The Fetch Blog

Curated reads and events for professionals

Category: Guest Posts

Download now: 15 apps every busy professional should know about — September 25, 2015

Download now: 15 apps every busy professional should know about

/Krista Gray

Much like the desk and computer, the iPhone has become a center of command, home to our schedules, meeting contacts, financial data, and notes. But with more than 1.5 million apps available in the App store, it’s difficult to discover which ones deliver real value.

From downloads for wellness to project management tools and to-do-lists, we asked the Fetch Community for their favorite apps outside of the standard group of essentials (Uber, Facebook, Yelp, Airbnb). The following 15 earned rave reviews:

1. Headspace
Start your day with a dose of zen! Headspace offers meditation in micro-doses, designed to make practicing mindfulness simple and effective. Ten minutes is all it takes.

2. Slack
Get access to messages and archives, as well as notifications — wherever you are. Use the Slack app to stay in touch with your team, answer questions quickly, and stay connected when traveling.

3. Trello
A beautiful tool for organizing almost anything. Trello is perfect for product roadmaps, project management and to-do lists that may be otherwise overwhelming.

4. Sweep
Don’t waste time worrying about your budget; Sweep is one step ahead, with a futuristic view of your cash flow. The app’s best features are custom saving buckets and its ability to identify recurring expenses.

5. Pomodoro
Maintaining focus is critical for busy employees, and Pomodoro will help you produce great work by enforcing time set for specific tasks. Use the timer to customize your workflow, with scheduled blocks devoted to work and rest.

6. Dictionary.com
More than 200,000 trusted, English definitions in your back pocket. Take advantage of audio pronunciations, voice search, and a translator functionality that works with 25 languages — or have fun with ‘Word of the Day’ and quizzes that promise to keep you entertained during a dull commute.

7. Breather
One of our HQ team’s favorite apps, Breather enables people in North America to find, unlock and use beautiful spaces for work and relaxation. Peace and quiet on demand is officially a thing.

Breather, peace and quiet on demand

8. Pocket
This handy app brings bookmarking to a new level. File away videos, images, articles, and web pages during your commute or while waiting in line — and read them from your comfy couch or desk at the office later.

9. Spotify
The music-streaming service earns rave reviews among professionals. This is an extra enjoyable app for those who can listen to music at the office, taking advantage of new releases or collaborating on team playlists all day long.

10. PaybyPhone Parking
This popular parking app functions in Canada, the US, UK, and France. Features include text reminders and email receipts, while updating vehicle registration numbers and payment cards takes only seconds. 

11. Sunrise
One of the most-loved calendar apps for the iPhone, Sunrise syncs with all of your apps (Evernote, Tripit, Songkick, Meetup) to ensure that your schedule is documented without error. The eye-catching design also boasts smart features like weather forecast by location, Google Maps for making your way to meetings, and photos of people you’re slated to see.

12. Asana
Help cut down on excess team email conversations by moving and tracking work in Asana, where all information about a project is stored in a single place. The app is completely free to use for teams up to 15 people.

13. Todoist
Keep track of tasks and projects across 15 platforms and in more than 20 languages with Todoist, hailed as “one of the best to-do list apps in 2014” by Forbes. With all of the necessary integrations (Google Drive, Sunrise Calendar, Zapier) and an ability to sync across devices, staying organized and collaborating seamlessly is easy wherever you are.

14. Freshbooks
Busy business owners and freelancers will appreciate Freshbook’s streamlined iPhone app, which makes accounting on the go a painless task. Using cloud technology, Freshbooks operates in real-time, making it possible for you to access important information on the fly or invoice a client on the spot.

15. ClassPass
Don’t fall out of your fitness routine when you’re away from home or bogged down by a busy schedule! Instead, use the ClassPass app to access available classes that will help you stay energized and inspired. Buy a flex membership to take unlimited classes at studios in the US, UK, and Canada — with Australia launching soon.

Have a go-to app that saves you time, makes life easier or simplifies work travel? Let us know about it in the comments!

Team building and ROI: is it really worth the investment? — September 21, 2015

Team building and ROI: is it really worth the investment?

/The Fetch community/2 Comments

As renown educator, management consultant, and author Peter Druker succinctly said: “What gets measured gets managed.”

Corporations are currently faced with a challenging question that has long affected education: what is the best way build a collaborative environment, with measurable values and effects of engagement? In education, this pertains to learning, progress and qualifications  — while in business, this translates specifically to productivity, morale and business output. 

The big difference between the two sectors is that in education, costs are ‘built in’ to salaries and interventions which directly aim for those same progression outcomes — whereas businesses are required to specifically invest capital and/or profit into team-building activities and events, with hope that the investment will be returned.

Though both sectors can qualify the success of team-building efforts in anecdotal ways (“remember the time when…?”), businesses are fast moving into the realm where, like educators, it’s essential to quantify the success of team building efforts in a way that translates into key business performance metrics. This not only enables business managers to recognize what works and what doesn’t, but also reveals opportunities for more effective management in the future.

Measuring tools

Measuring the ROI of team building tactics

Translating team-building endeavors into quantifiable measures can include a plethora of possibilities and methods, but all need a starting point: a baseline prior to implementing a calendar or schedule of team-building activities. For yours, consider looking at:

  • Absentee rates
  • Productivity rates
  • Rates of overtime take-up
  • Daily/weekly/monthly profit
  • Time-and-motion studies can also help identify exactly how time is used by management and a team. This is particularly useful when putting together an overview of the frequency, productivity and purpose of meetings, along with punctuality in relation to staff breaks, pace of work, number of customer complaints, and even staff grievances.

As no two companies will be influenced by the exact same factors and actions, there will be different baseline areas for various types of companies. These examples prove that there are plenty of options to be identified and used, depending on a team, business focus and need.

Building in the bonding

The next action is to introduce newly selected team-building activities. When choosing an exercise, remember that the key aim of team-building activities is to increase productivity — and the main vehicle by which team building events aim to do this is by bonding disparate teams.

It’s worth remembering that such events are about collaboration and not competition, which can often be detrimental to overarching business goals. Be thoughtful in offering creative exercises and activities which include ‘lone’ workers, invite collaboration, and help to define team members’ roles.

Activities should also bring out individuals’ strengths, before empowering staff to take these qualities back into the workplace. Using the services of a team events company to facilitate this can seem expensive depending on the number of people and type of activities involved, but once measuring tools have been defined, measuring and managing the outcome can only be beneficial. It’s reasonable to expect an increase in company knowledge about a team, performance, productivity, and prospects.

Giving teammates a voice

ROI on teambuilding

A great team-building activity that often costs less but can still give valuable, measured outcomes is to gather and directly ask the team about various aspects of the company. A session like this can include (but certainly isn’t restricted to) Q&A with teammates on a broad range of topics. Here are a few ideas:

  • Work environment: consider asking about desired improvements, problem areas, or even health and safety concerns
  • Office hierarchy or management systems: is everyone comfortable where they are? Are there line-management clashes which result in some staff feeling de-valued? Are some staff feeling ‘stuck’ and overlooked?
  • Wages and working conditions: although this should come into appraisal or performance management procedures, this is by no means a given with some companies, so staff really should be offered the chance to have their say. This can be a relatively easy fix if the funds are there and will be invaluable in returned loyalty and productivity.
  • Schedules: is the company struggling with poor scheduling which means death-by-meeting Thursdays for some staff, or no time for creative thinking for others? Those that are subject to the schedules will know exactly what’s working, or not, so ask them! After, factor their responses into the development of new processes and systems – and measure those outcomes.

How to manage the measuring

Finally, it’s time to re-measure your outcomes. It’s important to recognize that investing in your team in this way, particularly if it’s something your company hasn’t done before, can take time to get right. While improvements may be seen quickly (and that’s great!), there’s no guarantee that there will be an immediately or obvious return on any investment of time or money spent –- in reality, efforts may be something which gradually drip-feed over a span of months or years after action.

The important thing is to retain the focus, as this will also encourage staff engagement – don’t let them think your efforts were a one-off attempt, as that doesn’t encourage loyalty!

The best is yet to come; the ROI of teambuilding

If the measures show no improvement, try switching tactics with different team events or activities which closely complement your business goals. Be sure to reflect on both the managing side of measurement as well as acknowledging to your staff that they, as well as your company, are worth your investment.

About our writer // Alex Murray is the community coordinator for Team Tactics, based in London. 

A new, digital destination: the ultimate pop-up guide to Rome, Italy — September 15, 2015

A new, digital destination: the ultimate pop-up guide to Rome, Italy

/Krista Gray/1 Comment

Italy’s capital is a stunning place of age-old history and monuments that meet the eye with awe and wonder. Less obvious, perhaps, is the quickly growing ecosystem of technology and creative work. As one founder noted in 2012, the startup scene is “exploding faster than a tomato in Fruit Ninja.” Turns out these folks are putting out much more than some of the world’s best pasta plates. So what’s Rome’s digital life like? Here are some observations and learnings after an escape from the San Francisco startup scene to a summer of freelancing in the Eternal city.

The vibe

I’ll admit, the growing digital and tech scene feels a little bit secret as it can be easily lost among the tourist traps and obvious draws to the city. There are certainly cultural aspects that make Rome feel different than other well-known tech hubs like Silicon Valley. For example, Romans have much less trust in fin tech applications (many people don’t pay bills online or exchange money using technology) and little interest in on-demand apps or the gig economy. With the latter comes a bit of “old-school” thinking — and far less Uber rides.

Fiat 500s rule the road, a pop-up guide to Rome

Let’s just say that getting to work looks a bit different, with smartly-dressed professionals whizzing by on scooters and driving themselves in cute little cars like a Smart or the Fiat 500. Other things, like an engineer’s growing stomach (as a result of long hours at the office) seem to be universal. “The more tummy, the more skill”, I was told over a huge, late night pizza.

Education for future employees

A healthy mix of Italians, EU citizens, and expats help bring Rome’s digital scene to life, many of them young, talented and ambitious. Long admired for the sciences, Rome is home to many universities that provide a solid engineering education. La Sapienza, one of the world’s oldest public educational institutions, is highly regarded. Roma Tre and Tor Vergata, two other public universities, also graduate students who have meticulously studied for careers in internet related disciplines, like programming, privacy and security.

Luiss Business School, a pop-up guide to Rome. Photo by Luiss Business School

For marketing and entrepreneurship, Luiss Business School, Italy’s first MBA program, is a popular, private option. The school boasts a partnership with the Confindustria, making it a prime place to network and find a career-worthy, post-graduate position in Rome or other Italian cities. An excellent school, Luiss Business School is also a relatively inexpensive choice for an English-taught MBA when compared to similar US institutions.

Engineers and entrepreneurs who studied outside of Rome still have much reason to bring their business to Italy, as the country has recently provided a unique set of laws to encourage economic development.

Government initiatives and new laws

Italy introduced the startup visa in 2012. A result of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development’s agenda, the country’s startup laws were specifically designed to bring investment to promising, developing companies. While Milan is undoubtedly Italy’s technical capital, Rome’s central location, history, and proximity to diverse landscapes make it an ideal choice for a place to start up.

Rome city center, a pop-up guide to Rome. Photo by Krista Gray

Financially speaking, Italy’s new flexible labor law (which is applicable to a startup’s entire four year life cycle) has made it easy for startups to offer temporary contracts to employees, as well as issue performance-related pay — two things that vary from earlier law. Companies hiring ‘highly qualified’ employees without a time-sensitive contract (options range from 6-36 months) can take advantage of an outrageous 35% tax credit as reward. Talk about saving on salary! As far as stock and equity goes, startups in Italy are also able to offer external consultants stock options with ‘privileged tax treatment’ or the option to work for equity.

Foreign freelancers also have the possibility of living and working in Rome, with application available via a second visa. The freelance visa, known as a visto di lavoro autonomo, is a bit more difficult to get as it requires first obtaining a nulla osta in Italy. This tedious process involves meeting income requirements along with sharing a statement of work and a proven place to stay. However, it can be a good option for non-EU creatives or industry professionals who are dedicated to taking advantage of Rome’s growing digital scene.

Accelerators and investment

With government initiatives set to support new business and startups, Italy has become a valuable place for investors and accelerators. Not only do corporations, investors, and venture capitalists benefit from the second highest tax relief in the European Union, but Italy is the first country in the world to introduce special rules for equity crowdfunding. With such a specific set of regulations, many investors have taken to startups based in Rome.

Several accelerators cater to helping companies kick things into gear, including Luisse En Labs, which supports startup growth. Club Italia Investment is also known as a well-positioned ‘accelerator enhancer’, a newly modeled vehicle that helps supplement startups’ accelerator funding.

Startups

Rome is home to more than 150 startups, as noted on Angellist. Listed with an average valuation of 2.5 million, companies range in size from small founding teams to mid-size and larger. Much like in some of the designer offices that make the press from Silicon Valley, culture rules and perks keep employees happy.

The EUR District, a pop-up guide to Rome

Pi.campus is a solid example of what Italian startup life can look like, the office complex located in Rome’s bustling, green EUR district. Pi.Campus’ website shows an exclusive club dedicated to providing ‘the best work environment for talented people’ and counts top startups Filo, Chupamobile, and Wanderio as its inhabitants. Though not in residence at Pi.Campus, hot startups like Pathflow, LuxuryEstate, FaceSmash, Netlex, YepLike!, and UnFraud also call Rome home.

Coworking

Smaller companies, remote workers, freelancers and creatives who don’t have space in a place like Pi.campus have plenty of opportunities to co-work. While the list of spaces I put together isn’t as extensive as what some I’ve seen for New Zealand, Australia, London, or San Francisco, there’s no shortage of great places to get stuff done:

Cowo360 coworking space, a pop-up guide to Rome. Photo by Cowo360

  • Cowo360: A favorite coworking space in Rome. The location is visually stunning, with sleek, leather furniture and sophisticated artwork.
  • Impact Hub: Desks in a space dedicated to social interaction. Impact Hub is a great place to meet people and freely exchange ideas.
  • Spqwork: Customized spaces have access to Spqworks’ FabLab, which offers 3D printer use, among other perks.
  • Regus: A familiar name with worldwide locations, Regus offers office space and coworking rooms for startups, remote workers, and freelancers.
  • Let’s Make: A beautiful, creative space for programmers and makers.

Though Roman coffee shops are more of the standup bar variety, it’s not unusual to find folks with laptops in places like Romeow (which is also an impeccably decorated cat café!), La.Vi (bonus points for the roof deck) and Café Café (just steps from the Colosseo).

Romeow cat bistro, a pop-up guide to Rome. Photo by Romeow.

Community, events, and groups

Folks flock to Rome to see some of the world’s most impressive architecture and art exhibits, but those in digital disciplines will be pleasantly surprised at the smattering of community groups and events available in the city, too. From blogger nights to Instagram meet-ups, programming groups, and major conferences, Rome’s scene offers true variety. Here’s a handful of cool, upcoming events:

Though not specifically Roman, the Facebook group Italian Startups is a good place to connect with founders and employees in many cities, and currently counts more than 20,000 members. A second group, Italian Startup Events, caters specifically to happenings and counts 8,000 people (many Romans) as members.

Ready for Rome? Would love to hear your thoughts, questions or experiences in regard to the ancient city’s transition to a technical hub. Leave your notes in the comments!

Featured image illustration by Jen Reyn.

Featured job: Community Manager at Macropod, Melbourne — September 11, 2015

Featured job: Community Manager at Macropod, Melbourne

/The Fetch community

Macropod is a software development company based in Yarraville, Melbourne. Macropod is a business built on trust, diversity and openness with the single-minded goal to deliver great software to people who build the web.

Macropod’s growing team is currently 13 strong. In addition to a fantastic coffee machine, the company offers excellent employee benefits including flexible personal and parental leave policies. It’s safe to say you’ll be able to work autonomously, but the team is composed of people who like to share and love what they do. Macropod considers people’s “goodness” a key factor in hiring.

About you

You’re an expert at handling all things social media. You excel at building online communities and present yourself in a friendly and open manner (i.e. you’re not likely to be mistaken for a lawyer). You love of tech and consider yourself a bit of a geek.

Requirements

  • Take the reigns of Macropod’s social media presence. You’ll curate and write content for the website and start engaging with the community in a more meaningful (read: measurable) way.
  • Attend tech events and rep the company tee with ease. You’re the kind of person who can make friends with a paper bag, but you should be great at talking to actual people. In fact, identifying groups of like-minded people and leveraging platforms to engage with them is your speciality.
  • Implement monitoring and reporting systems. You’re also pretty handy with monitoring and reporting tools (the team currently uses Hootsuite, but the software world should be your oyster). It’s a bonus if you’re a writing whiz and/or can speak ‘developer’.

How to apply?

All expressions of interest to email alan@macropod.com with CV and cover letter. The team can’t wait to meet you!

Top 20 places to find a remote job online — September 1, 2015

Top 20 places to find a remote job online

/Krista Gray/1 Comment

Remote work is no longer considered unusual, with millions of people across the world opting to work out of the office. In the United States alone, freelancers are said to make up 34% of the workforce — many of whom have chosen to work as entrepreneurs, consultants, and independent contractors. From freelancers to those in full-time remote roles, we are slowly breaking away from a traditional model to change the way we work.

Looking to ditch your commute or try something new? The following 20 sites and job boards cater to remote workers of almost every kind, with listings for creatives, professionals with technical talent, and everyone in between.

1. CloudPeeps
CloudPeeps is a quality-driven marketplace, community and platform that empowers freelancers and businesses to do their best work. Freelance ‘Peeps’ who are vetted and approved to access the platform so they can view opportunities that range from hourly compensation to fixed monthly pricing. Freelancers can also create a customize Storefront to sell their services and market themselves from. As CloudPeeps does the legwork of finding clients, processing payments, managing contracts, and account management – all a freelancer has to do is focus on creating great work.

2. We Work Remotely
Put together by the bright folks who founded 37Signals and authored Remote, this job board is a valuable collection of various types of remote work. From programming to customer happiness, look here for some of the finest offerings from legitimate tech companies.

3. Working Nomads
Perhaps the easiest job ‘search’ of them all, this clever resource will deliver freelance opportunities that meet desired criteria directly to an inbox daily or weekly, depending on the specified preference and desired workload.

4. Remotive
A weekly newsletter of tips and opportunities for the global, remote professional. A great resource for freelancers, digital nomads and those just beginning a remote career path.

5. Remote OK
Embracing the future of work, Remote OK is an aggregator that shares the best contract, part-time, and full-time work from a multitude of job boards. Job hunters can access freshly pulled opportunities by visiting the site or signing up to receive email notifications.

6. Remote.co
Apple, IBM and American Express are just a few of the employers that use Remote.co to find talent. Sales professionals, consultants, and coders can all find work here, along with developers, analysts, and writers.

7. JobScribe
Focused on startups, JobScribe emails targeted work opportunities at a chosen frequency (daily, weekly, monthly). Most opportunities are for the technically trained, but marketing and design gigs sometimes make their way into the mix.

8. WFH.io
These job boards focus on the technology space and post new, remote roles often. Areas of interest range from customer service and design to quality assurance and development. Employers are listed in an alphabetical directory that currently spans an impressive 33 pages.

9. SkillBridge
Employers looking for the elite turn to SkillBridge, a marketplace that matches top-tier contract consultants to companies in need of specific, expert skill. Skillbridge is an ideal remote job search tool for those with advanced degrees from prominent universities or experience with well-known, innovative companies.

10. Fiverr
This fast-growing platform offers a huge variety of micro-jobs, allowing a remote worker to capitalize on an entire skill set. With prices starting at five dollars, it’s time to finally utilize all of those seemingly random talents, like photo editing, banner making, and ad design.

11. Upwork
Formerly known as oDesk, this platform prides itself on matching employers with freelancers who can work on jobs of any size, at any time, from anywhere. A breadth of categories showcases work opportunities for virtual assistants, writers, and consultants.

12. AngelList
AngelList is an outstanding resource for remote workers who want the startup life without the commute that so often comes with it. In addition to surfacing remote roles through a simple search (choose ‘job type’ and ‘remote OK’), the directory also offers helpful information about the company and compensation.

13. Remote Working
Mostly helpful for engineers and developers, Remote Working is a valuable resource for “people who don’t like to go to work.” Customer service, design, and operations roles are sometimes found in the mix.

14. The Muse
This valuable site not only features compelling content and helpful career reads – it’s also home to some of the best remote job opportunities, which often fly under the radar. Use search and filter to see ‘flexible/remote’ listings, each with a beautiful photo and information about the company and position.

15. Dribbble
Perhaps best known as a ‘show and tell for designers’ portfolio-style platform, Dribble has added immense value for community members by sharing design-specific job listings. To find them, hover over ‘jobs’ and choose the second option, ‘remote/anywhere’.

16. Freelancer.com
Millions of people use this site, which has been featured by TIME and The Wall Street Journal, to find their next project. Most impressive is the incredible range of categories, which employ freelancers who work on everything from robot design to logos.

17. FlexJobs
FlexJobs has developed a good reputation their screening process, which ensures that all job postings are legitimate. With a huge range of categories, there’s a multitude of part-time, full-time, and contract opportunities to check out and consider.

18. Scripted
Writers take note — Scripted is a trusted marketplace that provides clients with copywriting and editing services. A few samples and a writing test are required to join, and writers are granted the ability to view work opportunities after being formally admitted.

19. Stack Overflow
This well-known site is dedicated to providing top technical talent with the best out-of-office opportunities. Want to work as a remote developer? Don’t miss the 2,000+ listings showcased here.

20. Power to Fly
Serving up remote work opportunities for women who live anywhere, Power to Fly counts vetted professionals in more than 4,000 global cities. Clients have included Skillcrush and Hearst, among others.

Know of another great resource for finding remote work? Leave us a note in the comments!

About our writer // Krista Gray is the director of community operations at The Fetch. She loves travel, words, photos and making people smile. Follow her on Twitter, @thekristagray.

%d bloggers like this: