In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking has been rapidly implemented to reduce the risk of infection. At first, many people struggled to set up the environment, and even after starting, they struggled because of the many differences in how things work, but now they are probably beginning to see the Advantage.
Recently, we have been receiving many enquiries from customers who want to continue working remotely even after the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, and the keyword we often hear from these customers is "Activity Based Working (ABW)." While both are gaining attention as ways of working with a high degree of freedom, we at ITOKI believe there are actually differences between them in the following three areas.
- Telework and ABW differ in the level of detail available in terms of location options
- Telework and ABW have different criteria for choosing locations
- Telework and ABW require different scopes of effort
I would like to briefly introduce each one.
Telework and ABW differ in the level of detail available in terms of location options
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's comprehensive telework portal site defines telework as "a flexible way of working that makes effective use of time and place using information and communication technology (ICT)" and describes it as "working using ICT in a location away from the main office." In other words, you can choose where to work from the office, your home, a satellite office, a cafe, etc.
ABW has in common with telework in that it allows employees to "work anywhere, anytime." However, the "anywhere" aspect of ABW goes beyond the freedom to choose the building in which to work. ABW also allows employees to choose where to work, even within the office.
Some may think that this is the same as hot desking, but with ABW, the criteria for choosing locations are completely different.
Telework and ABW have different criteria for choosing locations
Aside from the current "reducing the risk of infection due to commuting and crowded spaces in the office," other situations where teleworking can be used include, for example, "balancing work with childcare or elderly care," "reducing or making effective use of workers time and travel time," and "hiring and continuing the employment of personnel who have difficulty commuting." situation It can be said that this is a way of working where you can choose where to work depending on the situation.
ABW is also a flexible way of working, so of course you can enjoy Advantage of being able to choose your place of work as mentioned above. But ABW also allows workers to choose their own working style. Activities Another factor to consider when choosing a location is Activities about Here (See here.)
Even when you can go to the office without any problems, ABW allows you to choose a place to work with the mindset of "Today is the day to concentrate on work alone, so I'll do it at home," or "I want to talk to my subordinates face-to-face for the first time in a while, so I'll meet them at the office." In addition, within the office, there are many workspaces specialized for each activity, and you can choose the place that is most suitable for your current activity. Rather than just casually deciding where to sit that day, such as "The weather is nice, so I'll sit by the window," or reserving a conference room, such as "This place will do for a meeting with three people," you can deliberately decide where to use, such as "I want to concentrate, so I'll use this desk," or "We'll brainstorm in this meeting, so this space is used."
Telework and ABW require different scopes of effort
To implement teleworking, various environmental improvements are necessary. In the IT environment, it is necessary to enable paperless work and provide employees with mobile tools, and in terms of personnel systems, it is also necessary to establish related internal regulations. Some companies may have reconsidered their evaluation systems and operations so that employees who are not in the office are not disadvantaged in evaluations.
Of course, such efforts are necessary for ABW, but I think two more efforts are necessary. The first is the development of office spaces where ABW can be put into practice. I would encourage you to visit our ITOKI TOKYO XORK or Nagoya Office Plaza and experience this for yourself.
The second is training employees to practice ABW. In ABW, it is first necessary to break down and think about your everyday actions and work into units called activities. In addition, in order for workers to choose a place to work based on their activities and work while maximizing the productivity of the organization, it is necessary to establish work etiquette and work while being considerate of others.
For example, at ITOKI TOKYO XORK, there is a rule that conversations and phone calls are not allowed in areas of high concentration so as not to disturb other employees' highly concentrated work. Many employees also say that they are considerate and do not suddenly call colleagues who are highly concentrated, but rather ask them via chat when they can talk. Of course, to do this, workers themselves need to make arrangements such as making their own activities visible on their schedules. In this way, things that are not necessarily essential for implementing teleworking can be important initiatives in putting ABW into practice.
Let's further evolve our teleworking efforts
So far, we have explained the differences between teleworking and ABW. However, as some of you may have noticed, there are of course many commonalities between the various efforts to implement teleworking and the efforts to put ABW into practice.
Creating an IT environment that allows employees to work anywhere, going paperless, establishing personnel regulations and reviewing management and evaluation methods, providing subsidies and benefits to create a work environment at home...these are all necessary efforts for both, and many companies have probably already completed these efforts in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As you reconsider your company's working styles in the post-COVID era, why not not let the efforts you have made in response to COVID-19 go to waste, but rather take it as an opportunity to take a step towards introducing ABW?
