11 August 2010

Londoners Selected For Awards

Seven Londoners have been selected as Finalists in The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business.

Teresa Klasener, from Streatham and Elizabeth Harrin, North London, are competing for The PCG Freelance Award, while Wing Lee Chan, from Vauxhall, has hopes of winning The Arise Be Your Own Boss Award.

Elisa Roche from Pimlico competes against Elena Fishchenko from Norbury for The Lucent Vision New Internet Business Award, and Tabitha Potts who runs Mimimyne from Stepney has set her target on The Babyworld Parentpreneur Award. Michael McKerlie, from Ran One Europe, from Richmond, is gunning for The BlackBerry Remote Employer Award.

The Remote Worker Awards appealed to hundreds of eager entrants around the UK. Home workers, remote workers, freelance consultants, and wannabe entrepreneurs who dream of winning a new home based franchise and internet business, have all given inspiring accounts of why they should win this Award.

They now compete against other finalists at the winning ceremony, which will be held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

Paula Wynne, organiser of the Awards, said: “One of the pleasures of organizing an awards programme is reading the variety of entries and choosing such deserving finalists.”

Award winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No 1 job site for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards in association with BT Business to highlight how home working and remote working benefits the British public and their working life.

More information can be found at www.remoteworkerawards.com

 



Four Freelance Women Finalists in Awards

Four local freelancing women have been selected as Finalists in The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business.

Emma Cossey and Rahel Peirce both from Reading, Berkshire are competing against Jane Rimmer from Binfield, and Billie Wootton from Bracknell for the title of PCG Freelancer Award, which highlighted freelancing as a lucrative and rewarding career.

The Remote Worker Awards appealed to hundreds of eager entrants around the UK. Home workers, remote workers, freelance consultants, and wannabe entrepreneurs who dream of winning a new home based franchise and internet business, have all given inspiring accounts of why they should win this Award.

There has been a range of skills with enterprising individuals, who have forged a career for themselves using their expertise in consultation to help other businesses grow. They have show the judges reasons to choose them as the most engaging freelance consultancy.

The Finalists Are:
Emma Cossey, Reading
Emma Cossey became a freelancer in April 2009, and has since managed to take on a variety of roles simultaneously, including social media consultant for Chocolates for Chocoholics, production assistant for Miramus (dealing with clients like AOL and Aigua Media) and writer for an assortment of popular blogs and websites.

Rahel Takle-Peirce, Reading
Rahel Takle-Peirce has been creating specific abstract designs over 20 years to bring inspiration and beauty spontaneously using her historical culture of Ethiopia. Her unique intricate art reflects years of international influence including work in psychiatry. She is able to capture the spirit of the individual using inherent emotional colours.

                                                                            

Jane Rimmer, Binfield
As an IT industry marketing veteran, Jane decided to set up a marketing consultancy business that would enable her to maintain a better work life balance and remain at the forefront of new technology innovation.  She has achieved both and has gained a bevy of clients over the past five years.

Billie Wootton, Bracknell
Billie Wootton is a Graphic Designer who works with companies to give them a consistent and quality identity throughout their corporate literature. Working freelance enables her to tailor her services to suit her client, providing design services for those that don't have an in house team. Her passion lies within creatively translating their message into visual communication.

They now compete against other finalists at the winning ceremony, which will be held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

Award winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No 1 job site for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards in association with BT Business to highlight how home working and remote working benefits the British public and their working life.

More information can be found at www.remoteworkerawards.com



9 August 2010

BlackBerry Remote Employer Finalists Announced

Seven companies that promote flexible working solutions with a remote workforce, have been selected as Finalists in The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business.

The BlackBerry Remote Employer Award, is aimed at identifying and honouring budding enterprisers who have proved how home working and remote working has made a beneficial impact on their business.

The Awards are unique as the only business awards recognising employers for their flexible working solutions and employees for showing that remote and home based working can improve business productivity, improve work life balance and help the environment.

The Finalists Are:
Amanda Potter, Zircon Management Consulting, Coulsdon, Surrey
Andrew Mills, AltruWorld, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Rachel Newell, Max Resourcing, Newark, Notts
Michael McKerlie, RAN ONE Europe, Richmond On Thames, London
Jo Victoria Russell, Institute of Payroll Professionals, Solihull, West Midlands
Tracy Light, TJL Marketing, Harpenden, Herts
Jayne Smith, Document Direct, Liverpool, Merseyside

They all now compete against other finalists at the winning ceremony, which will be held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

Award winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No 1 job site for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards in association with BT Business to highlight how home working and remote working benefits the British public and their working life.

Shortlist Summary
Zircon is an entrepreneurial Business Psychology Company specialising in Talent Assessment, Development, Coaching and Engagement Consulting. Established in 2000 by Amanda Potter, Zircon draws their expertise from a team of 140 remote consultants to deliver creative solutions for their clients. Amanda’s choice to run Zircon as a remote business was three-fold: Cost, Environment and Lifestyle.
AltruWorld is a unique web-based ‘Business Dating Agency’ that matches businesses with customers - according to their needs, ethics and service quality. Businesses receive enquiries anonymously, making large savings on marketing costs, giving businesses the advantage of controlling any uptake without losing face. Customers also benefit by restricting who contacts them.

Providing a tailored recruitment consultancy service, Max Resourcing supports customers and candidates throughout Europe equally, by being flexible and available at a time which works best for both parties, in order to bring the opportunity and talent together.

RAN ONE is an international network of accountants and advisors who enjoy more lucrative and rewarding practices by helping their business clients achieve greater success. They design and develop world-class resources that enable members (and their clients) to enhance what RAN ONE calls “professional wellbeing”: the synergy of work, people, money, and life.

The IPP is the only professional body for individuals working in payroll in the UK and represents more than 5,000 members. Founded in 1985, the Institute is the single largest provider of part-time, professional payroll and pension education. Its aim is to achieve chartered status so that people in payroll are given the same recognition consistent with other professional occupations.


TJL Marketing allows highly skilled professionals the chance to work in an exciting and challenging industry without the constraints of a 9 to 5 day. The TJL team are loyal, passionate and committed to Tracy Light, the founder, who has developed her business model with flexibility at its core.

Document Direct is a 100% remote service business. They are an outsource typing agency giving their clients access to a team of remote secretaries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their secretaries work from the comfort of their own homes and choose their own hours of work to suit their lifestyle.    

More information can be found at www.remoteworkerawards.com



5 August 2010

BlackBerry Remote Employer Finalists Announced

Seven companies that promote flexible working solutions with a remote workforce, have been selected as Finalists in The Remote Worker Awards, in association with BT Business.

The BlackBerry Remote Employer Award, is aimed at identifying and honouring budding enterprisers who have proved how home working and remote working has made a beneficial impact on their business.

The Awards are unique as the only business awards recognising employers for their flexible working solutions and employees for showing that remote and home based working can improve business productivity, improve work life balance and help the environment.

The Finalists Are:
Amanda Potter, Zircon Management Consulting, Coulsdon, Surrey
Andrew Mills, AltruWorld, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Rachel Newell, Max Resourcing, Newark, Notts
Michael McKerlie, RAN ONE Europe, Richmond On Thames, London

Jo Victoria Russell, Institute of Payroll Professionals, Solihull, West Midlands

Tracy Light, TJL Marketing, Harpenden, Herts

Jayne Smith, Document Direct, Liverpool, Merseyside

They all now compete against other finalists at the winning ceremony, which will be held at The Grand Connaught Rooms in London.

Award winning website, Remote Employment, Google’s No 1 job site for flexible and home based jobs, launched The Remote Worker Awards in association with BT Business to highlight how home working and remote working benefits the British public and their working life.

Shortlist Summary
Zircon is an entrepreneurial Business Psychology Company specialising in Talent Assessment, Development, Coaching and Engagement Consulting. Established in 2000 by Amanda Potter, Zircon draws their expertise from a team of 140 remote consultants to deliver creative solutions for their clients. Amanda’s choice to run Zircon as a remote business was three-fold: Cost, Environment and Lifestyle.

AltruWorld is a unique web-based ‘Business Dating Agency’ that matches businesses with customers - according to their needs, ethics and service quality. Businesses receive enquiries anonymously, making large savings on marketing costs, giving businesses the advantage of controlling any uptake without losing face. Customers also benefit by restricting who contacts them.

Providing a tailored recruitment consultancy service, Max Resourcing supports customers and candidates throughout Europe equally, by being flexible and available at a time which works best for both parties, in order to bring the opportunity and talent together.

RAN ONE is an international network of accountants and advisors who enjoy more lucrative and rewarding practices by helping their business clients achieve greater success. They design and develop world-class resources that enable members (and their clients) to enhance what RAN ONE calls “professional wellbeing”: the synergy of work, people, money, and life.

The IPP is the only professional body for individuals working in payroll in the UK and represents more than 5,000 members. Founded in 1985, the Institute is the single largest provider of part-time, professional payroll and pension education. Its aim is to achieve chartered status so that people in payroll are given the same recognition consistent with other professional occupations.

TJL Marketing allows highly skilled professionals the chance to work in an exciting and challenging industry without the constraints of a 9 to 5 day. The TJL team are loyal, passionate and committed to Tracy Light, the founder, who has developed her business model with flexibility at its core.

Document Direct is a 100% remote service business. They are an outsource typing agency giving their clients access to a team of remote secretaries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their secretaries work from the comfort of their own homes and choose their own hours of work to suit their lifestyle.    
More information can be found at www.remoteworkerawards.com



Woman and Home Grown Up Work Experience

Woman and Home were looking for women, aged between 36 and 55, who would love to change their jobs and would like to go for some 'grown up' work experience in the job of their dreams.

Woman and Home August I was thrilled when Fiona Wright told me that Woman and Home had chosen me to be featured in their changing career direction article and that they were inviting me to take part as a TV presenter and be photographed and interviewed for the magazine. Fiona contacted BBC Radio Berkshire as she was keen for me to experience the making of a talk show and had cherry picked The Anne Diamond Show.

Well! Remember the days as a kid when you counted sleeps before a special outing? and then you couldn’t sleep before the big day? You wouldn’t expect that to happen in your 40s, but there I was counting sleeps a few days before visiting BBC Radio Berkshire for my Woman and Home Career Change work experience. And like the kid, I couldn’t sleep with excitement the night before. Learning the ropes and with special access being privy to the vital ‘behind the scenes’ action of Berkshire’s favourite radio station. And in particular, broadcasting legend Anne Diamond and ‘helping her’ with her show.

Okay, I couldn’t possibly help as it would all be too much to absorb on my first day, but I fancied I was about to play a vital role!

Did I cut it?

Here’s the verdict:

THE PRODUCER
It fascinated me how John had to be ‘fast’ on his feet., be a quick thinker and have contingency plans to hand in case of phone callers rambling on. He sailed through the show and even came up trumps when a guest, McKenzie, mentioned that his inspiration for his latest comedian shows at Edinburgh Festival came from a U2 song. In seconds John had the track and we were all stunned and, admittedly, a little in awe at how fast he found the track and replaced it with the planned song. Smooth player John, well done!

Woman and Home August Article THE PRESENTER
Anne oozes charm from every pore. She has such a beautiful speaking voice its no wonder she commands 100s of 1000s of listeners across Berkshire. I enjoyed watching Ann and John’s silent communication while on air with ‘eye-talk’ and sign language. I quickly realised how integral the role is between producer and presenter and what great synergy they displayed. Anyone wanting to follow a career as a radio presenter would certainly need to have a broad knowledge of news in general, a deep understanding and affinity with local culture and a cool, calm head for live on air conversations.

BROADCAST ASSISTANTS
Behind the ‘behind the scenes’ assistants also keep up the hectic pace of radio life as they handle callers, phone ins, contact experts for topic opinions and so much more. Too much to mention here.


BCC RADIO BERKSHIRE’S VERDICT
Show editor Marianne Bell’s verdict: “Paula has all the ingredients to make a good presenter – a good voice and warm tone, plus interesting things to say about her life and what’s going on in the world. She was excited to be on the show, which is what you need, and her maturity helped her  fit into a daunting and pressurised environment.

Radio presenting is hard to break into and very competitive. Having said that,
people do become presenters by following many different routes – some will gain
experience at hospital radio and on commercial radio, some will make a move from
production into presentation, some will come via TV, some begin their careers as travel reporters or news reporters.

Whatever Paula decides, all the team wish her the best of luck and we’ll definitely have her back on the show.”

So, all in day, my day started with no sleep from the sheer exhilaration of  grown up work experience and ended that way too. This time it was all the thoughts of the day buzzing through my head. Needless to say it took me days to come down from my Radio Cloud!

Check out the September issue of Woman and Home, on sale now (August).



Filming The Remote Worker Awards

What a delightful day we had yesterday. One of those rare days when you can escape the home office and have loads of serious fun.

We were filming a few video clips for The Remote Worker Awards with Procom (www.procom.uk.com). An early start at 5am saw us heading south. We arrived at Wisborough Green in West Sussex to meet Becci Coombes from Girls Travel Club, whose family has a lovely leafy property surrounded by fields and woodlands.

Here we filmed Becci working from her mulAnderson Sheltertiple home offices – a caravan embedded amongst the trees, a log cabin surrounded by trees thriving with bird life and the quaintest, yet leaky World War Anderson Shelter almost taken over by creepers, tendrils of ivy and families of moss and eggs incubating beside her kiln oven. 

Becci runs a glass making business in the bunker, she is writing a travel book in the caravan and she runs her Girls Travel Club (www.girlstravelclub.co.uk) in the log cabin. Talented lady! 
Video Shoot 012
It was so peaceful being surrounded by so much greenery and so many different places to work, I was inspired to write a blog about ‘what’s the view from your office window’ so watch out for that coming soon. We are also hoping to get some media coverage about this topic to see how other people are inspired by the view from their window.

Becci has entered the BT Home Business Award and is proud that not one, but four home businesses are run from her families home!

Next we stopped at Hove and met up with Karen Moran who also runs a family business from home.

We were welcoVideo Shoot 027med by her energetic 2 year old pup who scampered up the garden to show us Karen’s ‘shed’ - I envy her garden ‘shed’ so much I have to have one!  Karen’s husband started building it as a shed, but it soon became more than that with glass sheets to show off the view.

The shed quickly became the families bolt-hole, where they all escape for private solitude, productive, quality work time, me time, to muse or simply just chill and daydream.

Built from wood and sheets of glass, it overlooks a large mature garden surrounded by lovely plants and trees and conjures images of holiday in the sun. As a

If you stand on your tip toes you can see the sea. I’m not sure how Video Shoot 035much work I would get done in there as I would just stare dreamily out at the view of Hove all day long!

Karen has entered both The BT Home Business Award and The OfficePOD Award. Her employees will also be entering The Microsoft Remote Worker Award and The Lexmark Home Worker Award as everyone in her business work remotely or work from home.

Communications expert Karen and Oxbow Media (www.oxboxmedia.co.uk) ensure every aspect of design and marketing gives your company an identity.

Karen invited the crew to her beach hut and introduced us to another ‘room with a view’ as Ken experienced the ultimate in remote working as he tip tapped away on his laptop beside the sea. He too wouldn’t get much done with that stunning view!   

Lastly, at the end of a long ol’ day, we were entertained by Rosie’s drama kids of The Sussex Helen O’ Grady Drama Academy.

This little group haVideo Shoot 042d all of us smiling and chuckling, despite being dead on our feet from a non-stop round trip of filming.

With only two weeks of practise for their play - about two naughty foxes who steal a farmer’s chickens – the class was surprisingly already well versed and knew their lines.

We hope their play will show potential entrants to The Helen O' Grady Special Award what a rewarding job teaching children drama can be.

And all they have to do is enter the award to win their own home based franchise worth £15k!

What fun! I could do this every day … okay, maybe not every day, but more than the odd occasion would do. 

foxes  little boy

Special thanks to the guys at OfficePOD, Becci,  Karen and Rosie for welcoming our motley film crew and being such perfect hosts!

But the star of the show was Alec Hall-Shaw from Procom who did a brilliant job filming all the reels of ideas, fueVideo Shoot 029lled only on a quick bite of a Bacon and Brie sandwich and a slurp of Apple Juice.

Amazing! 

Alec’s patience and calm demeanour is just what you need when you are trying to shoot several clips across a 300 mile round trip.

Despite bumpy roads, beating country tracks, going aerial over a hump back bridge and several devours we still made the final destination just in the nick of time thanks to Ken’s skill at being a rally driver.

If none of that ruffled Alec’s feathers, I wonder what would?

We couldn’t recommend Alec highly enough for all types of viVideo Shoot 007deo work, from a quick ‘e-mercial’, wide angle photography, to a big corporate event or business conference, Alec and his faithful video camera will be perfect companions for any film shoot.

Please give Alec a call if you need any video shoots.

Watch out for our video log on You Tube, due to be uploaded later this week. See all the images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulawynne/



How to set up a home office ...

Before you set up a work station at home, check out our Seven Top Tips on how to work from home:

Your Home Office
Ideally, you will have a spare room to create a home office. If not, a corner of another room, will be fine as long as you are not constantly distracted in the family fast lane. Set up your kitSet up your computer, files and phone to give you maximum comfort for long hours. Have enough plug points for PC, printer, phone, scanner, mobile charger, fax machine and answer phone. Even better get an all in once mod con to save on a jumble of cables and wires.

Pick your desk location
You should be able to see the door of the office from where you are sitting or at least more of your surroundings. Beware of facing the garden and the bird bath – too tempting to watch the world go by! A hard chair will give you backache so spend a little extra on a good one.

Working Hours
Working outside 'normal' working hours helps to balance your work and home life so don't feel guilty dashing off to take the lads to footie after school, as long as you get your work done. Catching up in the early morning or later in the evening works well, but also watch out for going OTT. Make sure you close down and walk away at some point or the family will go hungry.

Have a breather
No matter what kind of work you do or what home you do it in, you can go bonkers if you spend 24 hours a day at it. Get out, whenever you can, to clear your head and to see other people. Use lunch time as a good break to pop down to pick up groceries for dinner, step outside to feed the birds during your coffee break or walk the dog around the block to clear the cobwebs. This is also a great way to mull over a document or get inspiration for new ideas.

Keep in Touch
Have no fear that your social life at work comes to an end if you leave your office to work from home, in fact in some cases your relationship with your colleagues may improve. Email is instant but be careful of 'funnies' – they can eat up a huge chunk of time. Chat through business issues by phone and meet for a quick bite every now and then.

Goal scoring
Give yourself little goals and objectives and then reward yourself when they are complete. Make sure family and friends know your hours or days of working at home and stick to that. Don't be tempted to pop over for a coffee or cook a large meal. Give yourself this time as a reward for getting up early on a Monday to finish a long-winded report. Or if you score well with a new client take five to put your feet up before the school run. Whatever incentives work for you, use them to motivate yourself to balance your time around your other responsibilities.

If you have any suggestions on working from home, please submit your articles to grace@remoteemployment.com.

Remote Work

Remote Employment is a brand new online recruitment site specialising in remote working and home based appointments, professional jobs working from home, home based career opportunities, high quality office-home job combinations and flexible work positions that can be effectively managed away from the office.

Register to find professional, jobs working from home and self employed home based business opportunities. Search to find Candidates, Freelancers, Consultants and creative projects.

Do you want to work remotely