A development framework for the implementation of a virtual workplace environment in the South African banking industry

Abstract

The concept or idea of virtual work has evolved over the years, globally and locally. Many global companies have been able to implement it successfully, given the fact that they have sufficient resources, financial backing, infrastructure and technology in place to create a fully functional virtual workplace environment. In the South African context, virtual work is a concept that employees are becoming more and more familiar with and based on the feedback from the questionnaires it is an avenue which employees in the SA Banking Industry are willing and keen to explore. Factors such as time spent in traffic, travelling cost, work-life balance and managing their own time act as motivation to partake in this new phenomenon. In the South African Banking Industry, technology, financial resources and infrastructure are in place which could revolutionise the way of banking, not only for the employees but also for the customers. Certain roles such as sales, information technology and professional services, such as finance and marketing would be able to adapt to the new way of work far easier than the people who are employed in the operations areas, because operations areas are very agile and decisions are made in spur of the moment, which requires immediate changes to take place. Recommendations towards future research regarding the practical implementation of virtual work in the South African Banking Industry that can easily be adopted were put forward.