Notes on the Information Age - Telecommuting

As the information age closes upon us, the idea of where you work has changed dramatically. Gartner Group estimates that in the year 2000, 55 million workers will work from their homes. Computers, telecommunications and a major sociological change have made this happen, but what does it mean to the average worker in Saskatchewan?

Let us first consider some of the opportunities for our management. Perhaps the most dominant opportunity is to be able to market the fact that we know how to manage a telecommuting workforce (even in a union environment). As virtual corporations populate cyberspace, there is an increase in the number of opportunities to outsource the functions of those corporations.

As success in certain projects swells the ranks of the workers, the need for more office space erodes profitability. If a significant number of workers are telecommuters, then new, and expensive office space need not be constructed as a result of our success.

Equipment in the home lends itself to lifelong learning and potential for workers to achieve a higher plane of understanding on the systems that they use as tools. This is an opportunity that management should not ignore.

The opportunity for increased productivity by having the machine close to the person when inspiration strikes them (Carpe Diem), benefits the company, managers and workers all around.

Germany has one of the finest telecommunications infrastructures and the population has a considerable amount of home computing hardware, yet telecommuting is almost nonexistent in that country. The most cited reason for Germany's reluctance to telecommute is union resistance. Why should this exist?

Let us reflect on some of the potential pitfalls and dangers that surround telecommuting that will affect us and heed some of the warnings from our hard nosed sisters and brothers.

Many people want to have a life that separates work from home. Telecommuting does not provide a geographical separation. Thus, some people feel that work is invading their private lives. There is some truth to this feeling, because organizations that have looked at telecommuting as an opportunity are busy developing systems which monitor the employee's activities when they are supposedly telecommuting. These draconian monitoring systems are felt to be necessary by certain elements of management. If the trade union is vigilant that management manage the work processes and results, then privacy should not be invaded.

Another worry of the worker is, "What happens to my benefits if I am working at home?" Does injury during work still qualify for compensation or compensation or disability benefits? Have our Human Resources departments covered off all the implications of the Collective Agreement as its it applies to the worker performing her/his delegated duties within the confines of the home?

Consider the liabilities of the equipment. The ten year old playing with the mouse implies a security violation. Is there a good policy on this equipment in the home, when used by other family members? Or what about software that is installed that is no work related? Will the Clean Desk Police visit our homes and maybe make our beds, (do the dishes while they're at it?). Even more seriously, should there be some compensation for this equipment cluttering up someone's home? If so, should the taxes of that home be reviewed so that the people who are only paying residential tax be levied a mixed - use tax on the property? If someone's taxes are raised because they are telecommuting, then surely there should be some compensation to the workers for the inconvenience. Finally, the concept of equity starts raising it's powerful head, as cyberspace allows the projection of self with or without handicaps.

It It is obvious that C.E.P. Local 911 should begin dialogue on creating the most progressive and complete system of telecommuting policies.

Reprinted from the new Unionist, Volume 2 Issue 2. Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 911.

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