Abstract

RODRIGUEZ, Alejandro Damián  and  D'ERRICO, Julieta. Telecommuters: between optimistic discourses and precarious contexts. An approach from the perspective of the argentinean case. Rev. colomb. soc. [online]. 2017, vol.40, n.2, pp.47-66. ISSN 0120-159X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/rcs.v40n2.66384.

The article contributes to the knowledge regarding telecommuting in the case of Argentina by paying special attention to the perspectives of a multiplicity of actors whose interests in the matter are different and even contradictory if one bears in mind the capital-labor dichotomy. Using a qualitative methodology, an analysis of sources was carried out in order to examine what some specific government and mass media actors have to say about this work modality. Furthermore, eleven in-depth interviews with telecommuters were carried out in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (AMBA, according to its acronym in Spanish) between 2013 and 2017. The comparison between these two sources of information revealed very different discourses, a fact that raises serious questions regarding the optimism with which this new labor modality tends to be considered most of the time.

In order to contribute the knowledge regarding telecommuting, the article shows how this concept is understood by the Ministry of Labor, Employment, and Social Security (MTEYSS) of Argentina through its Program for the Promotion of Employment in Telecommuting (PROPET), as well as by certain national newspapers like Clarín and La Nación. This exercise makes evident that the latter share an excessively optimistic outlook. Flexibility, freedom, creativity, and horizontality are some of the features that, in their view, characterize the work reality of telecommuters. However, the interviews showed that there is a great gap between what the abovementioned actors say about telecommuting and what happens in the day to day work of telecommuters. Although the latter recognize some of the advantages of this work modality, they also point out many negative aspects: the lack of clear hierarchical referents to whom they can address their concerns; unclear work objectives; and difficult-to-establish boundaries between the work environment and the home are some of the most evident ones. It is necessary to emphasize that this text is an initial exploratory inquiry, based on a small number of interviews, for which reason its conclusions are preliminary.

Keywords : new information and communication technologies; organization of work; telecommuting; work identification.

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