Remote Intelligence and Telecommuting: A Comparative Analysis

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Introduction
The industrial age saw most of the work executed at the workplace using equipment that
could not be applied in other locations. However, considering that the information age has now
set in, more and more businesses are becoming information-based rather than dependant on
location (Fonner and Stache, 2012 p.247). The onset of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) meant that the geography of work would also change. In fact, for a majority
of the current working population, execution of the day to day duties does not have to take place
at a single centralized work location. Instead of travelling their respective places of work, the
work is brought closer to them and this is done via telecommunication links regardless of the
current location. As a result, new methods of executing workplace duties are emerging and
becoming tremendously common. Telecommuting is defined as the act of conducting operations
from a remote area. The remote location is often a place outside the traditional office and this
may include a hotel room, a coffee shop, or even at home. Multiple technological advancements
such as webcams, instant messaging, phones, internet, and faxes have been the main facilitators
of this form of working arrangement (Rehman and Al-Hadhrami, 2010 p.4994). A majority of
the telecommuters work in the communication, high-tech, and the financial industries. In
addition, some companies from the western nations are adopting remote intelligence whereby
they hire remote labor from developing nations where salaries are relatively lower.
The rise of Tele-Commuting and the increase in Networked and Separated Workplaces
since 1995
The practice of telecommuting has grown significantly from the 1990s. This observation
can be traced back to the never-ending demand on firms to raise their profits, while at the same

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time, cutting their costs of operation. Telecommuting, which is viewed as an option to the daily
arrangements whereby employees execute their specified roles, has undergone significant
transformations in the recent years. According to Ye (2012), companies are now facing intense
pressure to develop more adaptable means for the modern “corporate office” considering the fact
that workers are now in a position to access data. The modern workers now have the voice
devices and additional services which are internet-enabled installed in their home locations and
this has made telecommuting an essential practice in the business world (Ye, 2012 p.21).
Multiple studies regarding telecommuting have revealed that as at 2009, the proportion of
companies using the services of teleworkers doubled in a span of 4 years. The figure stood at
25% in 2003 and later shot to 50% in 2007 (Ye, 2012 p.21). In an effort to reduce their working
spaces, many big telecommunication companies such as Siemens, Telia, Yahoo, Ericsson, and
Vattenfall, have decided to consider flexible offices as possible solutions. In the near future, this
telecommuting phenomenon is predicted to rise even higher considering that workers are more
concerned about their security as well as the escalating fuel prices (on the side of the employee)
and the urgent need to minimize the working space (on the side of the employers). Potter (2003)
postulates that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon as well as the resulting anthrax threats are some of the factors that have renewed the
telecommuting interest on both the employers’ and the employees’ sides (Potter, 2003 p.83).

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The figure 1 above outlines the 3 main telecommuting adoption factors. First,
technological trends impact telecommuting implementation as electronic devices will be needed
for communication. Second, organizational factors as well as the specifications of the job impact
implementation of telecommuting. Third, environmental factors such as the presence or absence
of technology services providers, regulatory agencies, and the overall structure of the industry of
the organization will impact telecommuting adoption.
"Remote Intelligence" as it applies to remote highly trained and Skilled Workers
In the past years, location and language have been the two main invincible barriers
hindering the highly skilled individuals from entering the labor markets. With the emergence of
telerobotics and telepresence, however, things are now taking a new twist. Heinze, Wierschke,
Schacht, and von Löwis (2017) explain the emergence of remote intelligence. According to the