I teach a class at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) about the future of Information Technology.
One of the great things about doing this is how much I learn each semester, I find I always gain much, much more than I bring to the class (pointed out to me by the observant students …).
In a recent discussion thread one of the students had some interesting things to say about telecommuting which I thought deserved a wider audience. So with a tip of the hat to Neelima Jampani …
Critics of telecommuting believe that Internet communication will never truly replace face-to-face contact, and to some degree, they’re right. The touch of a keyboard will never take the place of a strong handshake, a hug, or body language. But many of the social benefits of face-to-face interaction can easily be replicated in cyberspace if employers simply learn to utilize Internet technology to their advantage. Companies must adapt their business strategies to create opportunities for casual social interaction among employees, to establish interactive work opportunities for employees.
Companies with successful telecommuting programs have identified several concrete ways to accomplish the goal of creating an active on-line “community” for their telecommuting workers (Carpenter).
- At Aetna Insurance Co., each telecommuter is assigned a “buddy.”By pairing its workers, Aetna ensures that telecommuters have regular social interaction with other employees, and creates a social network wherein telecommuters develop social relationships with employees they would not otherwise have met.
- Alan Fowler suggests assigning every remote worker an office-based mentor as well, in order to keep telecommuters in touch (via e-mail) with any social developments occurring in the office. Whenever possible, these mentors should be senior employees, so that telecommuters can develop the types of impromptu mentoring relationships that often occur in the workplace.
- IBM has scheduled social events using “chat” technology for its on-line workers, and Arthur Anderson holds informal chatroom “lunches” for its telecommuting employees. These companies have found it necessary to actually schedule social interactions for telecommuters, interactions that usually take place automatically for office-based workers.
- Several successful telecommuting programs provide a “place” where remote workers can go to hang out during breaks, lunch, and other free time. At Cisco, telecommuters congregate in “virtual cubes.”At Merrill Lynch, they go to the “virtual water cooler.”These “places,” which are essentially chatrooms, enable remote workers to communicate with co-workers they’ve never met or worked with, and to enjoy all of the social benefits of a traditional office environment.
- Finally, companies may find that threaded conferences give telecommuters yet another “place” where they can join in an ongoing discourse with co-workers. While threaded discussions may not offer the psychological benefits of live dialogue, they can still keep telecommuters in tune with what’s happening at the company, while at the same time providing them with an opportunity to develop reputations, identify workplace personalities, and make friends.
References:
Carpenter, J.L. Building community in the Virtual workplace. Retrieved on February 5, 2012 from http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/fallsem98/final_papers/Carpenter.html