The creation of technologies such as the home computer and then the worldwide web have increased the amount of people trying to make a living from companies that allow them to Work From Home. The ease of use of both the home computer and the internet, together with the countless “new” resources available for people to use are a contributing factor in the increase in people working from home. This has changed the work market where, as predicted, computers are steadily taking over the jobs that were once done by hand.

How are people working from home? In a lot situations people are working from home using the Internet Business. The use of internet companies has of late increased due to the accomplishments of sites like Friends Reunited (which in 2005 sold for

Usual business models are based on a separation of function which for arguments sake resulted from the mechanisation of industry at some point during the Industrial Revolution. In order to advance efficiency the work place “scientists “ such as FW Taylor argued that separation of roles would improve production rates. Then the specialisation of function (innovation, design, production and sales) would be designed to make certain that the greatest opportunity for suppliers and retailers was achieved by encouraging competition at both ends of the chain (in manufacturers and retailers).

This model designed around silo’s is now under threat from the worldwide web, the very nature of the capability to share data instantly has had the effect of bringing together those conventional silo’s. It is now perfectly possible that a faction of designers can get together, design a product or service online, in real time. If the output is a product then via 3D printing technology that product can be produced and marketed via a website. An total supply chain can effectively Work From Home producing goods and services via Online Jobs.

This kind of activity will have an affect on the world of work as we view it today, Online Jobs will be the standard as opposed to the exception as design, processing and assembly, sales and marketing and distribution are all possible through a broadband connection. Conventional barriers to entry in markets, such as accessibility, market information and skill sets will become less of an issue as a start up Internet Business can, without any problem source fitting skills online and have no need to co-locate a group who can all in fact Work From Home. Any market is easy to get to when sales pitches and customer contact is made through effective use of today’s communication technology. Business forums and blog sites can also grant useful local and regional business information through dialogue with firms already working in that market – clearly there is an issue around sharing information that could be useful to your competition.

There is no doubt that the mechanics of production as we understand them today will still be necessary for some elements of manufacturing and production, it would be almost impossible for a local supplier to construct a car and for an internet business sales team who work from home to sell it. It would also be foolish to suggest that some of the more technologically advanced goods we use on a daily basis could be designed over the internet by a team who had never met. However there are millions of products which are simple in design construction and production which could be produced in this way. Who knows, some of them may even gain from design improvement as hundreds of much smaller teams take a look at those designs and append their own individual innovation to them.

We have seen companies try to tackle these issues by re defining benefits and asking their staff to accept the proposed changes. However a lot of the staff are disgruntled with the proposed changes and see any decrease in their pension availability (and other benefits) as unfair. Indeed in the UK at the moment there are huge problems with our postal workers, currently striking in order to keep the long time postal workers benefits. Royal Mail obviously saw problems looming a considerable amount of time ago. The employment contracts offered over the last five years allow employees with much less entitlement to benefits (including pensions) than workers who have been with the business for a longer period of time. So we have an perculiar situation within the organization at the moment, some workers out on strike to keep benefits they themselves are not actually entitled to.

We have just come through the worst period of job losses that the UK has experienced for decades and following this depression we will see the beginnings of a recovery over the next few months. However the companies looking for new employees over the coming months will not be merely replacing like for like in the job offer and benefits stakes. They will be looking to increase employee numbers, but keep a firm check on the benefits that they are tied into for the long term. Pensions offers will be much less attractive, to stop the growth of the current issues and employment contracts may well be for short periods.

There may be some positive outcomes from the new style contracts too. As more and more companies exploit the power of Internet Business we will see some inventive organizations start to develop and offer a large amount of flexibility to the worker in terms of hours of work and place of work. This is particularly possible when looking at online companies. These have generally fared well throughout the downturn as they have usually a lower amount of overhead. Indeed a good number of them have in fact sprung up within the recession plugging gaps that the closure of more conventional companies have left.

Opportunities to work whenever suits the individual are rising with these new business models and even the capability to Work From Home is on offer, not only offering excellent opportunities for people who have other responsibilities but also keeping the business overheads down at the same time. This form of flexibility will also make sure that the companies keep hold of as many of their female staff as possible. Those who opt to have children are often in a difficult position when trying to return to employment and these new, much more flexible contracts and Online Jobs will at least be a helpful thing for these employees even though some of the other conditions may be inferior to post recession job offers.

Of course one of the chief reasons for recruiting, apart from expansion, is that a member of your team has decided to leave. Evidently one of the best ways to evade recruitment costs altogether is to keep staff turnover down to a minimum. Wages is not the best way to attain this, despite popular beliefs, it is much better to invest in a healthy and effective continuous professional development policy for staff, allow progression wherever possible and make sure that staff feel appreciated. Team building events and investing in staff development will really make a difference here in a way that pay increases seldom do. Another way to keep hold of staff is to be flexible in your requests. Allowing part time working, flexi time and unpaid leave can all help to hold on to a valued staff member who is stressed with other commitments. It may also be possible to let some staff Work From Home depending on their role and this is becoming easier with the development of technology.

Of course you will never be able to eradicate the need for recruitment altogether, in particular if your business is expanding and developing in new areas. So keeping the costs of that recruitment down is crucial. Plan your recruitment strategy well, make sure that all areas of the business are consulted to establish the whole organization’s recruitment requirements and address them all at the same time. Having one push is far more cost effective than many smaller campaigns. You will get a better quote from a recruitment consultant if they are helping you on one big campaign and select one who has a strong Internet Business as they are likely to be more cost effective than a smaller, high street organization.

There is also the option to promote your vacancies yourself. You can do this on the internet on one of the many Online Jobs sites and you can of course select the more old fashioned approach of a newspaper advert. Often a direct campaign online works very well if it is seen by people looking for jobs as they are glad to see the actual employer visible. So many jobs these days are put on recruitment consultants sites and the job seeker has trouble evaluating the role without spending a lot of time with the recruitment consultant. It sometimes seems that there are “generic” jobs on these sites just there to make sure the job seeker makes contact with the recruitment consultant. So as long as you can ensure that your online advert is available for people searching for a new role it can often be a very useful way of recruiting.

The final point is to make sure the correct choice in personnel is made. An individual who is over qualified for a position, or who has ambitions that cannot be fulfilled within your business will be an expensive choice. While they may do a great job at first they will probably move on to another company as soon as it suits them, leaving you with the whole expence to face again.