Telecommunication is a phenomenon that has arisen due to the integration of computer in organizations. There are both merits and demerits for the adoption of this system to the society, according to the office of personnel management; telecommuting has immense advantages which include reduction in traffic congestion which results in people travelling to and from work each day (Brown, 2010), this is also important in taming the dangerously rising greenhouse gases emissions. The government saves a lot of taxpayer money with regard to the renting or purchasing of real-estate meant to house their employees. With telecommuting individuals have an apt to manage their work-life relationship better; this is because this form of job offers employees flexibility with regard to their schedule (Reynolds, 2011).
But telecommuting also has some detrimental impact on the said society, and they include lack of interpersonal networking. Individuals working away from the office environment most of the week tend to miss out on the informal office discussions which at times may prove to be valid sources of information (Cooper and Kurland, 2002). The other disadvantage is that of lack of informal knowledge, in the office environment people tend to communicate. In the processes of communicating there is transference of knowledge which has the propensity to advance an individual’s professional development and advancement in the workforce.
Ultimately, through increased adoption of telecommuting in modern society, most individuals miss out on mentoring opportunities; mentors can be viewed as experienced individuals who relate well with less experienced people and facilitate the personal and also professional improvement of the said person. Mentors provide the new employees with access to valid information and experience which is fundamental in an individual’s development. They also provide emotional support for those whom they mentor (Cooper and Kurland, 2002).