HOW DOES TELEWORK ACT AS A SOLUTION TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN THE TIME OF PANDEMIC?

Abstract

As Coronavirus COVID 19 became a global pandemic, and its repercussions have affected the global economy badly, teleworking was being forced as an alternative pioneer to be implemented in the public sector. This study will discuss adapting Telework as a solution in crisis times in developing countries (Jordan). Systematic Literature Review was adopted to explore the challenges and best practices for adopting Telework in the Public Sector, especially during the crisis. Afterward, interviews were conducted with experts, professionals, and academics from Jordan to discuss the best solutions for adapting Telework in the Jordanian Public Sector. This paper has found several challenges facing the adoption of Telework in the public sector, and they were mainly related to Security, Infrastructure, and Technological Illiteracy. Moreover, this paper has also suggested solutions through the interviews. The most prominent solutions focused on finding a legal framework for the Telework, providing appropriate infrastructure and equipment for the employees to work remotely, and offering frequent technical support for the teleworkers to ensure the Data's security and confidentiality. There was a lack of studies related to Telework in the public sector by reviewing the literature, especially in developing countries. This paper will be a reference for other researchers to explore the challenges and the solutions.

Keywords

• telework
• telecommuting
• remote work
• telework practice
• public sector
• jordan