The Telecommuter's Advisor: Working the Fast Lane

Discusses practical aspects of telecommuting, including setting up a home office and keeping in touch on the road

Noting that the first recorded instance of telecommuting was in 1877, when a bank president strung a phone line from his Boston office to his home, Langhoff sets out to provide practical, 1990s real-world advice for road warriors (identified as those who work from planes, hotel rooms, borrowed offices, boats, cars, and even RVs), distance workers (those who work one or more days a week away from the main office), those who operate their business from home, and telecommuters of all kinds. This book is for people who want to improve their remote working skills and covers a broad range of topics, including designing a home office, selecting equipment, coping with e-mail, using groupware and wireless communications, and connecting internationally. The author tells us that getting and staying connected are the major hurdles in working remotely, and she offers advice for all types of equipment connections; she also addresses the need to stay in touch with fellow workers and offers thoughtful ways to ensure that the telecommuter does not become isolated. Mary Whaley

For optimal productivity, a telecommuter needs to know how to take advantage of all the latest technology. Langhoff (Telecom Made Easy, Aegis, 1995) provides ideas emphasizing the equipment side of telecommuting. She suggests how to set up an office, keeping in mind power supplies, space, and telephone options. She then reviews all types of technology such as FAXes, pagers, E-mail, and voice mail. Want to hit the road? There is an assortment of technologies for that: cellular phones, call forwarding, 800 numbers, docking stations, and a variety of modem connections. In a clear style, she looks at all the needs and options, with additional resources at the end of each chapter. Unfortunately, her book is directed at the technology side of telecommuting, offering little assistance in other areas. Alice Bredin's The Virtual Office Survival Handbook (LJ 4/15/96) is more complete. An optional choice.?Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. System, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.