EDITORIAL: Telecommuting for the future

There was no choice during peak periods of the Covid-19 pandemic other than to allow staff to work from home. This process is known as telecommuting which means that instead of going to an office space, employees perform their work from a remote location which is usually their home. In some instances that home may even be on the other side of the world as is the case with those persons who are enrolled in our local welcome stamp programme and those in other destinations like the Bahamas  also taking advantage of such opportunities.

The idea of working from home may seem counterintuitive to persons who are from a traditional background and have been working office jobs for years. There is a certain desirable routine for those persons found in working from the office. Persons who are newer to the work force and have only just realized the inadequacies of an inflexible office job would be much more interested in opportunities for remote work.

Telecommuting has several benefits to both the employer and the employee. It allows for efficient time management so that more work or a better quality of work can be completed leaving time for leisure activities and family activities. This can lead to greater job satisfaction and overall contentment because there is a more harmonious work life balance.

Traffic is a pet peeve for many people and leads to stress and increased anxiety that are detrimental to productivity. When this is eliminated, commute time can be added to active working time. Persons can get more rest and feel refreshed when starting to work. Two hours in traffic each day adds up to ten hours of lost productivity each week causing persons to feel unnecessarily drained. Now that traffic has returned to post Covid-19 levels this is especially relevant. A journey that was once fifteen minutes long will double to thirty.

In a remote working environment there are also less distractions than would be found in the office although it requires the employee to be disciplined with their time management. This ties in to the new role of management which would no longer be the management by walking around style which many managers prefer but would require consistent communication with employees. This change may be difficult for managers who lack communication skills as their contact with employees may seem more as an intrusion than as a genuine attempt to assist them in completing their tasks. There are various plans available to ensure good management practices continue when embarking on remote work.

Another important point which some businesses do not consider is the financial benefit provided by remote work. It can lower operational costs for the business such as electricity, water, printing supplies and sanitary products such as soap and tissues. Limiting the use of printing supplies is also beneficial for organizations that want to go paperless and be environmentally friendly.

Organizations can even downsize their office space and lower rent expenses. Some local companies require their employees to schedule office use in advance so that office space can be shared to keep costs low.

Taking these things into consideration,it seems that although a switch to remote work would be a paradigm shift in Barbadian society, the act might just be the best move for some companies who are struggling financially in the current economic downturn. It really is something worth considering.