My take on remote work...

During our daily morning walk we come across a young neighbor of ours, jogging and pushing her 6 month baby sitting on a stroller. We say hello, and she signals to us that she’s on a conference call. Wow! That’s multitasking at its best.

She makes me wonder: “How can she manage running, watching the traffic, making sure her baby is okay while at the same time paying close attention to what’s being said through her earbuds, and perhaps making a comment or asking a question?” 

That’s the epitome of multitasking, and beyond that of teleworking, this modern, flexible work arrangement under which an employee performs the duties and responsibilities of their position from an approved worksite, other than the location from where the employee would usually work. 

I see that all the time and especially in winter when remote workers conduct their daily duties sitting next to me on the chairlift. I then wonder, how many of these people are performing a really good job for their employer? Is it 100%, or 90%, even 25%? Do they make-up for their “partial” work by working longer hours? Don’t bet your life on it! 

I’ve been in their shoes during the early part of this century when I was working from my home office half of my working time. What I can say is that I was in my office, not in the kitchen, nor on my bike or my skis during my 10 hours working day. 

Sure, one can point out to the productivity gains made in the interval with new technology like teleconferencing and the like, but still work is work and I can’t prevent myself from thinking than these flexible working folks also must have a flexible sense of what work ethic is, and by so doing, are grossly overtaxing their employers without even thinking about it...