Compulsory development of online work in Arab countries

In the precautionary measures imposed by many Arab countries to deal with the Corona virus, large economic sectors have found an opportunity to develop remote working mechanisms.

Although many Arab institutions and individuals do not have a culture of remote work and many of them have never experienced it, Corona has presented them with a fait accompli despite the many challenges they face. faced.

Tunisia

In Tunisia, the head of a private financial institution, Nizar Taamallah, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the entire team of the institution in which he works works from his home, stressing that the experience has allowed, as well as his colleagues, to find remote solutions for all the urgent files to manage the interests of their clients.

He added that crises also have benefits and that they are often a catalyst for the development of unconventional ways of working that can turn at a later stage into an effective way of working for employees.

Since the Tunisian authorities announced the global quarantine decision, classes have been completely halted at all levels of education, and the number of employees in government ministries and departments has been reduced, and vital sectors are not functioning. as a function of the assigned work delay. to employees who have to go to their workplaces.

Economist Mohamed Moncef Al-Sharif said Tunisia was slow to set up and develop remote working systems, stressing in a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that moving to construction sites is costing the group a great deal. energy consumption in transport, lighting and air conditioning. , and all of these expenses can be saved by working remotely.

However, he stressed that remote working also requires a complete digitization of management and services, to ensure their continuity and speed of response to public services, stressing the need to develop all these systems after the end of the crisis of Corona, and to define the budgets necessary to set up these platforms that can be developed within the framework of a partnership between the public and private sectors.

Iraq

In Iraq, most public and private works are still routine and depend on personal and paper communication, which has made the transition to working from home difficult.

For the first time, accountants in government departments are practicing their profession from inside their homes, and they are required to send statements and account reports via the Internet, which puts them on a new path. did not know before, according to Hassan al. -Zuhairi, accountant at the Ministry of Education.

Al-Zuhairi, who spent 21 years in government service, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that remote working is a new experience for most government employees, whose nature of jobs allows them to complete their tasks online.

He added: “For the first time since my government has been working in accounts, I carry out my task from home, and my communication with my managers and colleagues in the department is via the WhatsApp application and via email. ”

As for Donia Abdel Rahim, who works as a relations officer in a private import-export company, she told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that she continues to work normally and full-time remotely.

And she indicated that she corresponds with companies, clients and investors in Turkey, India, Russia, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon and a number of European countries, and that she addresses letters and discusses investment opportunities with companies in these countries, noting that “is happening while I am inside my home.”

Morocco, West, sunset

In Morocco, contrary to government directives aimed at reducing attendance at government and private institutions, unusual queues were observed in front of the Orange Telecom agency in downtown Casablanca. Many customers are looking for a home Internet connection. This is one of the conditions for working remotely, knowing that companies have made laptops available for their employees in order to carry out work remotely.

Amal Naji confirms to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that domestic work relieves a person of the pressure to move in a noisy city like Casablanca, but confirms that the person lacks a working atmosphere in the workplace, such as sharing having a cup of coffee with colleagues and exchanging conversations on issues other than those related to work.

The major groups in the banking, insurance and communication sector have resorted to domestic work, which is what the Sharif Phosphate Complex, present in around forty countries, followed, since the global giant , which has 23,000 employees, has approved the age of domestic work for 95% of them are employees of its head office in Casablanca.

Economist Ali Boutaiba imagines that remote work was limited to a few sectors such as offshore, considering that the digitization of the economy was not served by the dominant culture which relies on direct and collective communication in the same place, as in many Arab and Mediterranean countries. countries.

He added, in a statement to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that this culture based on collective exchange has not helped distance education, despite the creation of platforms for it since 2003, when a lot of money was spent on it, without the practice spreading to universities.