Is RI ready for teleworking?

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.