Adopt the Teleworking or remote work It represents one of the most important changes and challenges in the organization of the daily routines of many workers since the presence of the pandemic.
Five years after the first confinement in March 2020, Teleworking remains a common practice for a significant part of the active population in Guatemala.
According to Claudia Zelaya, commercial manager of ManpowerGroup in Caribbean and Central America, he explained that before the pandemic the teleworking was uncommon in Guatemala and the region, the restrictions forced companies to implement it quickly and this generated that they had to change their processes, supervision and interaction systems between equipment and their clients.
In 2022 the Teleworking Law In other words, there was also an impact on the country’s legislation, growth in sectors such as technology, financial, call centers could be had, it also revealed the connectivity challenges that were not only for Guatemala but for the entire Central American region, Zelaya said.
ManpowerGroup consults with collaborators in 2021 on this subject and the findings obtained from said study indicated that The flexibility of having access to teleworking or a hybrid day is a benefit that collaborators do not want to lose.
“This is important because we face a shortage of talent that goes up every year, and maintaining these initiatives allows the company to be attractive to candidates and apply to their job offers,” Zelaya said.
Forms of work in Guatemala
In the opinion of Massiel Calderón, a specialist advisor to human capital management, policies, processes and technology, he considers it important to begin to understand and talk about work flexibility as a new scheme to fulfill a role within the organization, he said.
Next, the specialist describes some of the forms of work that have gained relevance, after the Covid-19 Pandemia:
- Remote work: modality in which the employee performs his tasks from a different place to the office, usually from home.
- Flexible hybrid: model that combines face -to -face and remote work, allowing employees to choose when and where to work, according to their preferences.
- Fixed hybrid: modality where employees work in the office certain days and have specific days assigned to work remotely.
- Face -to -face: modality in which employees do their work exclusively in the office.
Calderón considers it essential to understand that the office is not a place just to be, but to do. From this concept of “doing” is where we must make us more flexible, choosing the place and the tools that allow us to be more productive.
“It’s not about working less, but making our work more efficient and better reconcile our professional and personal life, understanding that both are one. We must stop thinking that it is two separate lives,” Calderón emphasized.
Telework does not adapt to everyone
Luis Linares, Labor Analyst of the Association of Research and Social Studies (thus), explained that during the health emergency, the telecommuting It was a need rather than a virtue, because most companies and institutions, except, those works that the person can do in isolation, at home, there are many activities in which it cannot be done in that way.
In addition, there are a series of disadvantages at work from home or distance, one of them is the lack of socialization, even mobility. So, that also affects and impacts the functioning of companies.
“That is why the great mobility returned and are currently few I think, the organizations that stayed with a part of their staff on teleworking, In contrast to public entities, which all returned to face -to -face mode“He said.
According to Linares in no country in Latin America, the teleworking exceeded 15%, and Guatemala was below all countries with 3%.
They demand more interaction
Zelaya de ManpowerGroup, commented that with the opening of economies at 100% it is generating more demand for commercial and interaction activities in companies.
While this modality has been true, it has also meant challenges for staff supervision and the achievement of results, because it has been detected that not all collaborators are prepared for distance work and home distractions impact performance. On other occasions it has been detected that the collaborator performs ventures that also distract him from his main activities, added the professional.
However, for Calderón there are several myths that still prevent evolution towards new forms of work, which explains the preference for face -to -face work instead of teleworking.
Among the most common myths are: “The responsibility of the position demands to go to the office”, “Progress in the professional career depends on the presence in the office” or “labor flexibility compromises work quality.”
In addition, one of the most persistent myths is that “remote work negatively affects organizational culture”, a belief that, although widely shared, does not necessarily correspond to reality, especially when the pandemic showed that teleworking can be equally effective, Calderón said.
Keys for a flexible model to work
Calderón explained that, although work flexibility allows each person to adapt their workday to their life, in practice, this approach raises questions about how to coordinate teams when each individual organizes their time differently.
For a flexible model to work, the following elements are essential:
- Have clarity in the deliverables or assigned works and the commitment to them.
- Promote an organizational culture and mutual trust.
- Create the way to measure productivity effectively.
The transition to a more flexible productivity model requires, then, a cultural and structural change that has not yet been fully reached in many organizations in Guatemala.
It is also perceived that the lack of face -to -face interaction can affect equipment cohesion. For managers, daily physical interactions are seen as a key to maintaining a solid business culture. However, this myth has been challenged by many organizations that have found ways to maintain a strong organizational culture and effective communication, even in remote environments, Calderón said.
Although teleworking has proven effective, companies continue to prefer face -to -face work due to these cultural myths, the lack of clear work structures and concern about the impact on organizational culture. “These factors make the transition to more flexible models more complex than it seems to the naked eye,” Calderón concluded.