Work from home and the future of work in Trinidad and Tobago

I came across this article, Employment of people with disabilities surges to a record high amid remote work policies, and it encouraged me to write on the topic of work from home. According to the article, "the recent push by companies urging workers to return to the office may threaten the gains made by disabled people." Decision makers have to always be mindful of vulnerable sections of society. Work from home is a great opportunity and advantage for the differently abled community in Trinidad and Tobago. We have to think about rights, inclusion and equity.

We in Trinidad and Tobago dispiritedly await the work from home policy from the government and the changes to come if it ever happens. It seems that the private sector would have to lead the way with example companies like Nestle and Media Insite. Work from home was a manifesto promise. Many persons would have voted because of those promises.

I am entitled to a viewpoint and I say the hold back on work from home in the government seems to me like excuses. Their thinking is colonial and outdated and lazy. Instead of saying we are not technically ready and trinis are indisciplined, how about saying, we were able to adapt and move quickly and successfully for a long period in the pandemic. Priority will be given to implementing work from home and with some tweaking and our performance management systems we will roll out work from home on a phased basis starting in 6 months time.

There was plenty of noise on social media calling for work from home. The next generation gets it. The next generation is willing to put technology to work for country development. The next generation wants smart work and not hard work. Our voices matter. In many of our minds, the advantages of work from home far outweighs the disadvantages. Who knows, maybe the powers that be are reading my blog.

To this day I still remember this quote from a young citizen about online schooling, "I should be able to say what works best for me. My voice matters so I should be able to choose." from my blog post, What would it take for a Technology Revolution to happen in Trinidad and Tobago? I also wrote another blog post, How you can convince your boss to work from home?

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