Is Your Employer a Neanderthal

When It Comes to Working in a Virtual Environment?

Is Your Employer a Neanderthal When It Comes to Working in a Virtual Environment?

by Pierre Coupet

Is your employer a Neanderthal when it comes to working in a virtual environment? I must admit that we've come a long way from where we used to be 21 years ago since the web started to bloom, and yet, disappointingly so, we have so much farther to go.

E-commerce Predictions Yield Lackluster Results

Why is that, you might ask? That's because 20 years ago I was predicting that every single organization, from the one-person-shop to the largest organization in the world would have a website and that most, if not all, e-commerce transactions would be conducted on the internet.

Well, the first part of this statement is obviously true, however, with respect to e-commerce, we are woefully way behind where I thought we would be today.

Virtual Workforce Predictions Yield Disappointing Results

With respect to the workforce, by now I expected a minimum of 80% of employers would have ditched these huge skyscrapers and other office buildings in favor of a well-disciplined virtual workforce armed to the teeth with the virtual organization management discipline. Instead only a couple of hundred out of millions of companies have embarked down that road. I thought that would have been a no-brainer.

Enlightened Workforce Cries Neanderthal

Instead, what I hear from the regular folks out there in the heartland--or netherworld as others would lead me to believe--is "how Neanderthal their boss or employer is for making them get into that rush-hour traffic just so they can do something that can easily be done from home with today's technology."

That sentiment is usually followed by a variation of the following type of remark: "I am not a loafer or slacker and (s)he knows it. I am a hard worker and I do take my job and reputation seriously. So I can't understand what the problem is. So, Pierre what kind of advice can you give me?"

Being the founder of the modern virtual organization management and virtual organization recruitment disciplines pioneered since 1997, that's where I get into a lot of hot water with people who thought they were talking with someone who had a sympathetic ear; someone who would (and should) readily agree--if not outright commiserate--with them. Alright, I am not going to go into the details of what I used to say to those disappointed folks that got me into so much hot water, but the bottom line is this: both sides have 100% legitimate reasons for their positions.  And who in the world wants to hear that?

Solution to Stalemate Between Neanderthal Boss and Enlightened Employee

That's when I decided to do something about that in late 2012 - which was to come up with an independent third-party solution that would satisfy both parties: the Neanderthal employer and the Enlightened but frustrated employee. Taking matters into my own hands, I decided to establish a "virtual organization aptitude assessment solutions" provider, a neutral and independent third party that an employer or boss could rely on in order to assess whether or not a particular employee "has the potential to adapt and thrive in either a 'virtual' or 'virtual organization' environment."

This means that from now on any employer or boss anywhere in the world can make a very sound and objective decision free from any biases or prejudices with respect to any employee or subordinate's request to work in a virtual environment.

The Employer Is No Longer a Neanderthal

As for the employee, the boss is no longer a Neanderthal and is now looked upon as being also enlightened, fair and impartial regardless of the outcome of the "virtual organization aptitude assessment." If the results of the virtual organization aptitude assessment corroborate the employee's stand, then the happier the employee and the employer will be.

On the other hand, should the results prove otherwise, then both parties will, at the very least, know where the deficiencies lie and the employee will have an opportunity to begin to work toward making the necessary improvements needed to pass the next time around. That is, of course, assuming that the employer or boss gives the employee a second shot at paradise.

In Conclusion

So, what does an Enlightened employee tell a Neanderthal boss who cringes at the thought of letting (h)er work in a virtual or virtual organization environment? Assess Me!

About Author: Pierre Coupet, CEO & Q of Virtual Organization Management is the founder of Virtual Organization Management Institute (VOMI), VOMI Virtual Organization Academy, and Virtual Organization Recruiter; and is also the founder of the modern virtual organization management and virtual organization recruitment disciplines pioneered since 1997. Contact directly at chairman@virtualorganizationinstitute.com or via  CHAT.