An Approach from Psychology to Remote Work in Cuba (II)

Teleworking and remote work, in addition to having several jobs are alternatives in accordance with the economic and demographic situation of the country, the general director of Employment of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Ariel Fonseca Quesada, assured the Granma newspaper, on the subject of employment fairs held at the end of last year.

It would now be worth highlighting how the most current circumstances, with the energy crisis we are experiencing, as well as the serious difficulties for transportation and other complexities, could become one more reason to, only in cases where feasible, continue promoting these modalities of work, as long as power outages, for example, conspire against delivery schedules or other tasks that cannot be postponed.

According to the research that supports these lines, a high percentage (64%) of those on the Island who are not in a face-to-face job, mainly carry out remote work and not telework (36%), due to the limitations imposed by the technological infrastructure.

And it’s interesting to note that it’s mainly women who occupy more positions, both in remote work and in teleworking, which is related to the fact that they are the majority present in the so-called tertiary sector while men are the majority in the productive sector that necessarily requires a large part of the presence of the worker.

But more than one reading could be derived from these last figures and this is noted in the article "Performance in remote work and teleworking modalities in Cuba from a gender perspective", published in the magazine Novedades de Población.

Its authors emphasize that the advantage of remote work of allowing work to be reconciled with family and domestic life “is considered very convenient for women.” They point out how this “reflects and at the same time reinforces the stereotype: raising children and domestic work falls to women; therefore, following this line of thinking, it’s a problem that does not concern man. Thus, their overload is renewed.”

It's clear that this is one of the many stereotypes to deconstruct, as well as the one that suggests that those who are not physically in their workplace are not working as much as they should and can.

But nothing could be far from the truth since there are ways to control the results of this work, which, at the same time, and especially taking into account the limitations in Cuba makes even a better use of the work time by eliminating the complications of transportation and expenses on fuel and other energy carriers for work centers.

In fact, it’s a completely legal, regulated activity, and for the promotion of which Resolution No. 71/2021 of the Minister of Labor and Social Security was issued, published in the Official Gazette No. 72 Extraordinary of August 18, 2021, which contains the "Regulations on Remote Work and Teleworking".

No wonder, in April of last year, the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, during the annual review of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, insisted on the need to incorporate teleworking and remote work as permanent modalities and not as something asa contingency plan, or that was left behind by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel has also urged "to evaluate proposals for working at home and teleworking", considering the advantages that may accompany these modalities.

It happens that remote work and teleworking, as highlighted in the aforementioned research, should not be seen as a reward or a punishment, but rather as another opportunity, especially in these times of necessary energy savings, when it’s urgent to promote both modalities, because employers, workers and the entire country win.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff