Guillermo Garron
April 26, 2020
We all know what happened in China in December 2019. It will be remembered as a major event in human history — a clear “before” and “after” moment.
In many countries, especially in Europe and North America, working from home has already been standard for certain types of jobs. But since the appearance of SARS-CoV-2, many other roles — in many other countries — have been forced to adapt to this new situation.
I want to talk about what may happen here in Bolivia. We’re not used to remote work. The typical workday runs from 8:00 to 12:00, then there’s a two-hour lunch break, and from 14:00 to 18:00 everyone is back in the office. This happens even for jobs that could be done perfectly well from home, like coding.
Part of it is cultural. Many company owners believe that if they can’t physically see their employees, they won’t work — that they’ll cheat the system. There isn’t a strong goal-oriented work culture yet; instead, there’s still the mindset of “work your eight hours and go home.”
That will have to change, and quickly. For companies, it’s now risky to have everyone in the office, where an illness could spread and halt productivity. For employees, it will mean shifting from an hour-oriented mindset to a goal-oriented one.
Another big challenge is internet access. Most Bolivians connect to the internet through their cell phones. Only a small percentage of homes have a fixed broadband connection. That will also need to change, because telework requires a stable home internet connection.
The government has already mandated telework for all eligible employees. This is good for traffic, good for pollution — but unfortunately, it took a crisis for Bolivia to regulate telework.
This post is part of my participation in 100 Days to Offload. You can join with your blog at: #100DaysToOffload