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Teresa Pacis is a public relations person, a mobile PR person,
actually. As the external communications manager of Intel Technology
Philippines, a typical day for Pacis begins at 7 a.m., online. She
sends out press releases, plans events, corresponds with her
colleagues from the four corners of the world, and attends
meetings—from the comforts of her own home.
Internet connectivity has provided Pacis with a
new a paradigm on productivity and efficiency at work.
Relating her shift from being office-based to
being a telecommuter, Pacis said, “I used to be in government, and
even when I was consultant at the Trade department, I still had to
show up for work. When I started in Intel, it was all about being an
individual contributor.”
“The company emphasizes that we own our
employability; thus, we can soar to great heights, depending on how
daring we are, or how far we want to go,” she said.
For Pacis, owning her employability means
extending her skills training beyond public relations and media
management to being a driver of Community Solutions, one of
Intel’s corporate responsibility programs.
“We are encouraged to do volunteer work, and
with the company’s focus on being an asset to the community, we
get to know the people there better,” she said.
Together with her teammates in the Corporate
Affairs Group, Pacis cleaned and fixed the classrooms of public
schools in General Trias, Cavite, an experience that she said “has
given our team building activities more relevance.”
Despite that every one in the corporate affairs
team is a telecommuter, Pacis said every member “find ways and
means to share with our employees our many wins, especially in the
arena of corporate responsibility.”
Telecommuting, which is part of Intel’s thrust
of making the company a great workplace comes with its own set of
challenges, Pacis found out. She said: “Since you practically own
your time, you have to be disciplined enough to make sure that you
accomplish what you’re supposed to accomplish. After all, sitting
at home, in normal comfy outfits, can actually lull one to
complacency. If you are not disciplined enough, and committed to get
the job done, you might end up with you laptop nestling on your lap,
watching TV!”
At Intel, she said telecommuting allows
employees to play their varied roles as mother or father, husband or
wife, a son or daughter, a worker with balanced efficiency. Pacis
said it actually encourages work-life balance, but it is not for
everybody. “You have to be disciplined and diligent in following a
routine that is best suited to your specific job scope.”
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