Telework: A new form of slavery

in Project HOPE3 years ago (edited)
}

Tele trabajo.png


On-line work, tele-work or remote work as it is also known is a work modality where the
person performs his functions from the comfort of his home (generally) using a computer or a mobile device as well as the internet through which he connects with his employers, clients or workers in order to develop his duties and responsibilities in this way, he does not need to show up to work physically.

Working on-line is not something new as it was being done in some way but not in a massive way as it has become very common, especially in Latin countries due to a precarious economy in many of them and of course, because they represent an economic solution as they are better paid in these countries than a face-to-face job, on the other hand, due to the COVID 19 pandemic, this modality allows the development of skills and potential remotely while maintaining biosafety standards.

Faced with this new situation, governments and companies adopt this form of work as a way to keep their economies active, but since it is a relatively new alternative, it lacks legislation in some countries, so the
worker has no legal backing and is subject to the rules imposed by the
employer.

Explaining the latter, on-line work is often offered from outside the country of origin, leaving the employee legally unprotected and without protection from the company of the country for which he/she works, establishing a legal vacuum in "that bridge" that is formed between the two countries, so that in
this case the employer always plays at exploitation by establishing long working hours of up to fifteen hours non-stop daily that can vary according to the dynamics but never be less than eight hours, so that the excesses of one day do not compensate the flexibility of another (if there is any). Schedules that reverse the hours of sleep, especially if the company is in other latitudes and in these circumstances hardly allow fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom.

Disconnection is not a right, so once the employee has left work for the day, the employer may feel entitled to demand reinstatement to work if required.

In some cases they do not offer days off, or weekends off so the employee works from Monday to Monday without rest.

And the truth is that these jobs pay, in many cases from 2 to 4 $ an hour, so the excess work is
justified because the more hours the higher the pay but I can not choose not to
work one day or work less another.

Another characteristic of this type of work is the administrative disorder, the way in which they are organized to work is contradictory, giving intrusions that contradict between bosses or supervisors
bringing as a consequence verbal abuse to employees "who do not know how to follow instructions".

In addition to the above, the worker has to have the resources for this work by placing his computer at the service of the company or his mobile depending on the case, requirement to work, which if damaged does not have an economic support to solve such eventuality because it must be said that many of these jobs require the latest generation equipment with maximum capacities to support not only the pace of work if not the constant downloads of information and the company is not responsible if the equipment of the worker suffers a malfunction at work and internet access is another requirement, the service is provided by the employee and is not subsidized by the company since during those working hours the internet hours are exclusive for the work performed, in the face-to-face mode many companies cover the costs of equipment, transportation and health.

What are the consequences of such a pace of work?

Obviously, health problems manifest themselves in the form of stress, sleep disturbances, mood swings, inability to socialize, loss of enjoyment, eating problems caused by the lack of a schedule for eating or time to buy food so you end up depending on others to meet this need and others where you need to meet the basic household chores such as cleaning, washing, running errands, buying food or various objects, even personal shopping.

At the sexual level, libido tends to go down in some cases, or to increase in others because of the same anxiety, since not having space for the "disorder" persists becoming unbearable, but once the objective is achieved there is no time for "romance". Given the economic situation in many countries, especially in Latin America, it is obvious that many businessmen take advantage of the need of others to maintain a stable standard of living, allowing them to do what they want with the people in their charge. Until governments establish limits by means of laws that protect the on-line worker both inside and outside their countries, telework is presented as a **"guillotine through which you have to stick your head out to see the other side but be careful not to let it fall on your neck".*

Artículo escrito por:  Nadia Padrón  (@hojaraskita)

Sort:  

Yeah you actually have a point. There are no laws or protection for the online worker especially if he works for a country that is this native country. The government really needs to help so people don't get exploited because of the lack of jobs in the environment.

Thanks for answering. Certainly many of these people abuse because they know the needs of those who work for them