There is an
advert
currently running on TV from a well-known computer company
showing people in various jobs saying 'I am a PC'. I don't think
anyone 'gets it' as much as me. I, Jayne Smith,
Document Direct, am
the ultimate, mobile PC. I work at any time, any place,
anywhere.
Before I became the ultimate mobile PC, I was a legal secretary.
I had a good job working for a blue-chip law firm's document
production department. My working hours were 5pm to midnight. I
still say the reason I'm still married is because I never saw my
husband for the seven and a half years I worked in that job. We
were ships that passed in the night and for the working week our
children had the benefit of two parents who were effectively
separated. However, the working hours did put a strain on our
well-being and I was regularly asked by my husband if there was a
way that my type of work could be done from home and at times that
suited our family.
The answer to our prayers came with the advent of digital
dictation systems. Dictation is typically used by professional
people like lawyers who dictate their letters onto a tape and hand
it to a secretary to be typed up. Digital dictation removes the
need for tapes. Instead, the user records into a computer or sound
card and e-mails the sound file to interested parties. This has
changed the way people can work.
The business idea of outsourcing typing using a digital
dictation system was the start of my new career and just one of the
technology systems that we use today. Built around the dictation
system is a virtual office using terminal services. Connected to
that virtual office are teams of secretaries. And managing those
secretaries is me, for most of the time using a Blackberry and
small laptop. I really like to be mobile and flexible so my laptop
is very small, a 7" tablet. Wireless internet connectivity at home
and around the city means I can plug into the office systems almost
anywhere and catch up with who is doing what, for whom and
when.
Having e-mail delivered to my mobile phone means I can keep in
constant touch (Blackberry is today's preferred choice, but only
because I have dictation software that works on it). The dictation
system has a web-based database and by logging onto a website I can
see who is typing what for whom. It's a great management tool. And
it's not just the youngsters who are using instant messaging to
chat to their friends out of school. Each of the secretaries works
remotely from home and we all chat to each other using MSN's
instant messaging. It's a great way to ask for help when needed,
have a natter without running up a phone bill and, most of all, it
reduces feelings of isolation and alienation.
Three years later, my old life is a distant nightmare and I'm
now living my dream. I take my laptop and Blackberry on holiday
with me. I like to be in control and keep my finger on the pulse
but really, it's showing off that I can sit on the balcony of my
Turkish apartment and manage a business from a holiday home - now
that's really living.
Read more about remote working:
Increase in remote workers set to continue through 2009
>>
Whitepaper: Three steps for remote access connection
>>
Business measurements for mobile working needed, says Gartner
>>
About the author
Jayne Smith is head of operations for Document Direct where she
has worked since October 2005. Prior to her current role, Jayne was
a legal secretary and had an IT training background. Working as an
IT trainer, for international law firm DLA Piper, Jayne gained an
insight into the various systems and processes employed and she has
used this knowledge to deliver quality outsourced services for
lawyers who send their typing needs to secretaries who work
remotely.