Ray is an employee of Opoku, Zigma & Reindher Agency in Accra. He works five days a week. However, he spends four out of the five days working from home. His tasks are time-bound and monitored by his supervisor. Ray and his supervisor communicate by exchanging information over the internet.

In some parts of the world, this trend has gained and continues to gain a significant amount of popularity. According to a CNN article in October 2012, a Census Bureau report revealed that the number of people who worked from home in the United States in 1999 had increased by 41% at the time. A survey on countries in Africa and other parts of the world will reveal a similar inclination.

As a technology enthusiast, I cannot help but admire innovations in technology. I take delight in purchasing and using the latest gadgets and software. As the saying goes, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." The human resource of any organization is indisputably a vital catalyst to its business growth and development therefore, organizations are constantly on the lookout for the latest innovations in Information Technology (IT) that can help boost the performance of their employees in the world's competitive market. Technology supports and facilitates the operations of organizations. The adoption of technology around the world has contributed to the emergence of new forms of work and terms such as Virtual Work, Electronic Human Resources (E-HR), Telepresence, among others.

A virtual workplace has made it possible for software companies, for example, to develop products in one country and then have a support team in another country. Why not? After all, it is a working environment with no geographical boundaries and it requires little or no face-to-face contact with teammates, supervisors or subordinates. Communication is made possible by technologies such as the internet, phones, tablets, Skype, WebEx, Intranet, Mikogo and Cloud.

Working virtually remodels the long-established concept of the workplace. It has encouraged collaboration amongst partners and in some cases, competitors. Some virtual workplaces include home offices, telecommuting centers, mobile offices, and office hoteling. Now, it is commonplace to find, for example, Microsoft developers working with Cisco engineers on a project for the World Bank. Virtual work is believed to be a contributing factor to the surge of "Pure Play" organizations (Amazon, Netflix, Facebook, BusinessGhana) in markets worldwide.

Implications for HR

Some organizations continue to review their strategic and business plans to adapt to the changes that are occurring in the work environment with regards to human resources. Discussions regarding virtual work should be done without digression to ensure an alignment of business goals to its operations. Although virtual work has its pros, there are cons too;

Pros

§  The focus of employees is shifted from time to results. This means that an organization no longer has employees rushing to work in the morning and closing after working eight hours. Instead, their fulfillment is derived from completing tasks that are assigned to them. This contributes to increased productivity

§  Virtual work debases expenses in real estate by eliminating unneeded office space

§  Provides access to global markets and presents a local face to global clients

§  A more flexible schedule, at home or in the office, could attract and retain talented and highly sort-after employees

§  Meetings and conferences are held in spite of distance or location

§  Cost of relocating a business is minimal or negligible

Cons

§  In some situations employer costs for new employees is arguably high in setup and maintenance. For example where a physical location could mean a whole department shares one printer, a virtual work environment would have to provide printers for every employee. This reduces equipment efficiency

§  It is possible for a breakdown of geographical boundaries to lead to potential intercultural or policy clashes between teams or departments

§  There is minimal or no personal contact with decision makers. This isolates crucial communication opportunities and is a recipe for misinterpretation of actions

§  Some employees may find it difficult to separate work from personal life

So, are you considering a virtual office?

Kofi Arhin, Business Development Manager, Axis Human Capital Ltd.