An investigation into anywhere working as a system for accelerating the transition of Ho Chi Minh city into a more livable city

Abstract

As urbanization increases traffic congestion, major transformative changes must be explored to ensure that cities like Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) transition into equitable, sustainable, and livable cities. This study aims to investigate anywhere working, the practice of performing work tasks remotely instead of from a traditional “fixed” office location, as a possible mechanism for reducing traffic congestion and pollution. The research adopts a descriptive survey method to collect primary empirical data on the current working arrangements and commuting habits of HCMC workers, to identify organizational policies relating to anywhere working, commuter transport modes/usage/timings, attitudes toward anywhere working, and the benefits, constraints/concerns, and perceived productivity for working in locations outside of a traditional office space. The results indicated that, while 74% of HCMC commuters would like to engage in anywhere working practices, only 41% were permitted to do so. This low adoption rate was not necessarily due to the nature of the work tasks themselves, but due to managerial decisions of their employers, and the desire to engage in anywhere working was found to be strongest among those who have already had the first-hand experience of working remotely. HCMC is predicted to be the second fast-growing economy in Asia by 2021 (Tu, 2017) and the findings from this research provide timely and valuable new insights into this phenomenon, as a potential mechanism for assisting the cities of the future develop more equitable, sustainable, and livable conditions through the use of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).