Telecommuting, a work modality that grows in

Colombia
This year, the world commemorates International Labor Day with a
large part of its workers carrying out their work at home, due to the
health contingency caused by the COVID-19 virus. And, in this
context, teleworking is emerging as an opportunity to maintain
productivity in times of crisis.
In Colombia, teleworking is defined in Law 1221 of 2008 as a form
of labor organization that consists of performing paid activities or
providing services to third parties using information and
communication technologies (ICT) as support. This in order to
maintain contact between the parties and be able to perform the
functions without requiring the physical presence of the worker in a
specific place.
In July 2018, when the 'Fourth Study of Telework Penetration in
Colombian Companies' was released, carried out for the ICT
Ministry by the Colombia Digital Corporation and the National
Consulting Center, it was revealed that the country had 122,278
teleworkers by date.

This shows the rapid growth of this modality, since there was an
increase of almost 400% in relation to the two previous years.
Likewise, the figures show that in Colombia only so far in 2020, 128
companies and more than 2,600 people have been advised by the ICT
Ministry.
How does teleworking improve the quality of life of
Colombians?
Telework contributes to the digital transformation of the
country, allowing citizens to be employed from anywhere,
avoiding the routine of performing functions in the same place
every day, reducing mobility times and providing the
opportunity to integrate into the world of work people with
disabilities.
In addition, this modality contributes to increased productivity, reduces
infrastructure costs and improves the quality of life of employees.
One of the ways to identify the benefits of teleworking is thanks to
Calculapp, a tool developed by MinTIC that reveals how much time and
money would be saved by employees and companies that adopt this
work modality.
For example, if the exercise is carried out with a daily expense between
transport, food and others, for the sum of 22,500 pesos (using mass
transport in a city like Bogotá, in two daily routes, with periods of an
hour and a half from the north of the city to the center of it) yields the
following results:
• Equity footprint: the money used in transportation for a whole year is 5,400,000 pesos.
• Carbon footprint: due to the displacements you make per year, you should plant 13
trees
• Quality of life footprint: approximately 35 days a year are spent traveling for work
reasons.

It saves time and money, which also contributes to improving mobility, reducing
climate change and generating more sustainable cities. There are many examples
and they range from the economic to the time that is gained to share with the
family and other activities, highlighting, also, that it is of great help for people
with disabilities, who see a direct benefit in their health by being in a place that
comply with all the provisions to exercise the position.
The ICT Ministry offers free advice and permanent support so
that companies continue to join this work modality, to access
them the application must be made through the website
www.teletrabajo.gov.co, from any region of the country. To
learn more information and solve the most common questions
about telecommuting, go to the following link:
https://www.teletrabajo.gov.co/