Tan Kin Lian - Perspectives Promoting Work from Home
The pandemic started the practice of working from home. It is a good arrangement, as it saves commuting time, which can take more than 3 hours a day.

The pandemic is now over, but most workers like to continue to work from home. However, most employers like their workers to return to the office.

Why?

The real reason, based on my common sense, is that many workers will not work the full working hours at home. They will take some time for their domestic duties or even to relax.

Some workers can be trusted to work the full working hours. Some will not. The manager cannot tell the difference or treat the workers differently.

It may be possible to measure the actual work done by each remote worker. This is not easy for many types of work.

Some managers monitor the actual work based on keystrokes on the computer. This may not work in many situations.

To force workers to return to the office, many employers gave the excuse that it allows the co-workers to discuss face to face. This is not true as the discussion can be done virtually.

Managers probably find, from actual experience, that the remote workers are less productive. The main reason is that many do not work the full hours.

If the managers and workers face this reality, there is a simple and practical solution. I would install a camera to monitor the worker at the desk. This camera costs $50 and uses a motion sensor to record the worker at work.

The manager does not need to watch the camera live. AI software can calculate the hours spent at the desk and alert the manager of shortfalls.

The key benefit is deterrence. The worker will not take too much time away from the desk.

This arrangement can be offered voluntarily to the worker. I think that many will volunteer for it. I would.

Tan Kin Lian
 

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