Make The Shift To Open Office

I am NOT getting paid in anyway to write this post about Open Office. Let’s just be clear about that. The reason I have decided to focus on this software is that my company has adopted it and I have some experience with it. (I mentioned this in my previous post.)

If you are looking for a cheap (FREE) alternative to Microsoft Office, then Open Office is probably your best bet. It is true that it has bugs and that it is not as nice looking as MS Office. However, it does have practically the same functionality and will get the job done for less than one-fourth of the price – again, it is FREE.

So how do you overcome your employees’ possible resistance to Open Office? Point out these things and things might just get easier.

Make sure the default file type is set to Microsoft Office file types. I know what you’re thinking. Why do this when you want to switch to Open Office anyway? That’s because you need to introduce change slowly. The chances are that there will be interaction between people who use MS. As such, it is better to make sure that the files created by your employees are compatible with everyone. Besides, this will make them more feel comfortable in the beginning.

Point out the similarities! Many new Open Office users get really surprised that they can do practically everything they used to do with Microsoft Office. While some names are different (Word is Writer, Excel is Calc, etc.), the menus and even keyboard shortcuts are the same!

Use it as well. Walk the talk. Practice what you preach. Use all the clichés you want – all I want to point out is that if you expect your subordinates to use Open Office, you should do the same.