Teleworking (part 1)

Would you like to be a teleworker? The terms "telecommuting" and "telework" were coined by Jack Nilles in 1973. Teleworkers are people who work for companies, but not in companies. They do company work at home, usually on computers. Many teleworkers or telecommuters work from home, while others, sometimes called "nomad workers" or "web commuters," use mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or other locations. According to a Reuter’s poll, approximately "one in five workers around the globe, particularly employees in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, telecommute frequently and nearly 10 percent work from home every day”.

Teleworkers usually communicate with their supervisors by telephone or fax. They transfer information from their own computer to the office computer by electronic means. They can also communicate with their employers and supervisors by Skype.

Teleworking is becoming more and more popular in Britain and in the USA. Estimates suggest that over fifty million U.S. workers (about 40% of the working population) could work from home at least part of the time, but in 2008 only 2.5 million employees (not including the self-employed) considered their home their primary place of business.

Very few companies employ large numbers of home-based full-time staff. The call center industry is one notable exception: several U.S. call centers employ thousands of home-based workers. For many employees the option to work from home is available as an employee benefit but most participants only do so part of the time.

In 2009 the United States Office of Personnel Management reported that approximately 103,000 Federal employees telework. However, less than 14,000 were teleworking three or more days per week. In January 2012, Reuters predicted that telecommuting "is a trend that has grown and one which looks like it will continue with 34 percent of connected workers saying they would be very likely to telecommute on a full-time basis if they could."

On December 9, 2010, the U.S. Federal Government passed the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 in order to promote management effectiveness when telework is used to achieve reductions in organizational and transit costs and environmental impacts; and to enhance the work-life balance of workers. For example, telework allows employees to better manage their work and family obligations and thus helps retain a more resilient Federal workforce that is better able to meet agency goals.

Teleworking (part 2)

But before you apply for a job as a teleworker, you should ask yourself if it is really the best solution for you. Bill Farrar, who works for a big recycling company, hasn’t enjoyed his last three months at home. “I often fall asleep at the computer because I don’t have anybody to talk to,” he says. “So, at lunchtimes, I often go to the nearest bar – which is just at the end of my road – and then the afternoon is gone!” Next week he is starting a new job in a company where there are five people in one small office. “I can’t wait!” he says.

Paul Reynolds, on the other hand, is an absolutely happy person. He is one of the three partners in “March”, a marketing consultancy. Most of their clients are in information technology, and the client list includes some foreign companies. The company has a staff of 15 at its head office in Kingston-upon-Thames, and has an annual turnover of nearly £2 million.

The company produces annual reports, brochures, newsletters, and point-of-sale material for their clients. The deadlines are very often tight. Paul works from his home. He wastes less time travelling than most people, and he spends more time working. “My job is not 9 to 5,” says Paul. At the end of the day there is no drive home, and he can continue to service his clients on the other side of the world throughout the night. He often puts his children to bed and then goes to work. Because of the time difference, his clients in the US and the Far East need to talk to him late at night. With all modern electronic technology, his home is better equipped than many people’s offices!