Productivity

G Suite: free tools for nonprofit organisations

by James Anderson
28 January 202021 March 2020

I have blogged previously about tools that can free workers from the office. In this one I will discuss G Suite, tools from Google that can bring a team together, whether or not they’re based in the same place.

History of G Suite

Google launched their G Suite products in 2006, offering their alternative to established Microsoft Office products like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Since then, they have gone on to develop a wide range of tools, supporting online file storage and sharing, business communication, video delivery and online marketing.

While G Suite is usually a paid service, costing from just over £4 per user-per month, they have, for a number of years, made it available to nonprofit organisations free of charge.

Harlaw Hydro: a case study in collaborative working

by James Anderson
3 January 20184 January 2018
1 Comment

In my post on flexible working in June 2017 I mentioned work I’d done for Harlaw Hydro. This community-based, crowd-funded hydro electric scheme has a small generator installed at the outflow of Harlaw Reservoir near Balerno, Scotland.

I was involved in the development of the Harlaw Hydro website used to raise awareness of, and funds for, the project.

With the pump in place, they were keen to display the power being generated.Read More »Harlaw Hydro: a case study in collaborative working

Flexible working: tools to free you from the office

by James Anderson
7 June 201717 June 2017
5 Comments

The office environment is a changin’. The introduction of flexible working practices and the advancement of technology mean that today’s work spaces are vastly different to those even five years ago. Lancaster University’s Work Foundation predict that over half of all organisations in the UK will have adopted flexible working practices by 2017, and over 70% by 2020.

Flexible working defines:

how you work – whether you’re full-time or part-time
when you work – the traditional 9 to 5, flexi-time, shift work or compressed hours
where you work – one person – one desk, hot-desking, remote working or a mixture of each.