Workplace 2005: telecommuting, virtual offices, dispersed staff … if you're worried that you can't keep up with the ever-changing workplace, never fear. Here's a jump-start on new trends and technologies to help you ease your business into the new year

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2005 by Amanda C. Kooser

This isn't your grandfather's workplace. We're five years into the new millennium, and businesses everywhere are changing with the times. It's not just that your monitor is flatter and your cell phone is smaller; it's a whole new world. You can start a global business without ever meeting some of your employees face to face. These are exciting times that also bring new challenges to entrepreneurs. How you deal with those challenges through management and technology will define your business and determine your success.

Between home offices, branch offices, business travel and subcontractors located halfway across the continent, it's a challenge to keep everybody on the same page when you're not even in the same time zone. Still, many entrepreneurs are finding that the advantages of having a diffuse work force outweigh the challenges. Old-fashioned, face-to-face management techniques have to be refashioned and reconsidered. We'll look at what it takes to manage your company and employees in a world where workers are geographically scattered.

So read on as we check in with entrepreneurs whose businesses go outside the bounds of traditional offices, and find out what technologies they use to make it all work. Hardware and software have become the glue that holds their businesses together across the miles. From home offices to virtual offices to global workers, they've seen it all, and their experiences can help you get a grip on your own secondary work sites.

Modern times call for modern business measures. Learn what management methods work well and how you need to adapt to get the best results from your people and your business. Add a healthy dose of smart technology choices, and you'll be making the most of today's flexible workplace environment.