Telecommuting
Introduction
Telecommuting; alternatively termed as teleworking, flexible working place, remote working, virtual working and mobile operation is a term used to refer to a type of work arrangement, where employees are not required/expected to commute, as is the norm, to a centrally designated workplace, for instance, a store, warehouse or the usual office building (Harris, 2018). Telecommuting is an era that is rising fast, as it slowly erodes the workplace’s relevance, which might end up being wholly wiped existence within the next decade (Dion, 2019). There are many merits that telecommuting offers to the evolving world of technology and relevant information explosion, that propagate for the possible looming extinction of the workplace as we know it.
Does Telecommuting propagate for increased employee productivity?
This is a question that has barred many employers from fully embracing this telecommuting new type of work arrangement. One indeed tends to work optimally at an environment of one’s comfort. Still, the idea of having employees stay at home and work without direct supervision as is accustomed to the workplace may prove to be somewhat unsettling. Fear may be when employees even deliver, to begin with, as per what is required of him/her, but Standard University researched to strike this fear. The research proved that some employees usually arrive at their various workplaces tired and already worn out even before the actual work begins, due to stresses incurred from the commuting process itself towards the same workplace. Another research was also carried out at a Travel Agency in China that also proved that telecommuting led to a 4% and 13% estimated increase in both productivity and employee performance, respectively (Bloom, Liang, Roberts, and Ying, 2015). Therefore, if the very commuting stress is relieved, then employees will work better and more energetically, hence increased productivity.
It is safe to say that telecommuting leaves no room for computer illiteracy. As opposed to the traditional norm where one had only to possess the relevant expertise and papers for one’s line of work, the telecommuting era of today does not allow leniency with any technological job. It is not easier for an applicant who lacks skills in Information and Technology. I had a relative of mine applying for a job at a restaurant, getting turned down for not having any basic knowledge about IT (Masuda, Holtschlag, & Nicklin, 2017). Orders for food and other commodities are extensively made on E-Commerce platforms making most business transactions occurring outside the workplace. Hence IT literacy is of pivotal importance in almost any job out there is this digitally evolving era that we live (Harris, 2018). Therefore, in as much as telecommuting may also come with its inequities, it can’t be set aside, for the merits outweigh the demerits. Offices, as we know them will no longer be of relevance as far as where we are heading to, is concerned. This is because technology is just growing too fast, and humans have to relevant adapt to it, or else information explosion will end up overwhelming and possibly even collapsing various firms and subsequent economies.
References
Dion, S. (2019). Leadership Development for Telecommuting Employees.
Masuda, A. D., Holtschlag, C., & Nicklin, J. M. (2017). Why the availability of telecommuting matters. Career Development International.
Harris, W. J. (2018). Technology adoption by global virtual teams: Developing a cohesive approach. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 83(1), 4-21. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=buh&AN=135806019&site=eds-live