ENGLISH COMP 1

Running Head: ABILITY TO TELEWORK 1

TELEWORKING 8

Impacts of The Ability to Telework

James French

University of The Potomac

English Composition 1

April 12th, 2020

Professor Courtney Wells

Introduction

Teleworking, which is also referred to as remote working, has gained reputation over the past decades. Teleworking in simple terms means that an employee does not necessarily have to go to the office place or workstation. Instead, he/ she can work from the comfort of their home and deliver the results to the supervisor without face to face interaction. Teleworking encompasses all types of distance working, for example, writers, software engineers, bloggers, and even traveling agents. The fast growth in teleworking has been facilitated by the rapid growth of technology and internet availability in countries globally (Messenger, 2017). Currently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the companies have switched to teleworking as governments put measures of social distance in a bid to control the spread of the epidemic.

The development of communicating digital systems has significantly influenced the evolution of teleworking, whereby innovative network technology has motivated network commercial features. Having new locations, as well as time-independent working organizations, has offered the capacity for organizations to have decentralized work via several teleworking arrangements. Due to the evolution of telecommunication and information technology, network systems have become practical preferences for the extension for many organizations, in contrast to the initial ages whereby ‘network business’ was a preference for just a limited number of huge companies. Consequently, the organization systems, as well as markets for companies, have quickly evolved. The evolution has been propelled by the elimination of restrictions, changes in relationships of authority, globalization, and competitiveness as well as the innovative organization patterns, empowered by network technologies, with particular influences on spatial patterns and the world society (Chiru, 2017).

Apart from technological advancement, another cause that has led to the evolution of teleworking is the need for businesses to cut down on costs. Many companies globally are downsizing, thus leading to the growth of small businesses. Since proprietors of these companies cannot afford or are not willing to rent out office space, they utilize the idea of teleworking. Besides, the notion of profitability also compels companies to reduce various departments and opt to outsource for certain services. The subcontracted company can then offer their services at a distance or on an order basis. Due to massive layoffs have led to many skilled people to lose jobs and look for alternative means of employment, thus leading to many opportunities for teleworkers (Vassileios, Stratigea, & Giaoutzi, 2016).

Besides, the declining significance of physical locations has caused certain organization flexibility in three-dimensional ways. The creation of new commercial models has led to the evolution of networking technology as well as teleworking. The necessity of businesses to increase competition and production as well as developing new creative innovations, which will appeal to the emerging markets and eliminate restrictions between sellers and purchasers, led to teleworking to evolve. Also, companies were seeking to integrate current services such as online shopping and getting reviews for their products. It led organizations to hire people who would work away from the physical offices but still deliver results. Companies also wanted to undertake new activities that were not accessible earlier because of costs or effort involved. Besides, organizations adopted modern marketing, purchasing, and customer contacting strategies using online platforms. It included increasing the personnel staff. However, organizations still wanted to maximize profitability at the same time. Hence, they had to adopt teleworking strategies to achieve both objectives for their organizations (Chiru, 2017).

The effects of teleworking are numerous and include but not limited to individuals achieving a work-life balance. Teleworkers can plan their time to handle work-related duties as well as household duties or other responsibilities away from their work. Unlike people who work from offices and are programmed on eight to five tasks, teleworkers can handle more than three jobs as long as they can plan their time correctly. Besides, teleworking makes people flexible and have autonomy. Teleworking enables a person to try out in various trades and become independent as well as make independent choices. Teleworking also allows employees to be more productive. Research shows that remote working places some kind of positive pressure to ensure they deliver efficiently. It could also be attributed to the fact that teleworkers have less peer pressure that comes as a result of office politics (Traves, 2017).

Without the ability to telework, companies such as LBA logistics, which have workgroups and clientele distributed throughout various capitals and frequently require to work together, examine instantaneous data collectively, as well as have face to face interaction. LBA would not be able to execute such responsibilities and duties without teleworking. Also, numerous organizations have been able to accumulate more savings by applying teleworking strategies to substitute business travels since using video conferencing has replaced the necessity for face to face consultations. Virtual teamwork devices facilitate individuals to perform their work duties across long distances (Traves, 2017).

Teleworking saves on costs. The costs can be to the employer who reduces infrastructure costs significantly. For example, no rent for the office space, also the amount of electricity cost by computer equipment, WI-FI costs, heating, and even cost on food costs such as breakfast for employees. Instead, by applying to telework, the employer gets to make the same revenue but with less expenditure, thus equating to more profits. As an employee, a person is also able to save on travel costs to the office, especially for people who work in the cities. Cutting on such costs helps a person save more or shift that money towards a better investment plan. Also, not traveling to the office will enable a person to save time and use that time to perform other work duties; hence more work is covered (Chiru, 2017).

When a majority of companies and organizations have employees who are teleworking, the communications company will also be forced to improve their internet infrastructure and services. This will mean that more areas in the country have a good internet connection. Besides, teleworking enables the company to hire more people, which in return means that the government can have more revenue in terms of taxes. Thus, the government can build better infrastructure for its citizens. At the societal level, teleworking enables the more accessible and better provision of amenities such as education and also the development of a twenty-four-hour economy whereby services are available round the clock. Besides, remote working enhances social inclusion, since people living with disabilities and those living in remote regions can access employment opportunity at the comfort of their homes (Messenger, 2017).

Another effect of remote working at a societal level is reduced traffic congestion in cities due to people driving and commuting to work. It also affects the companies by reducing the work time that employees lose when they are caught up in traffic jams, which is costly in terms of revenue. Besides, the decongestion of traffic in towns by people working from home improves the environment by reducing the number of gas fumes from vehicles. Remote working also impacts society by enhancing cross border collaboration among companies and organizations, which, in return, promotes social and economic cohesiveness (Vassileios, Stratigea, & Giaoutzi, 2016).

In the health care sector, telemedicine also allows patients who live in rural, remote areas to access medical services, since they do not have to travel long distances to acquire medical services. The program first began in Norway in 1980 and has been successfully adopted by other states such as Canada, Japan, Greece, Australia, and the United States. Telemedicine has an impact also because of the great need for medical services in such remote areas. Telehealth also provides an innovative method of locating health information as well as communicating with medical practitioners, for example, using e-mails and videoconferences. It is also more convenient for the patient to reduce the amount of possible travel time between the practitioner and the patient (Alvandi, 2017).

Security is a significant worry for any organization if one or several of their personnel is working from their homes. It is because to utilize the company’s software, and the employee will need to have the passcode. In case another individual has the passcode, it will be easier to access company information. To aid in preventing a possible security breach, an employer ought to offer teleworkers with company-issued equipment in addition to instituting administrator privileges. Besides, it is prudent for companies to capitalize on first-party business insurance. First-party insurance safeguards an organization’s property, such as files, expenses, and internal records (Beauchamp, 2017).

In conclusion, teleworking is a positive effect of technological advancement. Remote working should be embraced by companies who would want to remain relevant in five to ten years to come since the world is gradually becoming a global market. In addition to the cost reduction benefits it provides to the organization, it will enable more companies to spread their business locations, thus acquiring a broader market and more revenues for themselves.

References

Alvandi, M. (2017). Telemedicine and its Role in Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery. AJMC. Retrieved from https://www.ajmc.com/journals/ajac/2017/2017-vol5-n1/telemedicine-and-its-role-in-revolutionizing-healthcare-delivery. Accessed on 11th April 2020

Beauchamp, P. (2017). Telecommuting: The Pros, Cons, and Risks of Working from Home. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/telecommuting-the-pros-cons_b_8454260. Accessed 0n 11th April 2020

Chiru, C. (2017). TELEWORKING: EVOLUTION AND TRENDS IN USA, EU, AND ROMANIA. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 12(2).

Messenger, J. C. (2017). Working anytime, anywhere: The evolution of telework and its effects on the world of work. IUSLabor, (3).

Traves, I. A. (2017). Table 2. Advantages and disadvantages of telework. Research Gate; ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Advantages-and-disadvantages-of-telework_tbl1_318108862

Vassileios, V., Stratigea, A., & Giaoutzi, M. (2016). Teleworking: From a Technology Potential to A Social Evolution. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261873788_Teleworking_From_a_Technology_Potential_to_a_Social_Evolution. Accessed on 9th April 2020