Home Office , an alternative model of flexible working .
ABSTRACT
The working relationship since the period of the artisan to the present day, has been going through constant changes to suit the demands of the market and forcing organizations to adopt new ways of working, advantaging competitive s , finding the Home Office strategy a great business with positive results and proven in countries like the United States and Europe, and still find barriers in Brazil, mainly cultural aspects, so after an analysis of applicability is a range of benefits to society, organizations and professionals.
Keywords: Home Office, Flexible Working, Competitive Advantage.
1 INTRODUCTION
The current scenario in labor relations, based on the changing cultural and social ideology, imposed by the need to generate competitive advantage for survival of organizations, leads us to an ongoing evaluation of models adaptable to the wishes of the spheres organizational, social and professional since the period of the artisan to the present day, emphasized as the Knowledge Age.
This article contributes to the three spheres, highlighting alternative flexible working with positive results in other countries and little explored in national professional market.
The methodology applied in this present study was a qualitative research through studies grounded in biographical books, scientific articles, papers and materials available on the Internet, with purpose to emphasize the concept of an alternative model of flexible working.
The first stage of this work relates to the changing patterns of work developed in accordance with market needs, since the period in which the craftsman has a close relationship with the mode Home Office proposed in this paper, going through periods of undoubted importance for the progress of work, such as the Industrial Revolution, Scientific Management, Total Quality was, coming to the Knowledge Age, also called post-industrial.
Followed by the main focus is to emphasize an alternative model of a biased flexible work, yet little explored in Brazil more successful in countries like U.S., Europe and other developed countries, showing the premises to implement their good points, critical to society , organization and professionals, as well as cultural barriers and legal factors.
Leaving clear that human capital is transformed into competitive advantages for the organization and benefits to society in a period in which knowledge is the best way for the social, economic and cultural.
Two . EVOLUTION OF WORK , THE AGE OF THE CRAFTSMAN OF KNOWLEDGE.
The adoption of multiple modes of work is the result of human evolution in the cultural, ideological and social, and the need for adaptations and modifications imposed by the highly competitive market, using as main tool to develop their own capacity for knowledge, innovations and generating technology for their own benefit and humanity and to guide this article, you must understand a little about the progress of work, mainly from the handmade work to the current era, which can be understood as the knowledge era.
The craftsmen were the first form of organized production, since they established deadlines, thus setting priorities, met pre-established specifications and fixed prices on their orders. (Martins 1998, p.1).
This first form of organized labor, has great proximity to the alternative flexible work proposed in this paper, since the physical space taken for the execution of the work is their own house, where goods were produced in a personalized and exchanged in trade for other products.
The loss of the labor force occurred craftsman, from the Industrial Revolution, with the mechanization of production systems, where he became a primary production more efficient and larger-scale productivity to meet demand, lower the costs, encourage economics and business. The holders of the workers before their own work and controlling the production process, start to sell their labor power and labor space, shall no longer be home, but a factory, starting a new period of progress of work, the Industrial Revolution which, according to Antunes Carvalho (2008, p.17)
The Industrial Revolution, a period that was well designed and agreed by the set of economic, technological and social change, recorded especially in Europe, characterized by the acceleration of the production system and the implementation and determination of capitalist production.
The mechanically repetitive activities, occupational activities now requires that they spend a disciplining constant, predetermined work schedule, work now in an environment with rules and guidelines
Also according to Antunes and Carvalho (2008, p.17):
Within the history, the Industrial Revolution played an important and very prominent, as was the mainspring of the great transformation of humanity verified by means of inventions, discoveries, implementations, reformulations, introductions, etc. changes. In life, behavior in the culture of human and criteria, strategies and production procedures adopted at the time.
The constant pursuit of improving the work with the goal of economic expansion, especially with the need to reduce costs and increase productivity, generated the need for improvements, through the study of work activities, leading to a new and important period of development of work through the Scientific Management.
The Scientific Management, created by Frederick Winslow Taylor, boosted the economy through scientific analysis of activities with an emphasis on worker productivity, ensuring prosperity for the employer, coupled with prosperity for employees.
According to Wikipedia (2010) “working model developed by engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, with an emphasis on tasks, aiming to increase efficiency at the operational level,” was amended by a new model, which besides the concern for productivity and cost reduction, also began to emphasize the issue of quality, given the onset of globalization with the innovation of Japanese products.
The need for adaptations to new vistas, also transformed the world of work and conditions of workers, implementation of total quality, forcing investment in more accurate and productive machines, enabling plants to reduce labor, and forcing the individual the pursuit of knowledge imposed by the reflection of replacing the machine by the man.
With globalization and competitiveness, consumers spend to exert an active influence in the economic market, shifting the focus of total quality, before related standardization of production processes and reduce costs and focus today to the care and overcoming customer satisfaction. With this new concept companies were forced to be based on a new scenario and formulate management strategies, eliminating activities that do not add more value to the customer.
According to Lima (2005):
For two centuries, long lasting industrial society (1750-1950), the biggest challenge was to efficiency, ie doing more things in the shortest time. Thus, the pace of life is no longer controlled by the seasons and became more dynamic. While agriculture needed to produce ten thousand years, the industry needed only 200 years to generate the post-industrial era.
With the Knowledge Age or post-industrial organizations began to prioritize the capital of greater value to the organization, the man’s intellectual capital, a source of competitive advantage, creativity, because the workforce has been replaced by machines and logical for computers, however the man holds the creative resource that the market demands, and without it, organizations wither, and are swallowed by the highly competitive market.
Reports Goulart (2009, p.15) that:
In recent years, knowledge management and flexible working have become two crucial topics of discussion in the organizational literature. Both the academic community as the organization believes that by leveraging the knowledge and provide flexibility in their work to professionals and executives, a company can maintain its competitive advantage in the long term.
Inside the new reality, organizations are living in constant pursuit of innovation and depend directly on the individual’s knowledge to a privileged position in the market, therefore, arise the layout and offer flexible working arrangements, to these individuals, who for a long period were known as slaves, moving later to employees, then employees and today are recognized as partners.
Among the various forms of flexible working, the focus of this article is the Home Office , kind of similar work of craftsmen, as the same way, using one’s own home to carry out labor activity and generate income.
Three . HOME OFFICE TYPE OF WORK A FLEXIBLE.
Because it is a relatively new modality in Brazilian society, there are conflicts on the conceptual understanding of the Home Office . Several works such as books and articles published, it is Telework and Home Office and Home Office and Telecommuting, however, the two are form of flexible working are some details that distinguish these two concepts, especially the setting where professional activity is carried out, telecommuting is defined more broadly, and make up all work activities performed outside the organization, as mentioned by the site of the Brazilian Society of Telework and Teleatividade:
Telecommuting is any work done at a distance (tele), ie, outside the traditional work place (office of the company) with the use of information technology and communication, or more specifically, with computers, fixed and mobile telephony and all technology to work anywhere and receive and impart information, text files, image or sound related to work activity. There are several concepts or definitions of telework developed by scholars or institutions, but all lead to the same point. (SOBRATT, 2010)
But the Home Office , is a flexible mode of employment, in which the activities are performed within the home environment, may be, in whole or in part, providing an alternative biased by the fact envision an innovative tool mainly to save costs by employer, facilitate motivation and satisfaction with the professional activity of employees and contribute to society great.
According to information obtained from the site SEBRAE (2010):
In the United States and Europe, the Home Office is widespread and Brazil has been following this trend. And thanks to technological advances, internet connection, to databases and satellite, many professionals have all the information needed to perform their work without leaving home.
Although, unlike the United States, Europe and other developed countries, which already have a practice rooted in alternative flexible working, according Terribili (2009), “The Home Office is a tendency in the country, especially in large cities, however, something that needs legal support for their development, based on reality, respect and responsibility, avoiding measures overprotective, paternalistic or abuse of any of the parties involved. “
Reports Goulart (2009): the Home Office “appears as an option attractive and important work, and its main benefit will be to provide flexibility to employees to better manage their time and personal responsibilities.” For organizations concerned with costs, and the constant pursuit of creating a competitive advantage, implementing a flexible mode of work as the Home Office , is essential to achieving success in order to constitute a powerful tool for talent retention, which are holders of knowledge and capital of greater value to the organization. For society, the contribution of this type of flexible working, reaching levels as positive as for the employee and employer, especially regarding environmental issues, because with the professional activities being performed in their own home environment, automatically reflected in the reduction of movement of vehicles on the streets, reducing the rate of environmental pollution.
Positive effects are well known as the Home Office behind the three spheres: Society, Organization and Individual, and these positive factors are stimulated by the main part of this tripod the individual, unlike in the general context of teleworking, the Home Office , provides professionals with the opportunity to develop their professional bedside family, creating a priceless satisfaction and improving the quality of family life of the professional, which are transformed into productivity and quality, creating competitive advantage the organization and benefits to society.
Anxious to adoption of strategies that enhance the human capital, forced by the economy and knowledge-based society, the implementation of the Home Office , shall be construed as an alternative link organizations, for today, is still seen as an alternative to provide autonomous services.
3.1 F actors that involve the implantation of H ome The ffice.
The implementation of home office involves assessments in the personal, professional, business and culture. Companies should not only consider the aspects of worker productivity and reduce costs as the two factors for deployment of home office, but to prepare professionals for this new modality of doing work. This preparation should involve the provision of infrastructure compatible with existing needs, enlightening lectures, in order to provide a quick understanding and easy adaptation of the professional. Added to this, organizations should encourage the holding of regular group activities in the company, strengthening the team spirit and enabling the professional “wear the shirt of the company” in a modern context and mutual trust. (TERRIBILI 2008)
Even though the implementation of the Home Office is an advantageous option for the organization, employees and society, it must be carefully analyzed in the factors that involve the deployment, especially in the cultural sphere. Importantly, the Home Office, is just one of several alternative flexible working, and each organization should adapt the alternative most favorable area of ??activity and the profile of the employee.
For Goulart (2009):
The implementation of the Home Office in a business is executed through a change in aspects of culture and organizational structure. Although most of the professionals who adopt this mode, use information technology to run its activities, the greatest challenge to implementation is not technological, but organizational and human.
An organization that wants to opt for this model, you need to achieve success, adopting a policy of compensation and advancement based on results from each employee, it should automatically adopt a lot of discipline to be assessed positively. Besides the need for cultural adaptation of the organization and the individual, the importance of awareness of the professional family is paramount to the success of the model, everyone should keep in mind that this work environment should be respected, because it will be generated financial resources to support the family.
For goals to be achieved without interfering with the quality and productivity of the activity performed, and that family life is respected, the adoption of standards and guidelines should be developed and followed by every family, especially the question relating to time management, professionals should not work beyond the pre-set as it will be the holder of self-management, much less not be disruptive enough to stop developing its activities within the specified period.
3.2 Reflections of the H ome The ffice , for the organization, professionals and society .
The consequences brought by the adoption of alternative flexible working Home Office , are irrefutable, the three dimensions, organization, training and society are benefited with the implementation. On the other hand there are the cultural paradigms that put brake on the spread of the sport in Brazil, who speaks of disadvantages, of course every coin has two sides, however we can note is that the disadvantages normally come from the implementation of an organizational culture or activity incompatible with the type of work Home Office , then the naming disadvantage can be converted into critical points, in addition to providing the professional who has the profile to develop activity out of sight of the organizational hierarchy.
For the organization, it is obvious that the achievement of organizational objectives such as cost reduction, productivity gains and concern talent retention strategies are the main positive impact. However, the extent of benefit to the organization is not limited to these three factors, as exposed Goulart (2009) to “reduce the rate of absenteeism, greater organizational flexibility, improved organizational climate, improving the quality of life of employees, management practices skills and practices of management by projects “.
With the activity developed in the professional own residence through predetermined targets that do not have to speak of shortages and delays, keeping absenteeism low.
Competitiveness makes the labor market is highly competitive and reflects the scarcity of skilled labor, resource, essential to the success of the organization in this regard with the implementation of the Home Office back considerable positive results in the area of ??recruitment and selection, as it provides an alternative to market more benefits to attract talent.
In his hand against the positive factors for the organization, the critical points appear, such as adapting to the new form of management mode with a consequent drop in production in the initial stage, rehabilitation of the employee upon return to develop the activity within the company and finally grace legislation that governs the sport, the company can earn a passive labor. Also for Allen and Benedict (2002, p27), which talks about teleworking which includes Home Office :
The use of telework can create an implicit form of domination, in the sense that foreign companies looking for skilled labor cheaper compared to labor in his country, through flexible contracts, use the work of people living in geographically distant from their center of activity. (Ara�jo & Benedict, 2002, p. 27).
With respect to professional advantages are considerais as countless Goulart (2009, p.39):
a-) Increased living with the family b) Reduction of costs and risks with the displacement, c) Better use of time previously spent on travel to work d) Better time management, e) Improved quality of life and therefore their families; f) Reduction of stress and job strain.
Obtaining the satisfaction of the work activity is related to positive aspects of the implementation of the Home Office provides professionals, and these in turn correspond to the benefits offered by the organization through profit-generating competitive advantages.
Regarding the negatives that this mode can generate Terribili employees (2008), says that “unfavorable to the professional side is the loss of contact with colleagues from social as well as the exchange of experiences and professional experiences”
The consequences to society are also highlighted in the implementation of the Home Office , both in the social, economic and environmental.
With the unbridled growth of the populace problems arise as the chaos of the great metropolis, related to traffic, pollution, violence and other problems, which with the implementation of the Home Office, are replaced contribution to minimizing these problems. The ability to perform activities within the residence of the professional takes a considerable amount of vehicles from the streets, especially in critical times, consideralvemnete also contributing to the reduction of pollution
An important social factor contributing to stress, is the possibility of including a greater range of people with physical disabilities in merdado working women who need his stay in the family and the elderly who can remain active in the labor market.
On the other hand, if organizations use this form to hire cheaper labor, particularly seeking them in foreign markets, can bring harmful consequences to society, economy and labor relations in the general context.
3.3 The Law of teleworking.
The camera, through the Bill, Proposition No. PL 4505/2008 of 16 December 2008. Regulates the employment relationship of the teleworker , authored by Deputy Luiz Vellozo Lucas, is processing in order to regulate the work distance is every day more common in society, in view of the advancement of technology and the advantages brought by the Internet and mobile phones, this form of service has been popularized on a large staircase in the world.
In Brazil we do not have specific legislation regulating telework, therefore, the CLT does not provide modern system for this particular service. We understand here to be one of the reasons that this system still has limited its adoption, due to be fully beneficial to all.We know by analogy apply broadly principles brought by CLT, given the advanced field that has been applying telework.
Since 2008 we have through the National Congress the Draft Law No. 4505/2008, authored by Mr Luiz Vellozo Lucas (PSDB / ES), but so far we do not have great news about the forecast for this law effective.
What we have seen is the constant approval by the Committees on Labor, drawing only a few amendments that aim to enhance the effectiveness of that project.
Under the proposal, the employment relationship is governed by the Telework CLT, and the teleworker entitled to wages, holidays, leave provided for in the CLT and sick leave.
Given that there is no possibility to control the day, teleworkers are not entitled to overtime, so the compensation should adjust to normal working hours.
The Bill provides rights and obligations specific employees and employers of teleworking, considering that some peculiarities to be discussed need to reformulate the labor laws when our law magna, provides in its article 7, item XXVII, “protection in the face automation, according to the law, “ie, is allowed to create law specifies.
Four. FINAL
The need for adaptations to a new period of progress of work imposed by the highly competitive market, forcing organizations to find alternatives that allow the optimization of human capital, in order to gain a competitive advantage and therefore privileged position in the market.
The alternative model of flexible work Home Office , following a progressive tendency, which provides a chain of threefold purpose, meaning its effects not only organizations but mainly the work and society.
And in the course of the study, one can see that cultural barriers need to be incorporated into the effective use of this procedure. The critical points exist, and can not be overlooked, factors such as organizational culture, professional profile, awareness of the family of professional, thorough analysis of the activity that fits this mode should be part of the strategic project of the organization.
Another important point to note is that there is a fear for the implementation of this modality, both in view of some organizations that envision the framework only to independent professionals or service providers, based on a lack of legislation to sustain the legalities modalities of this work distance. And on the other hand a certain discrimination of their own professionals to perform their activities within their own home environment, reducing costs, stress, wasted time and a better quality of family life, to understand that being out of physical space of the company may lose the possibility of career advancement.
Therefore, we conclude that the Home Office , is a business strategy aimed to address the imposition of cultural evolution, social and ideological relations within the scope of work to be a tendency to treat major impact on organizations, society and professional and that should be explored as an activity of employment contract and not just as a service or standalone.
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[1] FACP – Faculty of Paul�nia – Paul�nia. 7 Semester Graduate Course of Business. Birth of Marcelo Moura RA-10292 – email marnasmoura@yahoo.com.br.
[2] FACP – Faculty of Paul�nia – Paul�nia. Teacher MsC. Waldemar Rodrigues