Most people who have started their careers about 20 years
ago would agree that a desk, a stack of files and the nine-to-five
schedule were the “trademark” of any office worker.
Unprecedented advances in computer technology, compounded
by the advent of the Internet and the falling price of communication
have made possible a dramatic evolution of office work -
not only in terms of tools and technology, but also from
a human and organizational perspective.
What has really changed?
Technology for sure. It is possible now - and cost-effective
- to access and process information from almost any place
where some kind of computer can function - anything from
the traditional desktop PC (Personal Computer) in a traditional
office setting, to the sleek, hand-held PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant), or a wireless phone. Due to the Internet, and,
most recently, to the maturing of the wireless technologies,
a worker can connect almost anywhere and at anytime to
colleagues, clients or managers. As a result, new business
models have emerged and have been quite successful in many
traditional sectors, from government services and banking,
to grocery shopping.
Traditional companies who embraced the new model have done
so not because it was technically possible or trendy, but
because it promised to be a profitable move. By enabling
their employees and agents to do their work around a flexible
schedule and from various locations, these companies realize
productivity gains and spectacular reduction of costs associated
with real estate. They also count on this model as an employee
attraction and retention strategy, since, as studies indicate,
many people value flexible hours and work locations over
classical perks such as extra monetary compensation. Also, “teleworking” makes
it possible to expand a company’s traditional pool
of employable resources to geographies and demographics that
have not previously been available to them.
While mobility is pervasive, there is no standard defining
what a mobile or flexible employee is; each company can define
their own terminology and policies. For example, a mobile
employee may be defined as one who works out of various client
locations and does not have a permanently assigned work space
at his employer’s quarters; an employee working from
home is not considered mobile, because it involves the set
up of a permanent home office with all the facilities of
a “real” office. As well, costs and tax implications
are different.
The challenges of the non-traditional work arrangement should
not be underestimated. Acquiring and administering the equipment
and software needed to enable a work force to be mobile,
as well as the cost of training employees in using these
devices and programs can be costly. Ensuring data security
and confidentiality become more challenging and possibly
costlier in a dispersed environment. Also, a flexible work
arrangement could be misused or abused and have the opposite
end result when it comes to employee productivity - hence
the need to develop and administer effective HR policies
for a mobile work force.
Beyond technology
Other impacts – more difficult to quantify and manage – are
cultural and psychological. Employees favour mobility for
personal convenience (notably avoidance of long commutes),
empowerment from the 9 to 5 routine, and to be able to better
manage their professional and personal life.
As a down side, people who have opted for work from home
or mobile work arrangements may sooner or later discover
a degree of isolation and loss of “visibility” with
their peers and superiors. Many agree that even the most
sophisticated communication tools can not eliminate the need
for face-to-face contact. For someone to be successful within
the new model, a certain amount of self discipline, the ability
to deal unassisted with various professional, technical and
logistical challenges, as well as the ability to manage a
potential array of distractions (different from those in
the office!) are needed.
But it’s not just the mobile “rank and file” that
need to adapt to new strategies, techniques and tools. Some
managers are still reluctant to “telemanage” because
of the perception that unless the employee is directly observable
and available, he or she is less accountable and less manageable.
At the other end of the spectrum, other managers expect unlimited
availability of the mobile employee, just because technically
this is possible.
Beyond the workplace, family and friends may think of someone
working from home as of someone being at home. Those who
do not understand to what degree the workplace world has
changed, might even see the mobile, flexible worker as someone
less committed to their career or, worse, jeopardizing it!
The limits of technology
It is undeniable that, for those who embrace mobility beyond
the limits imposed by the 9 to 5 workday model, separation
between work and life is blurring .The biggest challenge
of mobile work is that a new understanding and a new discipline
needs to be build around it, not only at corporate, but
also at individual and societal level. The day still has
only 24 hours and the basic physiological needs of people
have not changed. Technology has empowered us to a degree
that we have only begun to master to our advantage.
Do you have a comment or feedback on
this article? Email
us and let us know what you think.
|
