Telecommuting – an alternative

Emerging technological phenomenon called telecommuting (or telework) is changing focus from physical presence at the primary work site to what an employee can deliver optimally. While the concept of telecommuting has been in existence for some time, technological tools available today are making it possible to practice it more productively. The trend has steadily grown over the past two decades in the developed world.
Elsewhere, ‘Businesses that let 100 employees work half of their time from home can save more than $1 million a year’ according to Telework Research Network’s latest study of telework programs and their benefits. This alone is one big incentive for local businesses to take advantage of the telecommuting work model.
In a job market where it is tough for employable workforce to find regular jobs, what to talk of telecommute, the trend has yet not started. It is in this context that the telecommuting phenomenon is viewed here.
What is telecommuting? This is a work practice made possible by use of telecommunication and collaborative technologies to facilitate work at a site away from the traditional office environment. The focus is that ‘work is something you do, not something you travel to’.
Let me hasten to add that telecommuting is not only for computing related fields as it wrongly perceived. Even a semester living stitching shirts for a foreign-based concern can be telecommuter rather than a contractual worker. Also there is a difference between freelancing, contract work and telecommuting.
Pakistan so far is a less connected country. Majority of the areas are still without internet coverage. Teledensity has increased but is far from being adequate. Corporate Pakistan has not yet embraced IT, exceptions (some of them very good) notwithstanding. No effects can be seen on ground or in term of revenues in the account books. What has been achieved by Pakistan IT industry and some end user futuristic concerns so far is nothing more than a scratch on the surface.
Moreover, the latest technologies have not been made use of due to lack of a standard business culture of strategic thinking and planning. These factors are inimical to the long-term investment in time and resources needed for IT to develop and deliver.
Another impediment in the way of telecommuting picking up is societal rather than technological. In a number of ways, the corporate sector seems to have distrust in IT solutions. Professor Dr Manzoor Ahmed, an international marketing expert, opines, “The generation at the helms of business affairs, mostly family run, thinks that what has been working for them in the past is good enough. They hesitate to take new incentives into the untested area. The strength of this social impulse reins back the widespread IT employment in any area.” Other limitations with the flexible trend are poor or lack of necessary infrastructure, illiteracy, slow speed or non availability of internet access or things like electric shutdowns.
Let us have a look at the users’ base. The majority of the online community in our country is of medium users. This group includes everyone from those ‘whiz kids’ with ambitions and degrees from IT institutions and international certifications to self-taught professionals in their own respective fields. These users can perceive modern technologies as a great leveler to work and make their lives better.
As of today, no university in Pakistan is offering telecommunication courses to business students. This subject should be included in all business programs as is being done in reputed business schools abroad.
Pakistan has a world-class workforce. Local businesses should plan to plunge in to telecommuting boldly. They already have opportunities of learning from successful experiences in developed countries by closely examining work methodologies being implemented with success and at much lower costs.
Before that, the public sector should focus on improving infrastructure and ensuring uninterrupted supply of bandwidth, electricity and telephone everywhere.
Hopes are that demand driven telecommunication will pick up here and Pakistan’s corporate sector will become telecommuting friendly. One wishes to see it happen as soon as possible. This has not started happening yet though.

The writer is Deputy Controller Examination, Lahore School of Economics