Christmas is coming

Hi everyone,

Well, Christmas is coming but is the goose getting fat? It may be decidedly thin for a few families this Christmas, and this is why we must all push harder for more opportunities for working mums and dads.

A recent survey I read from the UK press this week talks about recent research carried out which cites that millions of mothers are being forced to return to work because families are finding it harder than ever to live off one salary. Apparently the soaring cost of living means two-thirds of parents need two incomes. I imagine there is a similar story happening here in Australia. That combined with the collapse of the main provider of Child Care in Australia must be of huge concern to working parents, which again is another enormous reason for all of us to be pushing ‘work from home’, part-time, and school hour opportunities. Rest assured, Virtual Angels will be lobbying as hard as we can!

Since the credit crunch kicked in last August, ­families have been under pressure from rising energy prices, cost of living increases and mass redundancies and unemployment.

In the UK, about 47 per cent of people now need both partners to work in order to maintain their lifestyle, according to life insurer Scottish Widows and among households with children, the figure rises to 61 per cent suggesting that more than four million mums have had to go back to work after having a baby to provide their family with a comfortable life. I just think it’s such a shame that women (and some men) don’t have an alternative – this is the reason why Virtual Angels exists. I am sure if we dig around we can come up with very similar numbers here, closer to home and I will try and track these down.

Richard Jones, protection market director at Scottish Widows, said: “The reliance on two incomes is the only way to maintain a decent standard of living for many families.”

The research also found that families with children had higher levels of debt than households without children. Family campaigners have called on the Government to do more to help women who want to stay at home and I believe we must start making similar noises here in Australia.

Recent figures show the number of stay-at-home mothers has fallen 25 per cent in the past 15 years. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if mother’s had some alternatives besides back to work full-time.

“Motherhood has never been harder than it is today,” said Dani Zur, of UKfamily.co.uk. “Parents today are burning out trying to fit in all the demands of modern life”

Suzanne and I at Virtual Angels are deeply motivated to trying to re-address this burning issue and will continue to push for what we sincerely believe is so important right now – flexible job opportunities for working families!!

Speak to you again soon,

Caroline @ Virtual Angels

Flexibility is the key to a happy work force!

Apparently, the economy is going part-time (as reported by Chris Zappone - The Age Newspaper - 6 November 2008)


Hi again

As a work from home mother of 3 children and more specifically as a Director of Virtual Angels, I was so pleased to read the details of Chris Zappone's report!

In the report, the following points were made:

• Employers are increasingly turning to part-time workers to fill their needs as the economic slowdown begins to pinch and NSW's jobless rate jumps.
  
• The economy added an unexpectedly large number of jobs last month - 34,300 in total - but the gain masked the loss of 9200 full-time positions.
• The unemployment rate stayed put at 4.3% because of the whopping 43,500 part-time positions created last month - the most since April 2001.

This is positive news for all our registered (and would be) Angels.

We at Virtual Angels know the value of flexibility, because we have over 1700 registered Angels who tell us how important it is to them, to be able to work and help to provide for the family, but also to be their for their family. We all know how quickly our children grow up, and if we can, isn't it great for at least one parent to be around when they go to school and when they come home? To be able to attend the Christmas concert or the open morning at pre-school? What about when the children are sick or on school holidays - which is approx 12 weeks per year - what job (apart from a teacher or school worker) can offer 12 weeks annual leave per year?

Obviously some people cannot afford to work only part-time, but businesses have to understand the benefits of recruiting work from home employees.

The feedback from employers when broached with the offer of work from home resources is that they don't trust that the work will be done properly or will take longer and that they have no control over the person. WRONG! The feedback we have from our clients that utilise work from home contractors is that the work rate is far quicker, the cost is cheaper and the Angel often gives 110% . Why? Put Simply, Angels feel grateful, they don't want to loose the opportunity, they feel appreciated, they are contributing to a business and their family and most importantly the are HAPPY! (because we should all know that flexibility is key!)

A couple more points to consider:

• A stay at home worker doesn't have to allow for travelling time, which means they have even more time to dedicate to a job if they work from home.
  
• When normal workers leave work to go home, their work is done for the day. We find that our Angels will work into the evening to finish an assignment if necessary.
  
• Some even prefer to work in the evening when the house is quiet!
  
• How nice would it be to have a task sent out at 4pm and the finished task waiting for you in your email inbox the next morning when you arrived at work?
  
• Now, isn't that the way forward?

So if you are a business person reading this blog - please, don't write off work from home employees, give us a chance.

Contact us on 1300 659 802 or via our contact form.

If you aren't in business but would like to work from home, log on to our website now and register your details to Become An Angel and remember - spread your wings and spread the word - the more businesses that know about Virtual Angels, the more opportunities we will start to see.

If you are interested, you can read Chris Zappone's full report online here

Thanks for reading - have a great week.....

Suzanne @ Virtual Angels

ps did you know is only 4 weeks to Christmas - are your staff going on a well deserved Christmas break? If you need help please contact us know, we have many Angels who are willing to work not only from home, but at a client's office if necessary!!

WELCOME TO THE VIRTUAL ANGELS BLOG!

Hello and thanks for viewing our blog.

We are new at this, so please bear with us..... We hope to keep you updated on all things 'working from home...'

Have you ever thought how having a personal assistant could help you manage your business or personal life? But perhaps you don't need someone all day every day, maybe you just need help for a few hours a week or month, or what about the time you have a deadline to reach - an ad-hoc project to complete. In addition to this, you might not have the facilities for an 'employee' a desk, computer etc. Wouldn't it make your life easier if you had someone to call on, someone who can work from their own home office, using their own computer, available to you for only the time it takes to do the job? If this is you maybe you've never even heard of a VIRTUAL ASSISTANT. But this is indeed the 'Angel' that can help you out of your quandary. They can be on call to you whenever you need them. And you are only charged for the hours that are worked. You do not pay for travel time, breaks, payroll tax.

If you need help from a Virtual Assistant or you would to discuss the benefits of utilising a Virtual Assistant, you can contact the team at Virtual Angels on 1300 659 802 or visit our website - virtualangels.com.au

Now, a bit about the company....

Virtual Angels was started over 3 years ago by Caroline McAuliffe & Suzanne Mulvihill. Both working mums they initially created the company to provide work for mums or more mature women who were finding it difficult to secure full-time work in the traditional corporate world. Interest has since widened its scope attracting all individuals wanting to operate in a virtual environment, uniquely enabling them to work on a flexible basis while achieving the lifestyle they seek.

The idea of a ‘virtual assistant’ and remote, home based workers is a relatively new one in Australia but has been rapidly growing in the UK and the United States. Virtual Assistants and home based workers have the ability to work independently away from the normal office environment and can save businesses, small and large, time and money. Administrative, secretarial, marketing, project management, company recruitment and event organization are only some of the services on offer from the Angels. Whether the client is a small business owner, busy executive, an overworked P.A., an entrepreneur, a lecturer, a journalist, or coach, the Angels can assist with a permanent role, working remotely or special projects or at times of overflow.

The traditional work environment has changed dramatically in the past few years; more people are looking for flexible working hours, and a better work/life balance, while companies are finding it harder to retain and engage good staff. Virtual Angels are currently recruiting fresh talent and intend to create a virtual arena that offers employers access to reliable, high quality resources without the hassle and expense of hiring a staff member. We currently have over 1400 'Angels' registered.

To become an angel all you need is to be self-employed with an ABN and a working home office. There are no membership fees or hidden costs. Simply post your resume online at virtualangels.com.au and let employers come to you. Your personal details are not displayed and you maintain full control as to who your resume is sent to.

Virtual Angels would value enquiries from interested contractors and potential clients. Complete the contact form at: virtualangels.com.au

Until next time, have a great day and remember, you don't need to stuggle on alone, contact Virtual Angels - heaven knows, you deserve the best!

The Virtual Angels Team