) for Canadians who are looking for a job. It’s helping organizations attract top talent, differentiates one organization from another, and can reduce both real estate costs and carbon emissions in a single bound. Yet less than half of that same survey’s respondents worked for companies that offered flex work. What gives?

With August in our sightlines, parks and lakes and beaches and patios beckon. This might be a good time for companies holding back on flex work to test drive their employees’ ability to work where they see fit.

We’ve had a flex work option since 2007 and almost 18,000 team members are able to remote-work today. The benefits are long and broad and company-wide. From a purely selfish perspective, not participating in the nightmare commute that is driving in Toronto is a gift that adds a daily two hours to my work day. Yes, the only air conditioning in my ‘office’ today is an intermittent breeze coming off Lake Ontario, but it’s worth it.

The world is turning to make it easier and easier to be productive everywhere. Employees – the knowledge-worker base in particular - don’t have to spend days at a desktop in Quasimodo position to reach maximum productivity. With technology comes better and easier access to the two essential requirements necessary to work anywhere: power and connectivity.

But is it always as straightforward as it sounds? For me it is. My summer office away from the office (ie. the backyard) simply requires shade, my laptop and a long extension cord. My technical set-up – router, VPN (my secure connection to the office), and of course my cell phone – make for instant office. The biggest challenge is the glare from the screen, which I mitigate by working in the shade. If tanning is your thing, you might want to consider an anti-glare screen to place over your computer. Or, when you’re evaluating your next laptop, ask about a matte display as opposed to glossy.

Throughout August, we will be profiling remote workers on location across Canada. From campsites and coffee shops, islands and canoes, to train stations, airports, and home offices that come in all shapes and sizes, our writers will share technology stories that will illustrate the specific challenges and rewards of mobile working.

In the short term, some quick tips if you’re easing into mobile work:

• Pack a mobile internet key. WiFi is more and more ubiquitous, but not all WiFis are created equal. You don’t want to travel to your designated work locale and find yourself at the mercy of spotty connectivity. Additionally, it gives you the all-important mobility so you’re not tied to one location.
• An extra laptop battery is always good if you’re away from a power source or the source is unreliable. You’re not focussing effectively if you’re constantly worried about the battery dying.
• If you’re taking more than a day trip, always pack a 30-foot extension cord. A major work-related issue could suck dry even your back-up battery, and you never know where the outlet might be located.
• If you’re going to spend a lot of time working, a mouse and/or a portable keyboard are worth packing for your own comfort and sanity.
• Save your work. Save it often. Back it up on a USB key.
• Last but not least, be aware of your surroundings and manage privacy accordingly so that confidential details aren’t accidentally shared with the mobile worker at the table behind you…who might well work for the competition.

More mobile working tips are ahead, starting with the Community post next Wednesday.

In the meantime, the last word goes to my friend Jim who has been known on occasion to work while he’s on vacation with his family.  He says, “Bring along an old disabled phone to be used as a decoy so when your spouse has had enough, you can ceremoniously smash it on the floor and grind it into the pavement with your foot. Your spouse will think the problem is solved… but you have a backup!”

We’re big supporters of device recycling, so I wouldn’t want to advocate it. But the husband says the idea has legs so don’t be surprised if the man or woman at the campsite beside you looks to be having a tantrum on their handset. It’s all in the name of communicating.

What’s your experience with mobile working? Does your company use it? Any tricks you want to share about working in your favourite Canadian hotspot? Create a profile and join the conversation.