An increasing number of organisations have allowed people to work at home. Is it a positive or negative phenomenon ？
Technology has revolutionised the way we travel, communicate and work. Under the influence of technologies, an increasing number of companies are beginning to allow employees to work at home. In spite of its potential side effects, I believe it is an irreversible trend in our society.
Tele-working, compared with travelling all the way from home to a certain workplace, has more benefits than one. Firstly, it is cost-efficient for companies because there is no need for them to rent an office or a location anymore, thereby decreasing the overhead costs considerably. Secondly, employees working at home have more free and flexible time at their disposal, and as a result, they may find a perfect time to start and finish their work. By doing so, workers will enjoy their jobs and boost their efficiency accordingly. In the mean time, there will be no such concern as work-life balance because work has integrated seamlessly with life. Moreover, traffic on the road will be greatly alleviated and a lot fewer atmospheric pollutants will be emitted as a consequence.
Despite the numerous benefits associated with tele-working, some may disagree, believing that effective communication will be adversely influenced. As to this view, I think it is more or less groundless because companies can communicate well enough with teleconference or video conference.
Those who argue that tele-working will stifle team spirit and decrease the opportunities of brain storming for employees are justified to some degree. Admittedly, some startup entrepreneurs who gather together in a garage, have a brain storming, and then come up with a killer solution, will have far better team spirit than those who stay at their separate homes.
Furthermore, not all companies can afford those expensive hi-tech equipment which enables tele-working.
To conclude, for those corporations that can afford the advanced devices, like video-conference TVS, satellite-conference networks, tele-working, except for a few flaws such as team spirit, is as effective and efficient as traditional ways of working.
