Istanbul Gelisim University - Transitivity between countries and companies has increased with remote working

Transitivity between countries and companies has increased with remote working

Stating that teleworking, which is a compulsory experience all over the world with the pandemic, should be evaluated together with its advantages and disadvantages for employers and personnel, Asst. Prof. Demet Özcan said the rate of transitivity between countries and companies has increased with remote work.

Noting that with the pandemic, remote work is better understood and adopted in Turkey and in the world, Asst. Prof. Demet Özcan shared the data of her research on working remotely. Özcan stated that, according to the data obtained, this way of working has many positive and negative consequences for the employer and the employee. Özcan said that remote working provides an advantage in terms of increasing efficiency and reducing the cost of the employer when a suitable environment is provided for the employee, but that the ties of the employees working remotely with the company may weaken, they may work with several companies at the same time, and therefore the transitivity that causes loss of talent between countries may increase.

Emphasizing the importance of strengthening the bond between staff and workplace in remote work, Asst. Prof. Demet Özcan said, “Remote working also increases the transitivity between countries and companies. If the employer does not do extra work to keep the commitment of the employee at a certain level and ensure the satisfaction of the employee, if he does not take extra care, I expect that the rate of inter-company transition and talent exchange between countries will increase even more. This means that we can bring a talent from abroad to our country, but if an employee here is not satisfied enough, they may start working remotely on behalf of a company in another country. It is not necessary for them to go to that country or move there. There was also remote work before the pandemic, but it was internalized even more in the process. A significant number of people have started working remotely. I think this rate will increase even more. Therefore, employee satisfaction is important to retain the talent we have. We shouldn't just look at it as a company's talent. I think it is important to keep our talents within the borders of the country."

“MANAGERS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE”

Pointing out that the communication between the manager and the employee should be a little more intense in remote work, Özcan said, “It is possible for the employee to have a problem of commitment to the workplace in remote work. In order to keep the commitment strong, it is necessary to touch the employee from time to time with online meetings. However, it is necessary to establish this intensive communication not as excessive control, but on the denominator of information sharing and support since as the sense of control increases in remote work, the employee's commitment to the workplace decreases. Over-controlling is a situation that kills trust in remote working, and trust is a must in remote working. If there is no trust, remote working will not be an effective and productive work.

“COMPANIES MUST ASSESS THEIR CRITERIA”

Stating that companies wishing to switch to remote work should evaluate their criteria correctly for an efficient work, Özcan said, “Companies abroad may have switched to remote work because their human resources management systems and infrastructures are ready after the pandemic. Therefore, companies in Turkey should not be in the mood to "let's switch to remote working" unless they make the necessary preparations. First of all, both the employer and the employee must have agreed to work remotely. In addition, the working environment of the employee and the suitability of the living space are very important. On the other hand, each company should meticulously evaluate the profiles of its employees, the characteristics of its units, the characteristics of the projects, in which units information security should be kept at the highest level, and whether the departments are suitable for remote working. It would be much more appropriate to make a pilot study first and switch to remote work step by step.”

ADVANTAGES OF REMOTE WORKING FOR EMPLOYEES

Özcan listed the advantages of remote working for employees as follows:
“The ability for employees to tailor their schedules. Possibility to work in a quiet and calm environment. Going to office & coming back from office time is up to the employee. To be able to work without interruption and in a concentrated way in the home environment. Ability to work efficiently without stress and unplanned interruptions. To be able to devote time to their hobbies and themselves. No need to get up early and this gives a chance to start the day well. Increasing individual innovation, that is, solving certain problems themselves while working remotely. No worries about choosing clothes and looking good. One-to-one communication with the customer without the concept of time. Mandatory development of the employee, with intense work and working alone. Less time wasted working at home. Not being followed constantly. Absence of Monday syndrome. Another important advantage of working remotely is that talented young people living outside the city and physically disabled can be recruited more easily.”

“PARTIAL REMOTE WORKING IS PREFERRED”

Talking about his research on remote working before the pandemic, Özcan said, “I conducted in-depth interviews with 21 participants in the study. We discussed remote working in all its dimensions. The level of education was very high and they were participants who worked remotely for many years. 20 of the 21 participants stated that they would prefer partial remote work. Even full-time remote workers stated that they would prefer it if there was partial remote work option. This research cannot be generalized, but teleworking has been experienced by a significant number of people after the pandemic, and a hybrid (partially working in the office and at home) working style is preferred in general.