Is RI ready for teleworking?

JAKARTA (JP): Western countries, such as the United States and most of western Europe, are now shifting to a new concept of the flextime work schedule: telecommuting, or teleworking, a word coined by management consultant Dr. David Chaudron. Flextime is short for flexible work hours. This concept of flextime allows employees some discretion over when they arrive and leave work. They have to work a specific number of hours a week, but they are free to vary the hours of work within certain limits.

Teleworking is a recent development of flextime. This concept allows workers not only to work according to their own schedule, but also to work in any place they favor, as long as the job is done and the agreement with the employer is carried out properly, particularly with regard to the modes of communication and methods of presentation of the results. Facsimile, telephone, e-mail, video conferencing and interaction via the Internet are the most popular modes of communication and methods of presentation.

Currently, in the United States, there are six million people working at home or any other place they favor. The annual growth rate of teleworking is 15 percent to 20 percent, with some experts venturing a guesstimate as high as 40 percent. It is predicted that the number of teleworkers will increase to 25 million by the year 2000.

This working arrangement offers many advantages to employees and employers alike. However, it must be understood that teleworking is not without risks. An employer who is considering to "go telework" must be able to identify the "three Rs" of teleworking, as suggested by John Curran, a business system analyst at the management consulting firm of Saltzer, Sutton, and Edicott. The three Rs are: the right reasons, the right job, and the right people.

The right reasons: If a company, as implemented in U.S, would like to achieve at least one of the following -- increased productivity, reduced expenses for office space, increased customer contact by the sales force and increased use of highly qualified people who are not available or affordable on a full- time basis -- then, it has the right reason(s) to introduce teleworking.

The right job: Not any job can be assigned to teleworkers. In general, work that is of individual nature rather than teamwork -- such as writing, editing, reporting, sales, telemarketing, auditing, etc. -- is best suited for a teleworker.

The right people. The right person on the right job also applies to telejobs. The selection process of teleworker candidates should be executed carefully in order to achieve the expected results. Only individuals with a high sense of self- discipline and self-motivation can become successful teleworkers.

The concept of teleworking itself is outstanding for it provides employees with an opportunity to interact their jobs with their daily lives, something that is impossible to do in "in residence" jobs. For female employees for instance the most notable advantage they can enjoy is the flexibility to take care of the household while working in absentee, something which is impossible with on the premises office jobs. With their teleworking, they might also have more time to be with their favorite things and to take a rest to restore energy, which are essential to enhance their working morale and spirit, instead of spending hours in heavy traffic jams and having problems taking a rest during office hours due to company regulations.

Dressing according to company dress codes, having difficulties in concentrating due to interruptions from colleagues and being obliged to look busy all the time are small overlooked unfavorable incidents an employee encounters everyday which might cause unproductive working time and low esteem, which are often underestimated. In telejobs, these small overlooked incidents do not exist. Instead, an employee has healthier, happier and higher esteem in life to successfully complete the tasks assigned.

From an employer's point of view, teleworking also gives an opportunity to change for betterment. Sky-rocketing corporate real estate costs and high operating expenses are just two of an employer's major issues to confront. With teleworking arrangement, these issues are greatly reduced or even eliminated.

Moreover, when a company is considering introducing teleworking, then it is the appropriate time to move on to two major changes in management style: from watching activities of employees to trusting employees to work on their own (dependent management to independent management) and from managing attendance to managing performance.

Is it possible for Indonesian companies to introduce teleworking? To implement the concept of teleworking in Indonesia, we have to analyze the working habits of both employees and employers and the technology available.

In this era of globalization, transfer of the latest technologies available is not so simple. We are overwhelmed with information. Information is everywhere. Even when we take a sip of coffee in a cafe in Singapore that offers "a cup of coffee and a cup of Net", the whole world is within our reach in seconds. Magazines, newspaper, television teletexts, radios, periodicals, books, CD-ROMs are within reach and getting more and more affordable lately. All we have to do is analyze them and decide which technology is the most appropriate, based on what we grasp.

Consequently from the available technology point of view, Indonesia is ready to introduce teleworking. Facsimiles, computers, teleconferencing and other high technology telecommunication media are within our reach. However, an important thing we have to identify is Indonesian working habits that might not be supportive to teleworking, for instance our being communal instead of individual, lack of self-discipline, working under tight supervision, paternalism, etc.

Being optimistic, the pioneers of teleworking in Indonesia will probably be newspapers with their reporters. Of course, in the media business, proper timing and meeting deadlines are of paramount importance. Therefore, maximum utilization of high-tech equipment and independence are preferable and most appropriate.

Last, apart from working between regions, the five following points may make the future of teleworking clearer:

1. Productivity: Will non-job-related distractions at home (or any place as agreed with the employer) reduce productivity?

2. Office politics: Will teleworkers be at a disadvantage in office politics?

3. Discrimination: Will teleworkers and non-teleworkers feel they are being discriminated against, one against the other?

4. Socialization: Will teleworkers find it a case of out of sight, out of mind by their non-teleworker colleagues?

5. Career improvement: Will teleworkers be less likely to be considered for salary increases and promotion?

Teleworking is, indeed, a very innovative working arrangement, for it is very flexible and provides employees with an opportunity to enjoy a higher quality life. Of equal importance, it also provides employers with lower operating expenses and an opportunity to execute a new management style that is result- oriented instead of activities-oriented.

As it is easier said than done, a company must do thorough research and conduct feasibility studies on every aspect of teleworking before making any decision to introduce it. The three Rs, working habits and five other points may serve as a guideline on the making of a decision to introduce teleworking.

Jennie Siat, an alumnus of University of Indonesia, is an observer of social education affairs.