Six Benefits of Telecommuting, if it’s for You!

Recently, the topic of working from home has been raising eyebrows.  Marissa Mayer announced plans to bring Yahoo workers back to the office.   Is this right for Yahoo?  Maybe it is! However, the answer to this question lies in the “eye of the beholder.”  Are employees productive from home and are they producing results?    This depends upon the company needs and each individual who is a candidate for telecommuting. 

According to Bill Leonard at SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) workforce analysts, the time is ripe for employers to commit to offering telecommuting and flexible work options.  Increased traffic congestion and the rising costs of commuting is a large factor, not to mention the overhead that will be saved by employers.   According to Paul C Boyd, PhD, a principal at the Research Advisors, there are six organizational benefits of telecommuting that companies should consider.

1.  Improved Employee Productivity 

Telecommuters and employers report employees are more productive at home because there are fewer interruptions.

2.  Schedule Flexibility

Telecommuters are more productive when they can work during their most effective periods.

3.  Increased Time Available for Work

Telecommuters report that they are less likely to take sick days and alleviate stress of having to drive in traffic and worry about being late for work.

4.  Overhead Reductions

Employers have reported up to 30% reductions in overhead

5.  Improved Employee Retention and Attraction

Employees who have worked in telecommuting positions tend to look for jobs with the same benefits.

6.  Program Continuity

Telecommuting also serves as a mechanism to avoid or minimize external impacts on projects and programs such as weather or sickness.

If telecommuting makes sense for your organization, make sure your dispersed teams have the technology tools they need to collaborate with teammates.   GroveSite's easy collaboration tools can get your “virtual teams” on the same page.  GroveSite can be used for branded customer project portals, document management and sharing, easy web-based project management,  an online database portal, and as a secure team intranet.  Learn more about GroveSite's Online Collaboration Solution here. 

GroveSite's Arizona Data Centers: It's a Dry Heat

Our thoughts and best wishes go out to those who felt the effects and aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.  

As we all are aware, Superstorm Sandy left widespread destruction and directly affected individuals and businesses across multiple states.  The flooding of southern Manhattan on Monday left many companies scrambling for recovery. According to the Huffington Post, “the water welling into southern Manhattan drenched one of the world’s densest communication nodes, taking out popular websites and forcing telecom carries to reroute international traffic.” Due to commercial power outages, data centers and phone facilities were forced to run on their diesel generators. 

But there was yet another problem; the generators were unable to pump the fuel due to the power outages and flooding. As a result, service to some large websites and the leading phone carrier in the region were brought down.  In the meantime, employees at some companies are working around the clock trying to get things back in order, while others are manually hauling gallons of gas to the top of who knows how many floors to get the backup generators to run. 

In the midst of the bad news, there exists some good!  GroveSite’s platforms and data centers are all located in the dry heat of Arizona’s desert -- far away from the majority of natural disasters.  Rest assured that your online collaboration workspaces, online databases, and online document management will be safe --  hurricanes and floods of Sandy’s nature are nowhere near our radar. 

Updated Online Database Field Type: Currency

 

You now have the option of using the currency field type within your online database and having it automatically format the data in USD format.  You can choose the currency field type from within the Full Database Editor or the Database QuickStart method.  

If you want to edit an existing numeric field within your online database and convert it to a currency field, you will use the full database editor to edit your database.  Edit the field options by clicking on the field hyperlink.  You will then see a radio button list of where to select Currency.  

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If you are creating a database from scratch using the Database QuickStart method, add the field name and select Currency as your field type.  

 

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Once your field is updated and saved, you will see the formatting display in your database.  

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Now that you can add Grouping to Your Online Database Views and can add Subtotals, Grand Totals, and Other Aggregate Functions in Your Online Database Views, you can create views and totals around your currency fields.  In the example below we have the data grouped by Client and have included subtotals.  

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As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions!  We are always more than happy to speak with you.  If you don't have a GroveSite and want to get started, get started for free here.  

Add Subtotals, Grand Totals and Other Aggregate Functions in Your Online Database Views

If you haven't read it yet, review this post:  Add Grouping to your Online Database Views. In addition to being able to organize your records into groups, you can also define Group Subtotals, Grand Totals and other aggregate functions!  Aggregate functions are simply a quick way to include real-time calculations such as Sum, Min, Max, Average and Count to your Custom Online Database View.  When you add aggregates to a custom view that also includes Grouping, you are able to define both Subtotals by Group and Grand Totals at the bottom of your View.  

To get started defining aggregate functions within your online database views, you will want to access the appropriate custom view inside the GroveSite Database Editor.  From there, you should see toward the bottom of the screen a section for Aggregate Functions.  

In the field name drop down you will notice that only the numeric fields within your database will be listed.  In the function dropdown you have the choice between sum, min, max, and average.  

You then have the choice as to whether you want the aggregate function to be shown within the subtotal, the grand total, or both.   In the image below, we have defined a Sum of Purchase Price to be shown in the Grand Total.  Notice that there is only one Grand Total for the Purchase Price, even though there are two groups shown.  

In the image below, we have defined a Max of Current Price to be shown in the Subtotal.  Note that there is a Max for Current Price in the Subtotal for each group and there is no Grand Total at the bottom.  

In the image below, we have defined a Sum of Purchase Price to be shown in both the Subtotal and the Grand Total, and the Max of Current Price to be shown in the Subtotal.  Notice that there is a Subtotal for each of the two groups' Sum Purchase Price in addition to a Grand Total for both of the groups' Purchase Price.  

Remember that from within any view you have the option to "Open in Excel".  This allows for extremely clean looking database reports -- and they include your defined groups and aggregates!  Ready to get started?  Sign in and start editing your custom views to include groups and aggregates!  Don't have a GroveSite Online Database yet?  Request a free trial!  As always, please contact us with any additional questions.

Add Grouping to Your Online Database Views

Adding Grouping  to your online database views allows you to organize records into groups. Each group of records displays on your screen with a Group Header Title and may also include Subtotals such as Sum, Average and so forth. The views become instant "reports" online for quick decision making. If you need a hardcopy report, you can use GroveSite's Open In Excel capability for easy printing.

Let’s say you have created a technology assets online database using GroveSite.  You want to be able to see the entries in your database grouped by category.  

 

This can easily be done in your online database using GroveSite's Grouping, or Group By, capability.  All you need to do is add a Group By definition in a custom view within the GroveSite Database Editor.    (Note that you can group by up to three fields within your data set.)  

 

When that custom view displays on your screen, you will see all of your assets grouped by their category.  In the example below, we created a custom view named Category, and Grouped By one field, Category.   

 

Once you have grouping, learn how to add Subtotals, Grand Totals,and other aggregate functions to your online database views!

Ready to get started?  Read step-by-step instructions on how to add Grouping to your online database views on our Help Desk.  Don't have a GroveSite Online Database yet?  Request a free trial!    As always, please contact us with any additional questions.

Open in Excel: Online Relational Database Reports Made Easy in GroveSite

GroveSite recently added a new feature available on any of our online database pages.  Whether using a flat online database or a relational online database, the Open in Excel feature allows you to quickly create clean looking reports.  The biggest addition with this feature is that you can export the information in your relational database and be able to see both the parent records and the child records in one report.  This online database report will capture:

• Data from the expanded child records for each parent record within your online database
• Quick Column Search results in your online database
• Custom views of your online database

Don't have your database in the cloud yet?  Easily and quickly create your online database with a free trial of GroveSite.

 

Using the Open in Excel Feature: 

From within any online database page, click on Open in Excel located next to the current view drop down.  

Parent-Child Relational Database in GroveSite:

As long as your relational database records are expanded, the Open in Excel report will capture the relationship and any information that is included in your child records.  

Parent-Child Relational Database using Open in Excel:

 

Quick Column Search within Online Database on GroveSite:

You can also export the Quick Column Search results to View in Excel.  Note that we used the Quick Column Search to find requests that had CRM System as their functional area.  Once the data in our online database was filtered, we selected View in Excel and the filtered results were exported into a report.  

Quick Column Search for Online Database using Open in Excel:

 

The Open in Excel feature also works with any predefined or custom view of your online database.  Whatever is shown on your screen will quickly and neatly export to Excel in a clean, easy-to-view report.  

 

GroveSite Online Database: Using the Quick Column Search

The Quick Column Search capability can be found on any of your online database pages within your GroveSite.  The Quick Column Search capability makes it extremely simple to search any size database for entries containing certain data and values.    

• For any column, type a text string like ABC to find content in your database that begins with ABC.
• Include a percent symbol, such as %ABC, to find content in your database that contains ABC.

You can also use a combination of both search functions mentioned above within your online databases.  For example, say in one column you want to filter by priority status.  In the example below, we entered a 2 in the Priority Quick Column Search area.  Everything in that column that begins with 2 will display.  Then say you want to search those that have a Priority beginning with 2 and a summary that contains “account”.  In the Summary Quick Column Search area you can enter %account so that records with the specified Priority and Summary search information will display. 

 

 

You can visit the help desk page to read more about using the Quick Column Search function in your GroveSite Online Database.   

 If you want to learn more about GroveSite’s Online Database capabilities you can access an overview of Custom Online Databases here.  Don’t have a GroveSite account but think you’re ready to give it a try?  Click here for a free trial and get your team working smarter online in just minutes.  Feel free to contact us with any additional questions.  

GroveSite Online Database: Try Creating DB Lookup Table Relationships

Within your GroveSite online workspace, you can create different types of relationships within your online databases: Parent-Child relationships and Lookup Table relationships.  

 

WHAT IS A LOOKUP TABLE RELATIONSHIP?

Having a Lookup Table database relationship means that you have a Lookup Table, which contains data that will be used to populate a field within separate, main database tables.  Once you define a link between your Lookup Table(s) and your main table(s), the data listed in the Lookup Table can be used to populate fields within the main database table(s).  

 

HOW CAN A TABLE LOOKUP RELATIONSHIP BE USED?

An example of how a lookup relationship can be used is within an asset database.  Say you need to keep track of your asset inventory for your balance sheet.  Below, we have created an assets database.  In the screens that follow you can see that we made the “equipment type” field and the “location” field lookup relation field types.  This creates the link so that the data used to populate these fields is being pulled from separate Lookup Tables.  



 

For both of the lookup relation fields, Equipment Type and Location, we determined the source Lookup Table the database should use to get valid data options for the field.  

 

After you define your fields you can add your tables to your site and set the linking relationships.  Since GroveSite enables you to build lots of different sites, for different teams and purposes, you must tell the system the site and page where this particular Lookup Table resides.

Once the tables are added and populated on your site, within your main database table you can select [Add a New….] and you will see the lookup fields populated with the entries from your Lookup Table(s). 

EQUIPMENT: LOOKUP TABLE

 

LOCATIONS:  LOOKUP TABLE

ASSETS: MAIN DATABASE TABLE

If you are interested in learning more about how you can utilize the Table Lookup Relationship in your online database, take a few minutes to watch this step by step training video on how to create a Table Lookup Relationship within your own GroveSite workspace. 

You can also visit the help desk for step by step text instructions on how to create and incorporate the Table Lookup Relationship functionality to your online workspace.  In addition, you can find instructions on how to create and define Parent-Child Relationships. 

GroveSite Launches New Site Archive Features

GroveSite is proud to announce the new features of the Archive Site utility for its online collaboration software.  The Archive Site utility creates a static, non-editable, downloadable snapshot of your workspace so that you are able to save the information and individual files from your collaboration site.  Each page within an archive is recorded in its most expanded form so you are able to view as much information as possible. 

Previously, in order to archive a site you had to submit a request for an archive then leave the screen open until the archive was complete.  Only then could you download the files for the archive.  Well, that’s great—but what about the gigantic sites that don’t exactly archive in five minutes?  We understand that time could have been lost staring at the screen waiting for an archive to process.  That is why we decided to revamp it! 

 

THE CHANGES

With the updates to the Archive Site utility, you are now able to request an archive and then leave the page!  Actually, that is encouraged.  The biggest changes to the feature include:

1. Being able to leave the site and have the site archive
2. Email notification when ready
3. Log kept of all recent archives

 

1: The Archive Site utility will now run in the background.  This means you can request a site archive, or two, or three before you leave for a meeting, step out for lunch, or even leave the office.  Whether you remain on the archive screen, navigate away, or sign out of GroveSite completely, your archive will still be gathering.  

2: You will receive an email notification when your archive is ready for download. You can now Login > Org Admin > Archive Site and  see your archived site and a list of ZIP files ready to download.   Click to Download each zip file to your PC, then extract each one, then click on the '.htm' file to view -- this last part has not changed.

3: There will be a log kept of all recent archives for up to seven days.  Instead of archiving the site one at a time, you are now able to send multiple requests.  Along with this comes the ability to see your requests in an archive log located under Org Admin > Archive Site.  

 

Please visit the GroveSite Help Desk page on Archiving Sites for more information and directions on how to archive.  You may also watch our How To Training Video: Archiving a Site. 

Teams and Networks Can Use GroveSite’s Online Collaboration Suite to Meet Deadlines

In today's business world, projects are becoming more intensive, solutions are required to be more innovative, and customer service needs to exceed expectations, all while working under shorter deadlines and tighter budgets. 

According to an article in the “MIT Sloan Management Review”, Why Project Networks Beat Project Teams, “the required expertise to tackle such knowledge-intensive projects is often unexpected, complicated, subjective and distributed across the organization. Managers in organizations often assemble project teams to work on such tasks…” 

Based on the findings of their study, Jonathon Cummings and Carol Pletcher (authors of the article from MIT Sloan Management Review) present “the project network as an important tool for accomplishing knowledge-intensive work.”

As defined in the article, a project network “consists of a core set of team members who bring in noncore contributors (such as other company employees, suppliers, consultants, or customers) from their networks who can provide knowledge, information, and feedback regarding the team’s task.” These non-core contributors were found to be “a positive and significant predictor of success”.   

In today’s evolving workplace it doesn’t come as a surprise that co-workers and team members are becoming more dispersed.  So how are these teams and “project networks” supposed to communicate effectively and consistently in order to complete their goals? 

GroveSite's easy online collaboration software enables you to benefit from those you could consider “noncore contributors”; with GroveSite you are able to add internal and external users to your workspace.  Not only can you add them, but you can control what information and content they see and for what duration of time they see it.  You are in complete control of the information you want to share. 

GroveSite's online collaboration suite is dependable, always accessible, secure and easy to use. Our online workspace that enables you to share documents without bogging down email systems, create wiki webpages, use an online calendar and capture a discussion. You are able to build a custom online database—defining fields, adding comments, uploading attachments, including images or assigning relationships easily and quickly.  You are able to manage project status, members responsible and milestones, as well as track issues and receive task email alerts.

Having an online workspace within GroveSite provides your organization’s "project networks" with the structure that encourages communication and participation while reinforcing deadlines and responsibilities.

Click here to get started with a FREE trial of GroveSite’s online collaboration, online database, and online project management software.