Whether to spend more time with family or just avoid the rush hour commute, more and more people in the Maghreb are working from home.
With the spread of information technology, an increasing number of Tunisians are able to work from home. The internet now allows many people to manage their businesses remotely, avoiding red tape and office formalities. Telecommuting also cuts down on expenses and allows employees to skip the daily grind of traffic.
"I decide my own working hours so they would agree with my life and circumstances. That helped me find time to solve my children's problems, handle house chores and take care of my family," Faouzia Saafi said.
Saafi runs her business from home and said she enjoys the physical and psychological comfort. She used to work as a translator at a private agency. The advancement in technology allowed her to think that she could start her own business at home, which has become her main source of income now.
Saafi urged other professions to adopt the same practices. That, in turn, may offer more job opportunities to the disabled. She further underlined the need to enable women to work from home so they could find enough time to take care of their children and avoid pressures so as to create a state of family balance.
In addition to being able to enjoy more family time, Maghreb workers can now be employed by firms in Europe without ever having to leave home.
"I don't have to work in a foreign country, as a stranger, when computers and the internet enable me to communicate with people in other countries, while staying at home with my family," Ayman Abdouli told Magharebia.
Abdouli earned his diploma in architectural engineering from a French university but now works remotely for a Belgian company from his hometown in Tunisia. Despite the distance, he managed to win the trust of his employers in a short time and was able to develop his skills.
Commenting on the advantages of working from home, Abdouli stressed that it gives him freedom and mental comfort, away from office formalities. It also enables him to join his family and friends in many entertainment and cultural activities, as his work does not take up much time.
Kamal Kafi, a correspondent for Al-Madinah newspaper in Saudi Arabia, works online and runs his career from home. He spends nearly six hours before his monitor every day, which he divides the way he sees fit. He devotes the rest of his time to helping his girls with their lessons and taking care of them, as well as taking care of the house affairs along with his wife.
"For years, I have been working from home. I no longer have to commute to and fro, get stuck in traffic or keep searching for a parking slot. Working from home spares me all that trouble and serves to boost my revenue and cut down on expenses," Kafi said.
Many companies and enterprises no longer require employees to come to work every morning, which created many job opportunities for employees willing to work remotely.
"I got the idea while I was in the US, as I noticed that many businesses there worked remotely," said Salah Tlili, owner of an advertising firm that relies on telecommuting.
"Therefore, I decided to adopt that same concept back home in Tunisia, because I thought it is more efficient and profitable, in terms of the financial revenue and trimming off the cost of having employees commute to and from work or in terms of boosting productivity and achieving the target," Tlili said.
This is exactly what Afef Kassbi, a psychiatrist, noted as she explained that working from home helps employees relax, especially women who can now decide on the best time to do their work, while taking care of their children and handling some chores around the house.
She also noted, however, that that new technique is bound to impact social communication, reduce chances of personal interaction and so enhance individualism. People in that case will stay home, in isolation from their society. They are also likely to become introverts and may be victims of depression.
© Magharebia.com 2011
