The Private Office, based in Westchester County, New York, provides full-service office business centers (OBCs) at central locations in the region. The sites offer complex I.T. infrastructure, a 150-seat amphitheater, videoconferencing and full administrative support. Prominent clients have included Cemex, Morgan Stanley, the National Thoroughbred Association, Pepsi and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The President of The Private Office, George Russell, founded the company in 1985 after 17 years as a licensee of HQ Global Workplaces, where he served on the strategic planning task force. He has traveled extensively overseas and applies his experience with international business to his current centers. Mr. Russell holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan and a B.A. from Yale University. |
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Dear Colleagues and Clients:
In this issue, we will look at new developments in the American workplace and comment on the new bestseller by Thomas L. Friedman, The World is Flat. The impact of globalization has become apparent in the current financial crisis, and this issue will address some of its implications.
As the holiday season draws near, we are particularly concerned about meeting business needs in the region to minimize dislocation and foster a productive working environment. We wish all our extended family joyous greetings at this time of the year.
Sincerely,
George Russell, President
The Private Office
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Flex Time
As the economic crisis continues to spread into new sectors of the business world, management is re-examining the concept of flextime.
Originally, flextime was designed to help with commuting costs and retain workers by permitting four-day work weeks combined with irregular hours.
With the advent of the PC and telecommuting, flextime expanded enterprise-wide to save on rent through a virtual presence during the "fifth" day.
Now, flextime has taken the final leap by replacing the commercial lease paradigm with office business centers. These centers address the diminishing need for office space and provide economies-of-scale in several important ways:
To read the rest of the article, click here.
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The World is Flat
Thomas L. Friedman, author of the national bestseller, The World is Flat, quotes the following African proverb posted on the factory floor of an American-owned auto parts manufacturer in China:
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle, or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.
Mr. Friedman focuses on the growing role of China, India, South Korea and other developing countries as major players on the world's economic stage and highlights our lack of a vigorous response to maintain and enhance our country's natural competitiveness.
To do so, every American business enterprise, regardless of size, must rethink its business model in a "flat" world, unleavened by globalization, and, in light of recent events, simultaneously respond to the greatest economic challenge of the past fifty years.
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