Despite technology advances, office remains the place to be
Telework is tough. Almost all the folks I've reported to in the past four years has told me (essentially) that they couldn't do what I do. They admire the dedication and focus I have working at home. The admit that they'd be playing golf or watching Oprah. It isn't for everyone, for sure, but I think the economies of both Canada and the US need telework in order to expand. If nothing else the road will become so clogged with cars that getting to work in a downtown office will be unbearable.
Despite technology advances, office remains the place to be by Robert Weisman, (Globe Staff, June 14, 2004) explores the reasons why the adoption of telework has fallen short of initial expectations. Despite the technological advances of the past 10 years or so, economics and cultural factors have dampened the trend. Quotes from Gartner and Forrester analysts support these statements.
When the economy was racing ahead and job seekers were in the driver's seat, telework was a key perk to attract top talent. Since the downturn, however, employees aren't secure enough to take advantage of perks like this, much less demand them when going after a new job. With daily news of layoffs, employees didn't want to loose face-time with their bosses.
The cultural factors have to do with management fears that teleworkers will be shirking their duties, as well as basic personality types that just don't thrive in a solitary environment.
The Telework Consortium is sponsoring a number of pilots using virtual presence to overcome these issues – well, most of them. Providing face time through electronic means won't let you share bagels at the staff meeting, but it does offer a way to maintain that critical face-time with your boss when you're working remotely. It allows you to chat informally with a co-worker about your weekend before delving into the hot topic of the day. Managers can see that their employees are working not shirking – at least to the extent they could tell the same thing when they were in their offices!