Of Virtual Work and Sweatshops

Lately it's been suggested that telework may lead to sweatshop conditions for home-based workers. I responded to a recent article in Newsweek raising this concern, and, since so many of us support the movement toward virtual work, thought I'd reproduce my comments here.

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While I'm delighted to see virtual work highlighted here [in Newsweek], I think the movement has proved itself thus far to be much more beneficial than threatening, and the concern with sweatshops (though understandable wherever labor is at issue) premature.

Here in my company, we've specialized in the virtual work movement for over 10 years, and presented to the U.N. on the topic in 1999. We provide virtual-careers training programs to the U.S. Department of State, the Air Force, the Army, and other clients, and have written two popular books on the subject, "The 2-Second Commute" and "Work at Home Now."

We've interviewed executives at LiveOps on numerous occasions, studied the company itself, and tracked feedback from its independent contractors, and have never found evidence of "sweatshop" conditions or inclinations. (On the contrary, it has shown a high degree of positive innovation.)

As for monitoring, brick-and-mortar call centers have long monitored the calls of their workers (while looking over their shoulders as well), and it seems unfair to hold the virtual model to a higher standard, particularly given its youth.

We advocate virtual work not only for its good track record, but for its stunning and comprehensive potential.

By locating work in homes (and most especially in the "ghost towns" of our suburbs), it can

-- effect a Renaissance of Community in America, restoring us to much of the family and civic life we've lost by "sprawl-and-crawl";
-- spark local economies (see Bill McKibben's "Deep Economy"), reducing our reliance on carbon-heavy goods and services from distant sources;
-- dramatically reduce our carbon footprint overall;
-- bring jobs to people with disabilities and others with transportation limitations; and
-- inspire greener community planning and use, oriented toward pedestrians and non-combustion vehicles rather than trucks and cars.

Virtual work is not a panacea -- though it's a damned big puzzle piece --  and not for everyone. But it deserves our sustained attention and careful but rapid implementation. Too much hangs in the balance.