Teleworking can cut cost and boost productivity<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It is a serious meeting. Participants work hard to find ways
\nto improve company performance, and sometimes they argue fiercely
\nagainst each other. It is like any other meeting. What makes it
\ndifferent is that the participants are not situated in the same
\nroom. They are in different places - even in different countries.<\/p>\n
Teleconferencing is not new here. In 2002, the Central Jakarta
\nDistrict Court even held a videoconference in the corruption
\ntrial of then Golkar leader and House speaker Akbar Tanjung in
\norder to hear testimony from former president BJ Habibie, who was
\nin Germany.<\/p>\n
Technology helps people communicate with each other throughout
\nthe world. With the Internet, facsimiles and telephones --
\nespecially cell phones -- distance is no longer a problem,
\nallowing anyone to work from wherever they are.<\/p>\n
Teleworking reduces costs and can boost productivity.<\/p>\n
"We have been using the system for years. It is very
\nefficient," Endang Rachmawati, director of enterprise solutions
\nat Nortel, said.<\/p>\n
She can work from home, and when someone calls her extension
\nnumber at the office, she can pick it up from her computer. So,
\nshe might even talk to a client in her pajamas, with the later
\ncompletely unaware that she is not in the office.<\/p>\n
"Teleworking is good because I don't have to stay until late
\nat the office. I can go home after office hours and spend some
\ntime with my children," she said. "The bad thing is that I might
\nhave to work at weird hours, anytime, and I don't have any excuse
\nnot to have the work done..."<\/p>\n
Unlike Endang, who still has to come into the office everyday,
\nthere are telecommuters who mostly work at home and go to the
\noffice only occasionally. They include computer programmers, web
\ndesigners, writers, translators, consultants and marketers.<\/p>\n
Many professionals run their own businesses at home. Those who
\nneed to have a prestigious address can rent a virtual office or a
\nmailbox that are available for relatively low prices. The
\nservices generally offered by serviced offices includes the
\nassistance of a professional secretary who is always ready to
\ntake calls, and access to a lounge or meeting room where tenants
\ncan meet clients.<\/p>\n
Teleworking has been a trend in developed countries since the
\nmid 1990s. In the United States, many employees began to
\ntelecommute due to bad weather, forced them to stay at home.
\nThere are also companies who allow their employees to work from
\nhome because of family commitments. Other companies promote
\n"virtual work" in order to reduce costs, with office space being
\nquite expensive.<\/p>\n
Surveys show that even though employees may not work at the
\noffice, they remain productive. In the beginning, companies need
\nto allocate funds to buy equipment such as laptops for employees.
\nBut it turns out to be a good investment that brings many
\nadvantages to the company.<\/p>\n
Himawan Wijanarko, general manager of strategic services,
\nJakarta Consulting, however, observes that most telecommuters in
\nIndonesia are freelancers, temporary employees or semi-permanent
\nemployees.<\/p>\n
"Take the example of marketing employees in an insurance
\ncompany or a cosmetics manufacturer. They do not have to come to
\nthe office everyday. What's important is that they can achieve
\nsales targets," he said.<\/p>\n
Companies are often reluctant to have "virtual employees" as
\npermanent employees because they are accustomed to seeing workers
\nphysically.<\/p>\n
"If they can hire employees who are willing to work full time
\nin the office everyday, they think: 'Why should we hire virtual
\nemployees?'," said Himawan.<\/p>\n
Discipline is another factor, he added. People prefer to have
\ntheir staff in an office so that they can keep an eye on them,
\nespecially as many Indonesians are considered to be ill
\ndisciplined and in need of supervision.<\/p>\n
Juni Kuntari, an associate partner at the Asia Resources
\nOperating Group, observes that as an archipelago, Indonesia with
\nits many global industries would surely obtain benefits from
\nteleworking. A distance is not really a problem.<\/p>\n
"But it should be noted that teleworking needs proper
\ninfrastructure, which is still a problem for many areas in this
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
"Communication networks that are unstable and poor
\ninfrastructure generally will pose problems for such working
\nmechanisms," said Juni, who was herself facing a technical
\nproblem regarding the computer server in her office.<\/p>\n
The lack of human interaction among teleworkers, she added,
\nmight result in then not having a sense of belonging within the
\ncompany, so this issue needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n
Despite the potential negative impacts, virtual work obviously
\nhas many advantages, not only for employees but also for
\nemployers. Companies will clearly save a lot of money by not
\nhaving to rent expensive working space, and employee
\ntransportation costs are eliminated.<\/p>\n
As for employees, they will certainly be happier for not
\nhaving to spend hours every day stuck in chronic traffic jams.
\nThey can work more efficiently and become more productive. They
\nwill also be able to better balance their professional life and
\npersonal life, with more time for family and socializing.<\/p>\n
However, virtual work is definitely not for unmotivated
\npeople. No matter where they are - be it in the bedroom, at a
\nrestaurant, or in a car, virtual professionals are always ready
\nto work.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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