Telecommuters say no too!
Measuring a telecommuter's productivity is another problem that organisations face. That is why IT-related work, which is project-oriented, is probably better suited to telecommuting than other types of work. It is certainly easier to monitor productivity when the work is result-oriented, as opposed to control-oriented. This makes for a more mature and realistic productivity environment in a telecommuting situation.
In addition to the above issues, Radhika Rajan feels that clear-cut HR policies such as recruitment of the right person, privacy, payments etc need to be formulated.
There are more reasons for organisations to not want to support telecommuting. Surprisingly, there seem to be a few takers among telecommuters too.
A professional who was a vendor for Datamatics some time back says: "No doubt telecommuting is great as you get a lot more time to get work done, the simple reason being the distraction of other people constantly asking me questions is gone. But you can't do it forever because businesses still haven't adjusted to the idea of working from home as being a viable alternative. Being at home, you totally lose touch and daily contact with your peers."
"I do not agree that it has caught on even worldwide," says Talisma's Anurag Srivastava. "Telecommuting is unpopular because it does not take care of social needs of employees which is one of the most important factors while working. Secondly, employees are hesitant about using it due to insecurity and their own feeling that others might think they are not working. Work means time spent in office for most. Thirdly, employers have not worked out a mechanism to monitor performance. Fourthly - Infrastructure is not present and connectivity is an issue. Broadband has still not made a presence in the company."
"Indian social norms have hitherto said that a person has to 'go to work' to be considered an earning member of the family. Traditional mindsets have failed to recognise the potential of home jobs." Radhika Rajan is optimistic when she adds "But with the younger generation becoming Net savvy and more open to modern ideas, we feel that this scenario will change soon and telecommuting is poised for a growth in India."
Most telecommuters also feel that managers are reluctant to lose control of their employees. Even though studies indicate that employees can be more productive, managers seem to believe that if they can't see an employee that they are wasting company time. Until that perception changes, telecommuting will not be as prevalent as it should be.
"The mindset of employers and employees as far as the regular 9-to-5 'office' job is concerned needs to change. Potential jobseekers have to be informed that a telecommuting job offers the same security, authority and responsibility that go along with a regular office job," says Rajan.
Telecommuting: The road ahead
Infrastructural barriers aside, telecommuting hasn't been a success worldwide because mindsets of organisations as well as employees not being able to adapt to and accept this different work practice. Though telecommuting has the potential to reduce organisational overheads, security issues will always hold companies back from permitting individual employees to telecommute.
Numerous call centres and medical transcription set-ups that have sprung up in the last few years indicate that telecommuting will exist but only in this form, creating new niches for poorer countries in the global market for software.
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