Paradigm Shift Essay: Work from Home Culture. Under modern constructs, cultural shifts play an important role in communicating

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1 Paradigm Shift Essay: Work from Home Culture Under modern constructs, cultural shifts play an important role in communicating and promoting the need for change. Members of a community must change their ways of everyday life to conform to environmental and cultural pressures. A phenomenon resembling such a cultural shift is the development of the work from home culture, which has become commonplace in modern society. Individuals and organizations are constantly shifting away from the traditional approach of work, where people must be physically present in real offices, operate on an official schedule, and work alongside other professionals in person. Companies across various industries have been forced to accept the norms of working from home and provide adequate time for the employees to pursue their duties from the comfort of their premises (Baines, 2002). The work from home culture is a new language that is continuously defining professional careers, effectively modernizing society s view of the workplace and allowing for more personal freedom, individuality, and openness during work hours. Historically, societal norms have defined work in the style of in person, well organized arrangements, where a company hires an individual and these recruited employees commute to the location on a regular basis to pursue their duties. The traditional approach to working traces its origin to the evolution of the agrarian and industrial evolutions. During these ancient times, man could wake up and go to the farm to plant and harvest the crop. The early agricultural setting laid the foundation for the development of the traditional approach to work. Farmers could wake up and go to their farms, while the ironsmiths who made the farm tools could start their day by visiting their cottages. In ancient empires, kings and royal members of the ruling class had servants who travelled from their

2 2 homes to visit the palaces where they worked as personal assistants, crop managers, and herdsmen (Berlanstein, 2003). At the onset of industrialization in 1800s, the traditional approach to work was already well known and practiced, where regulations were observed to create a harmonious working environment. The industrial revolution came with new requirements that compelled workers to especially observe punctuality at work, high production, proper grooming, and adherence to the rules. Workers had to attend to their jobs by coming to a physical workplace. The earlier proponents of the work from home culture believed that this type of approach in the industrial industry promoted discipline, collaboration, and high productivity among the workers. It was easier for factory supervisors to coordinate the activities of the employees and monitor their behavior in the workplace. The proponents also agree with the view that most factories during the revolution had limited resources. It was, therefore, difficult to delegate duties to the employees while at home and imperative for workers to congregate specifically where the tools, machines, and products were. According to the proponents of the traditional approach to work, the organizations that operated during the industrial period valued the attendance of the workers in the factory because of the need for continuous training and coaching. Physical presence was very important for both the employer and the employees so as to understand the needs of every party involved in the work contract.. Employers during the period also believed the traditional method enabled companies to cultivate and retain their identities and culture. Organizations believed that they could easily communicate and impact the lives of their employees by working them closely. However, this work environment did have negative attributes. They typically lacked adequate laws and policies to regulate the interaction

3 3 between the employer and the employees. For instance, an employee could work to the point of exhaustion or illness. His well being and employee benefits were not as popular to consider as the work that he is doing and the value that he brought in was considered more important than the worker himself. Despite the fact that these foundations continued to rule the modern workplace, the work home from culture still managed to develop in such environments (Baines, 2002). While the traditional work method traces its history to the appearance of the industrial revolution, working from home is a modern concept that is mainly associated with the technological developments and radical changes in the society. However, there are assertions that postulate that the culture began as early the industrial revolution when craftsmen, seamstresses, and artisans performed their works from home. In addition, the early doctors and health professionals provided their services from homes and very rarely had satellite offices. Individuals managed family businesses from home to reduce the cost incurred while moving from one location to another. While these facts may deviate from the unanimous definition of the work from home concept that is recognized today, they try to highlight what the culture involves. Working from home entails pursuing economic activities that have financial benefits from the place of residence. The activities may be carried in the living room, kitchen, or any space specifically designed for the work (Berlanstein, 2003). In 1970s, the concept was redefined in the context of technological advancement. Working from home was perceived in the light of technological connection between the employee of an organization and the physical workplace. In 1975, many offices across the United States used dumb terminal telephones to communicate with the workers at home. The companies used the connections to give orders to the employees. Further developments in

4 4 the work environment led to tremendous changes in the work setting. For instance, by 1980s, most organizations had adopted personal computers that were used to connect employees and suppliers in different places. At this point, working from home was not restricted to a line of work like healthcare, craftsmanship, or childcare. Nearly any type of industry could become mobile and connected. Companies used computer and telephone resources to reduce the cost of business operation and enhance the efficiency of employees (Berlanstein, 2003). The 1980s also marked a whirlwind, influential period of changing gender roles in American culture in the sense that work from home parents could care for the children and pursue other family activities with a lot of ease. Prior to the period, American family settings were used to the culture where the father had to work while the mother had to remain behind to take care of children. Families experienced changes that enabled both parents to take care of family needs, because now it was easily possible to launch a career without ever leaving the house. Apart from changed gender roles, newer developments enabled workers with disability to pursue their jobs without interference. This provided more capabilities for handicapped people and diminished the so called definition of who is fit to work a job. The disabled members of the society could work from home and deliver their results to the employers through computers (Hawken Lovins & Lovins, 2013). The paradigm shift in traditional work culture also emanated from internal and external pressures of organizations. One major factor associated with the change was the need to reduce operational cost and improve efficiency of the business companies. After the invention of the computer, companies realized that they could significantly reduce the cost of operation if employees could work from home and the phenomenon became encouraged. Cost elements such as cost of office maintenance, power bills, and employee transportation

5 5 cost could be eliminated by having people work from home. Employees also saw the opportunity as an important step to reduce time wastage in traffic jams and accidents. It was a great chance for the employees to plan and ensure proper use of time for improved productivity (Hawken Lovins & Lovins, 2013). The approach provided adequate time for people to attend to family and job needs without inconvenience. It can be argued that familial relationships and responsibilities have improved, as parents would have more time and flexibility to attend to their children s needs. As a paradigm shift, the method came with huge benefits that included reduced environmental pollution and production of greenhouse gases that increase when people commute from one place to another, reduced pressure on infrastructure and transportation facilities, and improved management of transportation facilities. For instance, in the United States, it is estimated that working from home has enabled the economy to reduce the consumption of gas energy (Hawken Lovins & Lovins, 2013). Currently, the work from home culture is continuing to develop as the society adapts to more technological changes and developments. For example, developments in Information Communication Technology (ICT) have greatly transformed the work environment. In the modern world, organizations are either virtual, click and mortar or physical. Virtual companies are business entities where employees and customer interact over the Internet through online platforms. Click and mortar organizations are companies that have both physical and virtual presence. Most organizations in the contemporary society exist in the click and mortar form. For example, the industry giant Wal Mart has vast supermarkets, but does much of its advertising and accessibility online click forms of the business are the company s marketing websites. Employees and customers of virtual or click

6 6 and mortar organizations use the work from home approach to conduct business. Customers make their purchases and interact with the employees without ever travelling to the actual premises of the organization (Hawken Lovins & Lovins, 2013). According to Boorsma and Mitchell 2011, working from home is a new transformation that will change not only the organizations, but also transform societal perceptions towards work. Cisco associates the term with the smart work culture where employees work from their premises to reduce environmental and organizational pressures that may interfere with the level of productivity. According to Cisco, knowledge based companies can only remain relevant in the modern environment if they embrace work cultures that foster flexibility of the employees. Smart work culture as propagated by Cisco promotes flexibility, creativity and innovation, and labor productivity. An average person s perception of work should not immediately jump to the image of an office full of people in business clothing, working from 9 5. On the contrary, work should be considered a flowing, individually defined experience where a person s office can take on a number of different forms oftentimes, it may just be a living room. Employees are considerably more creative if they work in an environment where they don't hesitate to think and question their ideas (Boorsma & Mitchell, 2011). The culture improves employees attitudes toward work, allows for more personal flexibility and commitments, and reshapes how they communicate, collaborate, and exchange information with other people. Working from home creates a sense of place is that is socially attractive, open, conducive, and sophisticated to meet all the needs of the individuals from one place. It is a new approach of improving the competitiveness of an organization, the well being of the employees, and the viability of operational excellence in

7 7 the work environment. It is a noteworthy paradigm shift that redefines the societal norms towards work to ensure economic development social prosperity. The approach is a change whose time has come and should, therefore, be embraced by all organizations and employees (Boorsma & Mitchell, 2011). Words: 1826 References Baines, S. (2002). New technologies and old ways of working in the home of the self - employed teleworker. New Technology, Work and Employment, 17(2), Berlanstein, L. R. (Ed.). (2003). T he Industrial transformation and Work in Nineteenth century Europe. London: Routledge. Boorsma, B., & Mitchell, S. (2011). Work life innovation smart work a paradigm shift transforming how, where, and when work gets done. BSG, 9(11), Retrieved from Life_Innovation_Smart_Work.pdf Hardill, I., & Green, A. (2003). Remote working adjusting the spatial forms of work and home in the new econom New Technology, Work and Employment, 18(3), Hawken, P., Lovin, A. B., & Lovin, L. H. (2013). N atural capitalism: The next industrial revolution. London: Routledge